At Melanie Doherty Design, we partner with organizations and companies striving to make a positive impact on the world. We work with clients we admire, and that makes it easy for us to be your strongest advocate, your biggest fan, your trusted collaborator. We use our enthusiasm and skills as design thinkers to create the tools that move your ideas and your ideals forward.

We don’t believe in spin. Instead, we bring authentic stories to light, connecting people to your organization in meaningful and creative ways. We help you speak directly to your audience to engage, educate, and inspire them to action.

We’re always looking for inspirational cause-driven organizations to work with. We’d love to tell your stories, help you grow, and make your vision a reality.

“There is a good reason why design-driven companies like Apple stand out from the crowd. These enlightened companies place design at a premium. They invite designers to set high standards of aesthetics and performance that convey the thoughtfulness with which they do business. Their extraordinary success is solid—objectively verifiable—evidence of the value of good design.”

—Penny Benda, The Case for Design

Melanie Doherty is the founder and creative director of Melanie Doherty Design, with extensive experience as a designer and creative problem solver. She worked with some of the country’s leading brands before shifting the focus of MDD to work exclusively with international social change organizations. Melanie leads our team of super-talented designers and collaborators.

In 2014, Melanie received the AIGA Fellowship Award, given to designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence within the design community. She served on the board of the SF-AIGA as Vice President and Education Chair, and founded the Enrichment Scholarship for Design Excellence.

Circling back to her alma mater, Melanie has taught design and professional practice at California College of the Arts since 1990, and sits on the Senior Thesis Review Committee. She also taught design at Temple University in Rome, while living there for four years and working as a freelance designer.

With a passion for international culture, Melanie has traveled extensively throughout Africa, Southeast Asia and Europe. She has volunteered in the field in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana to protect rhino, crocodile and elephant populations, and drove across Namibia to Victoria Falls on a solo road trip. She has conducted workshops in marketing communication, branding and design in Sri Lanka, Nepal and Tanzania. Follow her on Instagram.