Most of these are self-initiated. I made them to practice, to create content for Instagram, and to bring in freelance clients. Poolgress is a client project.
04 Projects
Expresso Run Club
Brand Identity & Business Concept2026Self-Initiated
Expresso Run Club is a concept that connects weekly community runs with independent coffee shops in Taichung. Members earn points for the distance they run, then trade them for coffee at participating cafés.
I designed the whole visual identity, the rewards system, and the business plan. The idea is simple: runners get motivation and community, and local cafés get repeat customers.
Poolgress
Visual Identity2026Client Project
Poolgress is an AI-powered pool coaching app that helps beginners get better through camera-based practice challenges and directional guidance.
I designed the logo and visual identity to feel like an approachable digital coach. I also produced and edited their online course videos, which I’ll add to the Video section.
A phone-free social club with weekly activities that help members put their phones down and reconnect with the world around them.
I designed the full visual identity and planned how the club would actually run. The launch Reel got nearly 30K views and 1,600 likes.
Launch Reel · Nearly 30K views · 1,600 likes
The Royal Serve
Brand Identity2026Self-Initiated
A private tennis club concept for a younger, affluent crowd. The identity pairs an eagle emblem with a muted, court-inspired palette and editorial sports photography.
I designed the logo, monogram, graphic system, motion identity, and a full set of branded items.
Motion identity
Selected Video
Video work, from shoot to final cut.
A gallery of films and social content I made for clients.
Photos from client projects. I shot and edited all of them.
05 Projects
MimiStudio
Massage Service Photography
Planning · Photography · Editing
Plants Cafe
Café · Product · Space
Photography · Editing
Goddess and Maker
Jewelry Product Photography
Planning · Photography · Editing
EMJOUR
Campaign · Product Photography
Planning · Photography · Editing
Yuan Bao Dumplings
Food Photography
Selected Partnerships
Content I made with brands I actually use.
Some brands find me through my Reels, and some I reach out to. I make the content for my own audience, from the idea and script to filming, editing, and posting.
After I reached out, NuPhy worked with me to introduce the Air75 V3 and Node Series keyboards, with content made to send people from Instagram and YouTube to the product page.
I did everything: concepts, scripts, filming, editing, being on camera, and posting. Talking as a real user helped the Air75 V3 Reel reach about 800% ROAS, and NuPhy came back for more.
Air75 V3 · Instagram Reel · Paid social creativeNode Series · Watch on YouTube ↗︎
Node Series · Instagram Reel
SIDIZ
Creator Partnership · Paid Social Creative2026Gifted Collaboration
SIDIZ reached out after seeing my Instagram Reels and thought I’d be a good creator to work with. I made a Reel about their T50 ergonomic chair for my audience, and they later used it in their paid ads.
I handled the concept, script, filming, editing, being on camera, and posting, and I built the story around actually using the chair instead of a scripted endorsement. I’m working with other brands right now, too.
SIDIZ T50 · Instagram Reel · Used in paid advertising
Sandy and I combined our two obsessions, coffee and houseplants, into a café in Dali, Taichung.
We spent 2024 building it and opened in July 2025. Sandy runs the coffee and food. I handle the brand side: strategy, identity, marketing, photography, content, and working with vendors.
Brand Identity / Creative Direction / Photography / Content
01~15%Higher monthly revenue
02~50%More bean units sold, year one to year two
03700+LINE community members
Why we started it
Dali was a coffee desert.
I like making things, and I tend to get really into niche hobbies. During my master’s degree, that hobby was houseplants. Sandy was learning everything she could about coffee, so we combined the two.
Dali had plenty of brunch places, but almost nowhere with really good coffee and a nice space to relax in. As far as we know, we were one of the first to do it.
On weekdays, it’s mostly freelancers looking for a comfortable place to work. On weekends, it’s coffee lovers, plant collectors, and people coming for our workshops.
A year of building
We spent a year building it, and argued about a lot of little details.
We had a lot of meetings, and a lot of arguments, about details we both cared about, but eventually we got everything going. The hardest part was the interior. To save money, we designed it ourselves. I asked a lot of people in the interior design industry, and friends who knew how to do it. I think it turned out pretty well, and customers still compliment the space today.
Sandy leads coffee, food, the menu, and product quality. I lead marketing, design, photography, content, and vendors. We decide the big things together: workshops, merch, and how the café should feel.
