Mark W Mills
Career Consulting
Art Direction
Illustration
Music
Fun
Role: Art direction, copy.
Project: Brand development,
Summary: CityCouncil is conceived as a lifestyle brand targeting men aged 18-35, primarily urban and suburban digital natives who identify as GBT. The target audience holds progressive views on sexual identity, rejects traditional labels and ideologies, and seeks alternatives to apps like Grindr for creating community. They are skeptical of mainstream media and politics, feel disconnected, and are looking for others of similar age interested in creating new spaces for culture and consumerism.
CityCouncil provides a membership-driven experience that fosters community-building and encourages values-aligned purchasing decisions. The brand will introduce a playful velvet rope campaign utilizing both social media and OOH. Key visuals and smart, engaging copy will spark interest, with the “IYKYK” tag serving as an invitation for deeper exploration and discovery.
Role: Art direction, photo production, design.
Project: Winter Wonderland, 2019 social campaign.
Summary: By 2019, I had been leading Groupon’s social team for five years, during which time I established social media as a key driver of awareness for the Home and Electronics verticals. The Winter Wonderland campaign for Holiday 2019 was designed to position Groupon as the premier destination for holiday gifting, leveraging the brand's diverse inventory to meet a wide range of customer needs
My approach to content creation was twofold. First, I employed overhead photography to showcase Groupon’s product selection in thoughtfully arranged layouts. Seasonal props were incorporated to tie the visuals to the festive theme, while the accompanying copy reinforced the campaign’s core messaging. This product-centric strategy allowed for the efficient display of a broad assortment of items, each paired with visual cues to highlight its use case and appeal to diverse consumer interests.
Second, recognizing that humor consistently drove engagement on social platforms, I selected a group of “quirky” products for a more playful treatment. I paired these products with models and utilized the aesthetic of vintage shopping mall portraiture to create meme-worthy visuals that encouraged shares and boosted traffic.
Role: Art direction, photo production, design.
Project: Always-on Social content. 2014—2019
Summary: Between 2014 and 2019, I led Groupon’s social media team, elevating the brand's presence on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter through a more unified and higher-quality approach. Central to this initiative was the development of a scalable content strategy that established relevance with the audience and aligned with larger teams and tentpole campaigns. Recognizing the brand’s emphasis on humor as a key driver of engagement, I ensured it became a consistent element in our messaging across all platforms.
To further enhance content quality, I created a communication channel between the social team, account managers, and buyers. This allowed us to flag unique or unusual products before they appeared on the digital shelf, enabling us to craft timely social content that generated both awareness and excitement around these items.
The below examples feature the Puppy Pedicure, the “Leg Lamp,” and a Sriracha Keychain, which I repurposed as an earring.
The content has been placed in these IG mockups for clarity and context.
Project: Livingsocial Black Friday, 2022 marquee banner.
Client: Walmart
Project: Beats Solo Pro 4, 2024 launch. Wireframing, production design. L1 Hero carousel, category cards.
Project: Beats Solo Pro 4, 2024 launch. Wireframing, production design. L1 Hero carousel, category cards.
Project: Winter Wonderland Holiday Event targeted email, 2019. Wireframing, production design.
Project: Recovery program, 2020. Production design.
Role: Art direction, design
Project: Unisex Spaces, 2018—2020.
Summary: This project presented a unique opportunity to create a visually impactful design solution for the executive bathrooms located near the C-suite offices. The client requested a sophisticated, gender-neutral space that would function as both a bathroom and a lounge, while avoiding the typical visual clichés associated with unisex design. Additionally, the word “unisex” needed to be clearly marked on the doors for safety purposes, without compromising the overall aesthetic.
To meet these requirements, I selected the ampersand as the central symbol of the space. Its evolution from two words ("et cetera") into a single glyph represented inclusivity and unity, making it an ideal choice. I curated over 300 ampersands from various typefaces, evaluating each for legibility and aesthetic harmony. From this collection, I created a dynamic composition that emphasized fluidity and balance between positive and negative space, resulting in a visually striking and modern design.
This project was a deeply collaborative effort, involving close coordination with interior designers, contractors, and artists. Each team contributed to the realization of the final vision, ensuring that both functional and creative objectives were met.
Role: Creative Lead, designer
Project: Pride @Groupon, 2018 & 2019.