
Sam Flaherty
Verified Expert in Design
Designer
London, United Kingdom
Toptal member since April 16, 2018
A veteran Toptal designer with nearly 2,000 completed hours under his belt, Sam collaborates globally with like-minded clients such as Google, Citibank, Hugo Boss, YouTube, and Levi's to ensure clear and effective communication with their audiences. He has over 15 years of experience in the fields of graphic design, brand creation, digital design, and creative thinking.
Portfolio
Work Experience
Freelance Creative Director | Graphic Designer
Independent
- Engaged as a consultant and creative director on numerous projects for various SMBEs, helping companies establish a creative strategy, vision, and critical path. Built, briefed, and led creative teams to realize that vision.
- Worked on a conceptual project for Google (while at MultiAdaptor in London)—making use of new and interesting interactive technologies and presenting our concepts at the Google Headquarters.
- Created (while at Wordsearch in London) a logo and visual identity for the Scalpel, a new skyscraper set to change the face of London's skyline.
- Conceptualized (while at Grey in London) an advertising campaign for Hugo Boss and created concepts for a range of new special edition packaging.
- Built a variety of work that has been published in a number of books and digital platforms.
- Conducted interviews for the likes of The Brand Identity and Victionary and was featured on The Dots and one of the world's largest creative networks.
- Designed and oversaw (while in Paris) the development of We The People, a fashion, lifestyle, and travel online destination. The website was featured on SiteInspire.com.
Senior Brand Designer
All Turtles Corporation
- Helped to oversee the strategic rebranding of Carrot, a global fertility care provider.
- Worked with the team to reconsider and redesign all brand touchpoints, including website, social, presentation templates, flyers, billboards, and more.
- Provided guidance and assistance to junior team members.
Innovative Branding Expert
French Florist
- Worked on the repositioning of USA-based French Florist, a nationwide floral retailer.
- Contributed to the full spectrum of identity elements, including logo, typeface, color palette, and photographic art direction, as part of the rebrand. I then applied these to various items, from the eCommerce website to packaging and billboards.
- Advised on wireframing and designed the entire UI, as there was a critical focus placed on the company's eCommerce platform.
- Supported the French Florist team in liaising with developers to ensure the website was designed to a high standard.
- Testimonial: "If you have the privilege of working with him, I suggest you don't miss your chance." – M. Jacobson, CEO.
Senior Graphic Designer
Spring in Alaska
- Led the art direction and designed numerous print and digital projects for a range of brands such as Penguin Publishing, Woolworths, Red Bull, and more.
- Communicated with clients, attended briefing meetings, and presented work.
- Created a full studio rebrand during my time at the agency.
- Worked on-location art directing photo and video shoots.
- Mentored interns and junior designers—acting as a senior designer/art director.
Graphic Designer
Canvas Group
- Worked on creative projects for Citibank—producing campaigns and print collateral.
- Communicated directly with clients—managing the projects that I was responsible for.
- Presented work and gave pitches directly to clients.
Junior Designer
Samdog
- Created a campaign for New Zealand Library Week, including overseeing the onsite photographic art direction at Wellington Library. The campaign was featured heavily throughout New Zealand libraries.
- Designed a campaign for New Zealand Conservation Week, including creating the concept, pitch, illustrations, and all printed and online collateral.
- Designed and developed websites for clients using Samdog's proprietary content management system.
Art Director
Fluro Magazine
- Determined the design direction and was responsible for the layout articles.
- Collaborated with the writers to create interesting, readable articles.