Staghorn Fern Workshop Group PhotoStaghorn Fern WorkshopStaghorn Fern WorkshopCocktail Workshop
Creative Strategy
Approachable
You shouldn’t need to know anything about plants to feel welcome here.
Fun
We wanted personality in everything: the visuals, the way we write, and the content.
Community
We wanted reasons for people to come back besides coffee, like workshops, events, and getting to know the neighborhood.
Building the Identity
Chinese LogotypeSecondary LogoLogomark with Logotype
A handmade logo for 植物 and 咖啡.
植咖 combines 植物 (plants) and 咖啡 (coffee), and it also sounds like 植物咖, someone who loves plants. I asked Sandy to draw the Chinese logo into wood with a soldering pen, because I wanted her input on the design too, and it turned out great. I designed the rest of the visual identity around that mark and around our personalities.
Workshops
Plant workshop in progress at Plants Cafe
The Brand, Day to Day
Selling more beans
Our beans weren’t selling, so we made them easier to try.
Our 114g bags asked people to commit before they knew if they’d like the coffee. So we added small NT$35 trial packs, started grinding beans to order, and sent an updated bean menu on LINE every few weeks.
Every drink also earns a digital stamp, and ten stamps get you a small plant or a drip bag. That helped our LINE community grow past 700 people. We sold about 50% more beans in our second year than our first, and we now get repeat orders from as far away as Taipei.
植咖秀 — 50+ episodes with over 1,000 downloads · Spotify Podcast Page
We started a podcast about running a coffee shop.
We wanted customers to feel like part of what we were building, even when they weren’t at the café. So we started 植咖秀, a podcast about running the business, plants, creativity, and the people we meet. It’s been a fun project, with 50+ episodes so far.
Cafe Poster Design Reel
Plants Cafe Instagram Feed
One Year Anniversary IG Reel
We post all the time.
Content is how we stay in touch with customers between visits: photos, Reels, campaign posts, milestones, and behind-the-scenes stories, all in the same visual style. Coming up with new ideas and designs all the time is a lot of work, but it keeps the brand alive.
Plant More Plants. Drink More Coffee.
My favorite campaign this year.
I designed two T-shirts and a cap around the line “Plant More Plants. Drink More Coffee.” Then I directed, styled, photographed, edited, and posted the launch myself.
We sold more than 25 items in about three days. That’s when I realized people cared about the brand, not just the coffee.
What I Learned
Running a small business is a lot of work
After we close, we still have to buy supplies, prep for the next day, and do inventory. Every system has to be something two people can actually keep up with.
Try things and see what sticks
Small tests taught us more than guessing. Even ideas that didn’t work told us something.
I’m proud we’re actually doing it
Running a real small business is what I’m proudest of. Revenue grows a little every month, and that came from testing, adjusting, and not giving up.
Project 03
King Tony Tools
International hand-tool brand · Taichung, Taiwan · 2019–2022
Role: Lead Creative Strategist & Brand Content Planner
I turned King Tony’s quiet Instagram into a real content program, and grew it from about 1,000 followers to 20,000.
I was hired to do packaging design, but I ended up running the brand’s social media and making most of its content: product posts, graphics, photography, and video. Looking back, those three years were my 10,000 hours.
Content Strategy / Art Direction / Graphic Design / Photography / Video
03~90%Content directed and produced, at 6 posts a week
Where it started
When I started, the account was almost empty.
They posted about once every two weeks, usually whenever someone had time to make a graphic. The 1,000 followers were mostly employees and people who already knew the brand. There was a lot of work to do.
The challenge
One brand, three very different audiences.
Most of our followers were already customers. I needed content that professional mechanics would still take seriously, but that was also useful and interesting to people who’d never heard of King Tony.
01
Professional mechanics
They use these tools every day, so they want specs, durability, and real product knowledge.
02
DIY users
They need ideas that make technical products easier to understand and use at home.
03
International retailers
They need consistent brand materials that help them understand and sell the range.
How I ran it
I split the content into five pillars so I could post six times a week.
I planned the calendar in Later and checked the numbers every month. The pillars made production repeatable without making the feed feel repetitive.
In one day of shooting, I could get about 30 posts’ worth of photos, so a week of content was ready in two to three days. Video usually took another day or two.
Creative experimentation
Instagram let me experiment.
The company’s main brand style was pretty strict, but Instagram gave me more room. I used custom lettering, hard crops, bold color, and product silhouettes to make everyday tools stand out in the feed.
Creative photography
I shot the tools where they’re actually used.
I directed and produced about 90% of the content. For photography, I mixed clean product shots with moodier workshop scenes so the brand felt more human.
Getting people involved
Some posts were just for fun.
Word searches, surveys, and email sign-up campaigns gave followers something to do between product posts, and gave our team useful feedback.
The result
From about 1,000 followers to 20,000.
Almost all of that growth was organic. Other than about NT$700 a week to promote one post, it came from posting consistently, making better content, and adjusting every month based on what worked.
I also worked on email, catalogues, and a lot of side projects.
I made weekly email blasts, joined the weekly marketing meetings, and helped with catalogue and product marketing work. A lot of those side projects were the most fun part of the job.
A bike-tool brand for people who fix their own bikes.
Arium was an idea for a King Tony sub-brand aimed at DIY cyclists. I developed identity concepts, did market research, and reached out to possible retailers. It got as far as exploring production before it was discontinued.
Posting on a steady schedule mattered more than any single post.
A system makes volume possible
The pillars let me move fast and still give every post a purpose.
Keep learning new tools
About a year in, I got comfortable and started pushing myself: learning After Effects, trying new software, and testing new ways to make content. That’s a big part of why the work kept getting better.
Role: In-house Designer, then Freelance Creative Partner
EMJOUR hired me as their in-house designer. When I went freelance, they kept working with me.
EMJOUR makes embroidered keychains, stickers, magnets, apparel, and other accessories, for business buyers and for younger customers, especially accessory lovers and pet owners. In-house, I handled everything design-related, including the website and packaging. As a freelancer, I make their social media, photos, videos, ads, catalogues, and in-store posters.
Creative Direction / Photography / Video / Catalogue / Exhibition
01~500%ROAS across Meta and Shopee ads
0250+Videos produced
033B2B catalogues designed
How it works
A small team where everyone wears a lot of hats.
EMJOUR is a team of six to eight people, and most important things are handled by one or two of them. I handle design. Someone else handles shipping, e-commerce, and inventory. The manager is always running around putting out fires while also planning how to grow the business.
They told me they kept working with me because I work efficiently. I try to make every project easy for them.
How a Project Goes
A quick pitch
The manager gives me a project, and I put together a short presentation of how I’ll do it. It takes a few hours to make and about a 10-minute meeting.
I make it
Once they pick a direction, I do the rest: art direction, photography, video, editing, and design.
I hand it off
I export everything and send the files to whoever needs them. Most projects take about a week.
Product videos
Making a small embroidered accessory feel worth keeping.
This process Reel turns a small accessory into a little story, using lighting, texture, close-up shots, and slow pacing.
Ads
Ads were my favorite thing to make.
I’d start with who we were trying to reach, then work backward to how the video should look and feel, with one goal: get them to buy. I tested different kinds of videos, like food, plant, and pet themes, along with different hooks and calls to action that sent people to the website.
What I love about ads is that you can make something, check a week later whether it actually worked, and see your creative work making money for the company. Across Meta and Shopee, our paid ads reached about 500% ROAS. They’re the work I’m proudest of with EMJOUR.
Photos & Social
Catalogues for business buyers
Three catalogues that make a big product range easier to browse.
I designed the structure, product layouts, and page system, and proofread the English copy they gave me.
In stores
My posters went up in Tsutaya Bookstore.
I designed the posters for an in-store display, and the final A3 and A4 prints were installed in the store. It was cool to see another big company approve my design and use it in their stores.
What I Learned
Make decisions easy
A busy client doesn’t need more options. A few clear directions save everyone time.
Being reliable keeps clients
Working fast and delivering on time is why they kept working with me after I went freelance, for more than a year now.
Let the results judge the work
Ads taught me that a week of real data tells you more than any opinion, including mine.
I made an Instagram Reel about a keyboard I genuinely liked, and NuPhy reported about 800% ROAS from it.
NuPhy gave me an open brief: tell people what I actually liked about the Air75 V3. I planned, filmed, and edited the Reel myself, from the opening hook to the link that sent people to NuPhy’s product page.
Creative Direction / Product Storytelling / Video Production / Editing
01~800%ROAS reported by NuPhy
0212.3KInstagram Reel views
032Campaigns: Air75 V3, then the Node series
How it started
It started with a cold email.
I didn’t know anyone at NuPhy. I reached out as part of the system I use to find freelance work: experiment with content, find what works, do more of it, and build a way to keep bringing in similar projects. Then repeat.
My Instagram audience was a natural fit: people who are into tech, mechanical keyboards, and design, and who want honest recommendations.
