The Skoll World Forum brings social entrepreneurs together with the partners who can scale their work. For 2025 the Forum theme was kintsugi—the Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with gold, so that the repair becomes part of what the object is worth. In a time of increased division, it invited us to find shared humanity in the world’s cracks and mend them in the open.
I art directed that theme and built the campaign system that carried it: the main visual, announcement and speaker graphics, social and quote content, microsite and app UI, and exhibition graphics across the Oxford venues.
The main visual set the rule everything else followed—a ceramic ring broken and rejoined in gold, each shard carrying a story from the field.
I directed external vendors and worked alongside the copywriters and the digital media manager against one shared design system, so the theme held as volume scaled through Forum week.
I also introduced generative AI workflows into concepting and social campaign production.
Speaker and announcement graphics ranked as the top-performing registration drivers, ahead of paid ads—the redesigned visuals moved traffic, engagement and production volume together.
The work was recognized with the Creative Communication Award 2025—Winner, Advertising and Integrated Campaigns.
The system in application — virtual registration display ads, and Instagram quote graphics
“Emily has an extraordinary ability to bring ideas to life visually in a way that strengthens brand awareness and drives real outcomes, including lead engagement and conversion. She approaches design with a strong sense of purpose, helping teams see how thoughtful visual systems support clear storytelling and meaningful connection. Her work consistently elevated the impact of our campaigns while staying grounded in audience needs and business goals.”