- Managed the print production and proofed the magazine before it went to press.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Marketing
University of Victoria - Wellington, New Zealand
Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design
University of Otago - Dunedin, New Zealand
Skills
Tools
Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe, Photoshop CC, InDesign CC, Illustrator CC, Adobe CC, Adobe Creative Suite, Illustrator CS5, Wix, UI Grid, Mailchimp, Microsoft PowerPoint, Canva, Google Slides, After Effects CC, Sketch, Premiere Pro CC, Adobe Experience Design (XD), Slack
Languages
Visual Design Language
Platforms
Adobe Suite, Web, Blogger, Shopify, WordPress, Figma, Mobile, iOS, Desktop, Webflow
Industry Expertise
Fashion, Investments, Pharmaceuticals, Health & Wellness, Consumer Products, Technology, Professional Services, Government, Luxury Goods, Food & Beverage, Sports, Healthcare, Banking & Finance, Sales & Marketing, Travel & Leisure, Real Estate, Advertising, Marketing
Other
Websites, Visual Design, Logo Design, Business Card Design, Posters, Jewelry, eCommerce, eCommerce UI, eCommerce Web Design, Shopify Design, Logotype, Startups, Small Business Design, UX Design, Grid Systems, Identity, Typography, Web Design, Branding, Visual Identity, Mockups, Digital, Presentations, Communication, Creative Direction, Digital Creative Direction, Creative Design, Print Media, Web UI, Print, Art Direction, Digital Design, Graphic Design, Social Media, App Design, Apps, User Interface (UI), UI Design, UI Branding, Visual Storytelling, Brand Design, Design Strategy, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Marketing Design, Mobile Web Design, Color Selection, Luxury Industry, Digital Branding, Product Design, Software as a Service (SaaS), Data Visualization, Packaging, Print Design, Product Packaging, Layout Design, Landing Page Design, Responsive Web Apps, Web App Design, Design Systems, Pitch Decks, Presentation Design, Collateral Design, Social Media Design, Marketing Campaign Design, Instagram, Brand Guidelines, Newsletter Design, Responsive UI, Color Palettes, B2C, Consumer-facing Product Design, Fintech, Communication Design, Online Banners, Banner Design, Package Design, Brand Books, B2B, Website Builders, Fashion Design, Brand Logos, Iconography, Color Schemes, Brand Identity, Investor Presentations, Digital Advertising, Mobile App Design, Mobile Design, Digital Brand Identity, Rebranding, Mobile UI, Brand Ecosystems, Market Research, Brand Strategy, Website Redesign, Competitive Analysis, Printing Materials, Social Media Marketing (SMM), Digital Marketing Strategy, Brochures, Consumer Finance, Stationery Design, Squarespace, Landing Pages, Layout, UI Development, Biotechnology, UX Audits, AI Design, Print Ads, Editorial Design, SaaS, Project Management, Tone of Voice, Design, Environmental Graphics, Women's Health, Consumer Behavior, Mining, Energy, Beauty Products, Merchandise, Agriculture, Small Business, Brand Positioning, Design Leadership, Software, Collaboration, Product Discovery, Production Management, Fintech Design, Typesettings, B2C Marketing, SaaS Design, Newsletters, UI Motion, Workshops, Icon Design, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Stakeholder Management, Print Marketing, Art, Pitch Deck Design, Business Services, Consulting, Sitemaps, PowerPoint Design, UX Research, Complex Application User Interfaces (UI), Design Reviews, User Journey Maps, User Stories, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), Tailwind UI, PDF Design, UX Branding, Website Design, Desktop App Design, Email Design, Wireframing, Yoga, WordPress Design, Website CMS, Prototyping, Web Fonts, Naming, UX Wireframes, User Experience (UX), Design Workshops, Style Guides, User Research, UX Strategy, User Journeys, Interaction Design (IxD), Dashboard Design, WordPress Themes, Infographics, Pitch Deck Consultant, Web UX Design, LinkedIn Marketing, GoDaddy, UI Prototyping, Usability Testing, HubSpot, Motion Graphics, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Motion Design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), 3D Design, eCommerce Design, Custom Logos, eCommerce UX, Coding, Writing & Editing, Web UX, Strategy, Consumer Branding, Food Packaging, Print Marketing Design, Stakeholder Interviews, User Flows, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Illustration, Company Naming, Research
Experience
- Web Design - 15 years
- Logo Design - 15 years
- Branding - 15 years
- UI Design - 15 years
- Art Direction - 9 years
- Digital Design - 9 years
- Apps - 7 years
- Creative Direction - 5 years
Meet More World-Class Talent
Only 3% of freelancers who apply to Toptal pass our rigorous screening process of live interviews, online assessments and a test project.
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring















