Senior Designer | Creative Director
Design leadership for teams that need someone who can see the whole picture.
Senior-level design thinking and creative leadership for corporate teams, agencies, and organizations navigating complex, fast-moving environments — backed by 15+ years of production-ready execution.
Senior Designer | Creative Lead
Design leadership for teams that need someone who can see the whole picture.
Senior-level design thinking and creative leadership for corporate teams, agencies, and organizations navigating complex, fast-moving environments — backed by 15+ years of production-ready execution.
Available for full-time, contract, remote, and embedded roles. Based in Canada and open to relocation for the right opportunity.Available for full-time, contract, remote, and embedded roles. Based in Canada and open to relocation for the right opportunity.
Available for full-time, contract, remote, and embedded roles. Based in Canada and open to relocation for the right opportunity.Available for full-time, contract, remote, and embedded roles. Based in Canada and open to relocation for the right opportunity.
About
Design leadership grounded in strategy and production.
I’m Katie Jansen, a senior graphic designer and creative director with over 15 years of experience across infrastructure, corporate, non-profit, and government environments.
I’ve led complex creative scopes as a sole designer and as a creative lead — building visual frameworks from scratch, working within established brand systems, and collaborating with stakeholders across technical and creative disciplines. My work starts with the question behind the brief: what does this project actually need to accomplish, and how does design get it there?
I bring reliability, strategic thinking, and a calm, organized approach to environments where clarity and quality both matter.
Where that experience runs deepest.
My experience spans sectors, teams, and project types where creative leadership, clear thinking, and reliable execution matter.
Katie is highly skilled, extremely creative, and adept at visualizing design and organizational concepts. Her almost immediate understanding of what was required for every assignment, regardless of complexity, made her a formidable asset to any team.
Shelley Desormeaux, Proposal Manager, Hatch
Katie is highly skilled, extremely creative, and adept at visualizing design and organizational concepts. Her almost immediate understanding of what was required for every assignment, regardless of complexity, made her a formidable asset to any team.
Shelley Desormeaux, Proposal Manager, Hatch
Case Studies
Design thinking and strategy are part of every project, not just the complex ones. The case studies offer a closer look at how that process works — how the problem was framed, how decisions were made, and what the work needed to accomplish.
Case Studies
Each of these projects involved more than design execution. They required strategy, coordination, and judgement under real constraints — competing priorities, complex stakeholders, fixed deadlines, and content that kept moving. These case studies look past the final artwork to the thinking behind it: how the problem was framed, how the process was managed, and what the work ultimately had to accomplish.
Exhibition design for the CFUW Oakville 75th Anniversary, featuring large-format timeline panels, spatial planning, accessibility considerations, and archival image treatments for a heritage display at QE Park Community and Cultural Centre.
An annual heritage event identity rooted in a specific place: the valley, the creek, the bridge, the colours of fall. The brief called for something specific and welcoming, with enough flexibility to support the event year after year.
A six-month government pursuit comprising 450+ graphics produced as one unified visual system. With content arriving from engineers, project managers, and business leads across multiple firms, the central challenge was making the submission read as a single team.
A rail-extension pursuit where earned trust translated into real creative latitude. Rather than default to the usual satellite overlays, I rebuilt the project maps as clean illustrated graphics — a decision focused on clarity rather than polish.
A bilingual brand identity for a national non-profit whose membership spans everything from textiles to architectural heritage. The work centred on a single strategic problem: how to represent a field defined by breadth without favouring any one specialty.
Katie consistently went above and beyond to deliver outstanding results, providing equally high-quality output whether working within mandated constraints or when allowed significant creative freedom. She was skilled at interfacing with both technical personnel and other creative team members, and equally adept at interpreting and conveying technical concepts through clear and simple graphics. Most importantly, our client consistently commented on the high quality of these materials.
Ed Backlund, PE, Senior Project Manager — Port Planning, Hatch
Katie consistently went above and beyond to deliver outstanding results, providing equally high-quality output whether working within mandated constraints or when allowed significant creative freedom. She was skilled at interfacing with both technical personnel and other creative team members, and equally adept at interpreting and conveying technical concepts through clear and simple graphics. Most importantly, our client consistently commented on the high quality of these materials.
Ed Backlund, PE, Senior Project Manager — Port Planning, Hatch
Selected Work
Work across branding, proposals, publications, and environmental graphics — spanning non-profit, government, and corporate environments. The throughline: clear, purposeful design built to function in the real world.
Selected Work
Work across branding, proposals, publications, and environmental graphics — spanning non-profit, government, and corporate environments. The throughline: clear, purposeful design built to function in the real world.
Where I can make the strongest impact.
I work well with teams that need a designer who can step into complex projects, understand the context quickly, and contribute at whatever level the work requires.
Senior Designer
execution + judgement + reliability
For teams that need strong visual execution, reliable production, and design thinking grounded in the larger goal.
Creative Lead
Direction + Coordination + Consistency
For teams that need creative direction, strategic alignment, and oversight across multiple deliverables or contributors.
Creative Director
Vision + Strategy + Oversight
For teams that need someone to organize priorities, guide decisions, and keep the work moving.
Where I can make the strongest impact.
I work well with teams that need a designer who can step into complex projects, understand the context quickly, and contribute at whatever level the work requires.
Senior Designer
execution + judgement + reliability
For teams that need strong visual execution, reliable production, and design thinking grounded in the larger goal.
Creative Lead
Direction + Coordination + Consistency
For teams that need creative direction, strategic alignment, and oversight across multiple deliverables or contributors.
Creative Director
Vision + Strategy + Oversight
For teams that need someone to organize priorities, guide decisions, and keep the work moving.
Where I can make the strongest impact.
I work well with teams that need a designer who can step into complex projects, understand the context quickly, and contribute at whatever level the work requires.
Senior Designer
execution + judgement + reliability
For teams that need strong visual execution, reliable production, and design thinking grounded in the larger goal.
Creative Lead
Direction + Coordination + Consistency
For teams that need creative direction, strategic alignment, and oversight across multiple deliverables or contributors.
Creative Director
Vision + Strategy + Oversight
For teams that need someone to organize priorities, guide decisions, and keep the work moving.
I have worked with Katie for over eight years and hands down she is the best graphic designer I have worked with. She not only brings her superior skills to the table but is able to see the larger picture and hone into the key objectives of every project. She is a real asset to any team.
Lily Ainapure, Marketing Strategist & Brand Development, Global Infrastructure, Hatch
I have worked with Katie for over eight years and hands down she is the best graphic designer I have worked with. She not only brings her superior skills to the table but is able to see the larger picture and hone into the key objectives of every project. She is a real asset to any team.
Lily Ainapure, Marketing Strategist & Brand Development, Global Infrastructure, Hatch
Open to New Opportunities
Let’s talk about your next project or role
Whether you’re looking for a senior designer to embed in your team, a creative lead to own a complex project, or someone who can hit the ground running on a high-stakes pursuit — I’d love to hear about it.
