Hello! My name is Zurah Shaker.
Art has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I was exposed to a wide range of artistic mediums and even helped my parents restore antique rugs, using calligraphy pens to carefully recreate missing patterns, colors, and shapes. That early experience taught me to appreciate both the creativity and precision behind great design, and it continues to influence the way I approach my work today.
With more than 15 years of experience across branding, marketing, art direction, illustration, and UX design, I have built a career at the intersection of creativity and strategy. I have led designers, managed vendors and budgets, developed 360° marketing campaigns, and managed more than $1 million in advertising spend. From concept to completion, I bring together the creative, strategic, and executional sides of marketing to create work that delivers measurable results.
My experience is unusually broad. I have worked across the political spectrum, from Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" campaign to developing a targeted advertising strategy designed to reach President Donald Trump. That campaign ultimately ran on Fox & Friends. What initially felt like a crazy idea turned out to be the right one, proving that some of the most unconventional ideas can be the most effective when they're backed by thoughtful strategy and a willingness to take a risk.
I've also worked with clients and organizations including Amazon, Girl Scouts of the USA, Katy Perry, Vizio, and Mayor Eric Garcetti, across industries ranging from healthcare to technology. Whether the audience is a consumer, government agency, executive, or highly specific demographic, I know how to adapt the message, creative, and strategy to reach them.
I've worked in startups, design agencies, and large corporations, which has given me the ability to operate both strategically and hands-on. In many ways, I function as a design, web and marketing agency in one: part creative director, part designer, part marketer, part strategist, and part problem solver. If you've ever imagined finding the "unicorn" who can connect all of those disciplines, I'm proof that person exists.
And I don't just create things that look good. I create work that moves the business forward. At a startup, my work helped drive 595% expansion over three years, translating creative and marketing strategy into significant revenue growth. I care deeply about the intersection of creativity and business, and I believe the best creative work is both memorable and measurable.
At the heart of everything I do is a love of creativity, problem-solving, and making ideas real. I'm adaptable, curious, and comfortable taking an idea from a blank page all the way to execution and results. If you're looking for someone who can think like a creative, execute like a designer, and understand business like a marketer, I'd love to connect.