Web, Visual & Digital Design
SF Opera
Role: Web Manager (Contract), 2020–2021 | Marketing Coordinator, Creative & Digital, 2016–2018
Tools: Episerver, WordFly, Adobe Creative Cloud, Analytics & Heatmap Tools
Scope: Web Design, Email Design, Social, Content, Print
01.
Two Roles, Two Kinds of Work
I worked with San Francisco Opera in two different roles, first as a Marketing Coordinator on the Creative & Digital team and later as a contract Web Manager.
As Marketing Coordinator, I had a broad creative role spanning the Opera's homepage, email communications, social channels, and print materials. I had considerable freedom to rethink how the organization presented itself visually across these touchpoints.
When I returned as Web Manager, the focus shifted to more immediate, production-oriented work: responding to the Opera's transition to online programming, publishing new pages for digital performances and events, and creating new experiences such as podcast pages.
Together, the two roles gave me experience working across both longer-term visual design and fast-moving digital production within an established organization.
02.
Homepage & Web Design
Creating a more cohesive homepage
As Marketing Coordinator, I redesigned the sfopera.com homepage to create a clearer visual hierarchy and a more cohesive way of presenting performances, news, and other content.
Working within the existing Episerver CMS, I:
Reworked homepage layouts and content modules
Refined spacing, imagery, and visual hierarchy
Improved the visibility and consistency of calls to action
Reviewed links and pathways to ticketing and other key content
Used heatmaps and engagement data to inform layout and content decisions
Web Manager: Keeping the site current
When I returned as Web Manager in 2020, the Opera was rapidly shifting its programming online. My role was to keep the website current as programming changed from week to week, often working on short timelines.
I updated existing pages to reflect new programming and created new pages and content structures for digital experiences, including online performances, programming hubs, and podcasts.
This required working quickly within the existing CMS while maintaining consistency across the site's established visual and content systems.
03.
Email Design System
Redesigning subscriber communications
I redesigned the Opera's E-Opera monthly newsletter, which had previously relied heavily on text and had limited visual structure.
The new design introduced a more structured visual system with:
Branded color and content sections
Clearer typographic hierarchy
More structured performance listings
A custom performance calendar component
More prominent pathways to ticketing and other content
I then adapted the framework for automated performance reminder emails, creating a more consistent visual language across subscriber communications.
04.
Social & Content
Building a more consistent social presence
I also took responsibility for the visual direction of the Opera's social content, creating a more cohesive approach across Instagram, digital advertising, and promotional campaigns.
This included developing visual treatments for performances and campaigns, including the Solo Mio Christmas concert.
At the Stage Door
I also conceived and produced At the Stage Door, a behind-the-scenes series featuring Opera staff.
I developed the concept, photographed and interviewed staff, and produced the resulting content for the blog and social channels. The series offered a more personal look at the people behind the organization and was later adapted by executive leadership into a broader company initiative.
05.
Editorial Design
Ring Festival Guide
Although my primary involvement with print collateral was reviewing and providing design feedback, I served as the sole designer for the Ring Festival Guide.
I designed the publication from cover to cover, organizing performance schedules, essays, artist biographies, and other festival information into a cohesive editorial system.
06.
What This Work Shows
My work at San Francisco Opera spanned visual design, web production, content, and digital communications. It gave me experience designing within an established organization while moving between longer-term design projects and the fast pace of ongoing digital programming.
Across both roles, I focused on making information easier to navigate and understand while creating a more consistent visual language across the Opera's digital presence.