Make taxes less taxing

client: Credit karma
MY ROLE: lead designer

Credit Karma and TurboTax aim to provide members with clarity and ease throughout tax season and their broader financial journeys. My role as Design Lead was to transform complex, often intimidating tax information into relatable, creative storytelling. By focusing on genuine, personal moments, we built user trust and directly addressed the anxieties often associated with tax season. I ensured every touchpoint—from the initial email to the final in-app interaction—was clear, compelling, and brand-aligned, reaching over 40 million users. I partnered closely with the lead copywriter, strategist, and marketers to bring these concepts to life through meaningful campaigns and content that people actually want to engage with.

Credit Karma was looking to position itself as the “free filing option” to beat and while influencer content is the Gen Z default, it often lacks the authority to convert high-intent tax searchers.

I concepted and art-directed two distinct creative territories for our paid social campaign: 'Admin Night,' which reframed tax filing as a social, low-stress ritual with friends, and 'No Gatekeeping,' which leaned into the trend of sharing 'secret' tips.

By prioritizing a platform-native aesthetic over traditional 'bank' branding, our 'Admin Night' creative outperformed six influencer videos in a head-to-head CTR test, proving that strategic art direction can beat creator-led content in driving both engagement and clarity.