Design for impact.

Artofmarc is a small design consultancy focused exclusively on serving individual experts and communication teams in the international development community.

Originally started in 2014 by Marc James as a freelance side gig. Artofmarc has since grown in scope and impact and now encompasses a small network of multi-disciplinary collaborators working to deliver creative communications in over 35 countries, across 5 continents, and in over 7 languages.

We commit our design expertise to helping people who are making a difference in their communities and around the world. We have helped problem solvers, thought leaders and difference makers design smart communications to tackle urgent global issues such as climate change, food security, gender equality, and media freedom.

What we do

Our work involves guiding communications from planning and concept ideation to design production across print and digital platforms. We offer tailored solutions in the form:

Our approach

We believe that design should be inclusive, grounded in research, and display an understanding of the specific community it serves. Our perspective extends beyond considering design as merely an artistic expression. Instead, we regard it as an essential tool for enhancing key communications and drawing attention to important issues.

Positioning the audience at the center of our creative process, we are able to identify needs, prioritize goals, uncover insights, and design relevant communications for a range of audiences. Our process ensures the consistent development of scalable visual solutions designed for impact.

With a rich history of partnering with some of the world’s leading international development organizations, we understand the power of visual design and its unique role in bridging the gap between people, resources, and opportunities.

Why choose artofmarc?

  • We’re in the industry. 

    We work exclusively with development and aid organizations, collaborating with people who are trying to make a difference. We work at scale — from helping individual consultants polish up their presentation decks, to helping large multilateral organizations deliver communications for global events.

  • We’ll give you a plan. 

    We will walk you through a robust process, answering questions and helping you prioritize decisions. We then help validate those decisions with insight and impactful communication materials.

  • We know people and data. 

    Our extensive international consulting experience has given us the opportunity to work with multi-ethnic cross-functional teams, and diverse stakeholders across geographic boundaries, handling a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data, in multiple languages, and across different media platforms.

  • Concierge service 

    We offer full-service design management, meaning we are able to handle all aspects of a design project from start to finish. This includes: managing timelines, budgets, and coordination with external vendors such as printers to ensure that the final product is delivered to you on-time and of the highest quality.

Trusted by professionals in global development and aid

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

  • Marc James handles all design requests and executions. Supporting services such as translations and copy-editing are outsourced (with the approval of the client and relevant stakeholders).

  • Three things:

    1. We've developed unique processes for the global development space that helps us to quickly surface insights and produce impactful visuals.

    2. Our creative process is based on real research with a diverse group of individuals and organizations making a difference around the globe..

    3. We've been doing this professionally since 2006, with a focus on cause-driven creative since 2014. With over 50 projects across 35+ countries, we'd like to think we've made a positive impact in the lives of many people and we would love to continue.

  • We offer full-service design management, meaning we are able to handle all aspects of a design project from start to finish. This includes: managing timelines, budgets, and coordination with external vendors such as printers to ensure that the final product is delivered to you on-time and of the highest quality.

  • It comes down to experience. 18 years of advertising agency experience and 10 years of international consulting projects have given me the opportunity to work with diverse teams and stakeholders across multiple timezones, handling a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data, in multiple languages, and across different media platforms.

    Additionally, on large projects with a lot of moving parts, services such as animation and custom illustrations may be outsourced to partner designers (with the approval of the client and relevant stakeholders).

Have a project in mind? Tell us about it.