How I Built the Reel
The hook
I opened with a strong visual so people would stop scrolling and see the keyboard right away.
The honest part
I talked about what I actually liked. Switch and Click even named it the best keyboard of 2025. The build quality is amazing, the battery lasts a really long time, and the white and aluminum design is clean and minimal.
The link
The ending told people where to buy it and sent them to NuPhy’s website.
Why it worked
People trusted it because it was honest.
The visuals got attention, but talking as a real user is what made people buy. I planned it all in Notion, used what I’d learned from earlier experiments selling products, and studied a lot of Reels from other creators doing the same thing.
Open brief
No script and no set visual direction. It was all up to me.
One version
We didn’t test lots of versions. This one worked.
Measured sales
NuPhy reported about 800% ROAS through LINE.
They came back
They came back for the Node series.
For the Node series, I made another vertical Instagram video, and I pitched them a longer YouTube review too. The YouTube video did well for my channel, and it was fun to make. I just enjoy tech products.
Long-form product story
NuPhy Node Series Review
A longer review I pitched to NuPhy and made for my YouTube channel.
With an open brief, every decision was mine. That pushed me to think through every part of the Reel.
Honest content can sell
I didn’t have to sound like an ad. Talking like a real user is what made it work.
Making money for someone else feels great
Knowing my Reel made money for another company was an amazing feeling, and it’s still the project I’m proudest of.
Project 02
Yen Ting Cho Studio
Fashion art studio · Tainan, Taiwan · 2022–2023
Role: Creative Multimedia Specialist
I worked for Yen Ting Cho’s fashion art studio while doing my master’s, making photos, videos, motion graphics, and social content.
Right after I got into my master’s program at NCKU, I had some time before school started. I didn’t want to waste it, so I looked up professors whose work looked creative and emailed Yen Ting Cho. That turned into a job covering photography, motion, graphic design, campaigns, social content, products, and exhibition materials.
Photography / Video Editing / Motion Design / Social Media / Campaigns / Graphic Design
01200+Creative assets produced
02~1 weekProduction turnaround, down from up to two months
03Platinum2023 MUSE Design Awards, won by the Revive collection I helped photograph and present
2023 Revive Collection
Working Inside Someone Else’s Style
Yen Ting Cho Studio mixes digital art made with code with fashion, textiles, and physical objects. Yen Ting set the artistic direction, and my job was to turn it into finished photos, videos, designs, and posts that all felt like the same studio.
That was hard at first. There’s a line you can’t cross by adding your own style. But working inside those limits turned on some weird part of my brain and made the work more creative, not less. You’d think creativity means having no limits, but the limits actually helped.
Start with his direction
Every project started from Yen Ting’s references, mood, and pacing, not from my own taste.
Make it work everywhere
The same idea had to work as a film, a photo, a campaign, an exhibition, and a graphic.
Finish it
My job was to deliver complete, ready-to-publish work the studio could actually use.
Revive 2023 Collection Film
This film felt impossible at first. I had no motion design experience, and I couldn’t shoot any original video footage. I figured it out as I went, using motion design, editing, original patterns and photography, 2D graphics, and carefully chosen stock footage.
Each part of the film turns one scarf’s design into motion, color, and texture. It’s the project I’m proudest of from this job, and I really gave it everything.
We cut photo shoots from up to two months to about a week.
The studio used to hire a photographer and studio in Taipei. Yen Ting had a lot going on, so I told him I knew how to use a camera and could help. We started shooting locally in Tainan. I compared my shoots with their earlier ones, and I think mine came out better. They were a lot faster, too.
Before
A photographer and studio in Taipei. Scheduling and travel meant a shoot could take up to two months.
After
I planned and shot everything in Tainan, usually in about a week.
The catch
A small budget, and a school room as our studio.
Artwork Video & Photography
Various Artwork Films Made for YTC Studio
I filmed and photographed the physical artworks up close, trying to show each piece clearly while still capturing its texture, movement, and reflections.
This work was part of a project that became a finalist in the London International Creative Competition.
Content & Social
A big part of my job was turning the studio’s existing work into regular Instagram content. I planned, designed, photographed, and edited a lot of the posts, while keeping everything in line with Yen Ting’s visual direction.
Here’s part of the feed from when I was there.
What I Learned
Limits can make you more creative
Working inside someone else’s style pushed me to find solutions I wouldn’t have found with no rules.
