Portrait of Lisa Mallinson

ABOUT

Hi, I'm Lisa — a French-English Creative Lead based in the French Basque Country, working with brands in both languages across Europe and internationally.
Over a decade working across startups and established brands, I've built a practice at the intersection of brand, digital and marketing design. My work spans brand identity, packaging, campaign art direction, digital marketing, retention creative and print, across fashion, lifestyle, tech and consumer brands.

I start from the same place every time: who is this actually for, and what do they need to feel? The visual direction follows from that. It's why I care as much about commercial effectiveness as I do about craft. The two aren't in tension, they're the same job.

I believe the best creative work comes from a clear point of view, the courage to be distinctive, and a deep understanding of who you're actually talking to.

The work I'm most proud of is the work that enables others to do their best work. The brand system someone else can use confidently. The framework that helps teams move faster without sacrificing quality or consistency. Building those conditions, for work and for people, is where I add the most value.

I've managed and mentored designers at every stage of their careers. Leadership isn't something I do on top of the design. It's part of how I work.

Open to senior in-house roles, fractional Creative Lead engagements and freelance projects where design is genuinely valued, creative ambition is matched by real responsibility, and there's room to lead.
Selected clients and companies include:
Logos: Naked Wines, Accor Group, Popsa, Reiss, Heist Studios, WGSN

Services

Brand Identity
Full brand identity from scratch – strategy, naming, visual language, typography, colour, logo and guidelines.

Packaging Design
Label and packaging design across print and retail formats, with a strong eye for premium finish and shelf presence.

Campaign Art Direction & Design
Art direction and design for seasonal, product and brand campaigns across digital, print and social.

Digital & E-commerce
Website design, e-commerce UI, landing pages and digital asset design with a strong eye for user experience and developer handover.

Marketing Creative
Retention and acquisition creative across email, paid, organic and print channels – including campaign posters, visual merchandising, out of home and office murals – plus modular digital toolkits and campaign frameworks built for teams to run independently.

Creative Direction & Team Leadership
Creative strategy, team management, mentorship and cross-functional collaboration for brands that need a senior creative presence, not just execution.

Reviews

"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Lisa for over two years now, and the quality of her work has consistently been outstanding. She has a rare ability to truly understand business objectives, not just the brief. She listens, supports, and challenges when needed, always with clear and thoughtful rationale. On top of that, she brings incredible talent and attention to detail, combined with professionalism, communication skills and work ethic that make her a real partner to work with. Honestly, working with Lisa sets the bar so high that it makes it hard to imagine working with anyone else. I couldn’t recommend her more highly."
– Marie-Sophie Ferrière, Marketing Director at Stellar Global (via LinkedIn)
"We brought Lisa on board to work on CRM design, but she contributed so much more beyond that during her time with us. She has top-tier technical skill, knowhow with design tools and process, and brilliant creative ideas and solutions. Her work raised the bar for our teams, inspired test ideas and delivered performance gains on key campaigns. I strongly recommend working with Lisa – she's a great talent and superb communicator."
– Clare Sayers, Creative Director at Naked Wines (via LinkedIn)