2 Days in Miami
For some reason I imagined setting down in Miami, after our flight from Frankfurt, and...
Chad Matthew Danford
Creative Director / Front-End Designer & Developer / Photographer
In February 1999, I landed my first professional job at an advertising agency in Essen, Germany. I crafted my first Bewerbung using Microsoft Word and convinced my parents to invest $100 to send my B.F.A. portfolio—packed in my now-infamous silver case. I was hired on the spot and asked if I could start the following Monday.
Skills that make an impact
Blending design, code, and creativity to craft meaningful experiences.
Art Direction
Great design tells a story. As an art director, I craft visual narratives that connect, inspire, and endure—whether defining brand identities, designing campaigns, or refining aesthetics. I bring creative visions to life with clarity and purpose.
Frontend Design & Development
I bridge design and technology to create intuitive, engaging digital experiences. From pixel-perfect UI to seamless front-end interactions, I bring ideas to life with clean code—balancing usability and aesthetics.
Photography
I studied photography as part of my graphic design studies and came to Germany with my analog Canon AE-1. After years away from peeking through the viewfinder, I realized that this part of my creativity had been missing. Photography for me is about reconnecting with that hands-on, observational side — noticing light, detail, and moments that tell a story in a way only the lens can capture.
Wait, I’m in Charge?
Turns out leading design means more than picking colors.
Since 2021, I’ve been wearing the Head of Art Direction hat — which turned out to mean building a design team from scratch, inventing folder structures that actually make sense, and making sure the brand looked like it had its life together across every channel. Along the way, I’ve coordinated with freelancers and external partners, making sure everyone — internal or external — was pulling in the same creative direction.
In practice, that’s meant hiring and mentoring three great designers, streamlining how projects move from idea to delivery, and nudging the company toward seeing design as more than just decoration. It’s been equal parts creative work, team building, and a bit of organizational therapy, while keeping both internal and external collaborators aligned and motivated.
The workload often felt like running a mini full-service agency: juggling multiple projects at once, balancing strategic priorities with tight deadlines, and making sure every campaign, presentation, and digital asset met the same high standard. It’s been intense, but incredibly rewarding to see the team—and the brand—grow stronger through it all.
Work
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OKLCH Color Scheme
When I set out to define the color system for this project, I wanted something...
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Calumet HQ
Almost a year before Calumet’s Hamburg headquarters move-in date (Fall 2024), I was asked to...
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Calumet Email Newsletter
The story of the newsletter started back when I was still a senior developer/designer on...
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Long Weekend in Paris
The German train system was supposed to be on-time and dependable. Or so I thought,...
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Calumet Rebranding
The Challenge Calumet, Germany’s largest online retailer for camera and video equipment, needed a brand...
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Calumet B2B Video
Sometimes, the best way to reconnect with your creative roots is to just dive in....
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Hiddensee Summer
Hiddensee feels like stepping out of time. The island has a quiet rhythm of its...
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Street Shots from Hamburg
Some days the only time to shoot is in the margins — a few minutes...
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Heide in the Corona Time
During the months of lockdown, when the world felt smaller than ever, we found space...
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Wempe Diamond Week
Display Animation for Wempe’s Diamond Week Before joining the advertising agency as a senior art...
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Wempe Customer Services Booklet
At the beginning of 2020, I had the opportunity to design an exclusive customer services...
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Bree Web Redesign
In early 2020, I led a two-week design sprint focused on rapidly building and testing...
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Wempe Weekly Email Newsletter
For Wempe, one of Germany’s most renowned jewelers, we developed a weekly email newsletter that...
Snapshots & Stories
A glimpse behind the lens
My Instagram is where creativity meets everyday life. From behind-the-scenes moments to spontaneous captures, it’s a space to share glimpses of inspiration, process, and the visual ideas that shape my work.
Contact
Let’s Create Something Together
Thank you for reaching out! Whether you're interested in discussing a potential collaboration, have a question about my front-end web development projects, or simply want to connect about art, creative direction, or photography, I'd love to hear from you. Please fill out the form below, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Your message is important to me, and I look forward to starting a conversation!
© 2025 | Chad Matthew Danford