How to juggle a lot at once
A normal week was two days designing, one day of meetings with Yen Ting, two days of revisions, and one day on other studio projects, plus schoolwork every day. That’s where I really learned to use my calendar and manage projects.
You can learn on the job
I had never done motion design before the Revive film. I learned it by doing it, and it became my favorite project there.
about me.txt
Brand Designer & Creative Strategist
I’m a designer who also does the strategy, photography, video, and content, so I can take an idea from the first conversation to the finished thing.
What’s up.
I’m Cory. I’m a creative who likes making things and learning as I go. I’m naturally curious about a lot of things, and I don’t give up easily.
For 7+ years, I’ve worked on brands in Taiwan, from a global tool company’s Instagram to a café I co-founded. I do both the thinking and the making: strategy, design, photography, video, and content.
I’m based in Chicago, IL, and I’m looking for a full-time design, marketing, or communications manager role in the Chicago area. I’m a U.S. citizen, so no sponsorship needed.
Outside of work, I play chess and basketball, run, work out, take care of my houseplants, and experiment with my own content and YouTube channel.
Multidisciplinary brand creative with 7+ years of experience building visual identities, content systems, and campaigns for international companies, startups, and independent brands. Combines brand strategy with hands-on execution across design, photography, video, and social content, with experience growing audiences, driving measurable campaign results, and building brands from concept to launch.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Co-Founder & Creative Marketing Director 2024 - Present
Built a lifestyle café brand from concept to launch, leading brand strategy, identity, signage, packaging, spatial visuals, photography, video, social media, workshops, Google Maps presence, and customer experience.
Developed and produced all brand content across Instagram, LINE, photography, video, and digital channels, helping drive store visits, coffee bean purchases, and registrations for 10+ workshops.
Launched a merchandise campaign that sold 25+ products from a single Reel, contributing to an increase in monthly revenue from approximately NT$65K to NT$75K (~15%).
Built an ongoing multimedia content ecosystem including 50+ podcast episodes, short-form video, photography, and community-focused storytelling.
Used customer behavior, platform performance, and sales results to guide content, merchandise, workshop, and marketing decisions.
Delivered 50+ design, photography, and video projects for 20+ clients, including NuPhy, SIDIZ, EMJOUR, Kipha Lu, and others.
Led client projects from audience research and strategy through identity design, art direction, photography, video production, and final delivery, presenting concepts directly to founders and decision-makers.
Created personal short-form content reaching 350K+ views and nearly 10K likes, generating 900+ follower growth in 30 days, 2 brand partnerships, and multiple qualified client inquiries.
Produced campaign content achieving up to 800% ROAS for NuPhy and approximately 500% ROAS for EMJOUR.
Built repeatable client, outreach, onboarding, project-management, and content systems across Notion and Trello, managing approximately 3–4 concurrent client projects per month.
Produced photography, video, and assets across 2 international collections, 2 product launches, 1 exhibition, and 4 campaigns.
Directed photography and video production with turnaround times of approximately one week, replacing external production workflows that had previously taken up to two months.
Produced video for the 2023 Revive collection, which contributed to a project receiving a Platinum MUSE Design Award, while artwork photography supported a London International Creative Competition finalist project.
Designed and delivered digital, print, web, exhibition, and social assets while collaborating directly with the studio founder.
Lead Creative Strategist & Brand Content Planner 2019 - 2022
Grew Instagram audience from approximately 1K to 20K followers through content strategy and consistent creative execution.
Produced approximately 600+ pieces of content across photography, video, graphics, product storytelling, and social media.
Developed approximately 2 packaging designs per week while supporting product catalogues and packaging projects for international markets, including Eastern Europe.
Collaborated with sales teams and international offices to review product catalogues, packaging, and creative materials.
EDUCATION
Master of Arts — Creative Industries Design (English-only Program) — National Cheng Kung University | 2022-2024 Graduated with 4.15/4.3 GPA; Accepted speaker in Fukuoka University ICLMC 2023 Bachelor of Education — Industrial Technology — Kaohsiung Normal University | 2015-2019
SKILLS
Brand Strategy • Visual Identity • Audience Research • Persona Development • Design Thinking • Creative Direction • Content Strategy • Graphic Design • Photography • Video Production • Video Editing • Art Direction • Typography • Social Content • Adobe Photoshop • Adobe Illustrator • Adobe InDesign • Adobe Lightroom • Final Cut Pro X • Notion • Trello • English — Native/Bilingual • Mandarin Chinese — Native/Bilingual • AI-Assisted Research & Workflow Optimization
