# Marc O'Brien > Fractional Strategic Designer & Creative Director. I work with climate leaders to sharpen direction, build compelling narratives, and make the work land. Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/marcobrien Climate orgs have breakthrough solutions but struggle to get seen, funded, or adopted at the scale we need. Design studios know climate matters but can't figure out how to make it core to their work. Without compelling brands and clear narratives, critical climate solutions stay stuck, underfunded and overlooked. Design studios that don't act now risk being left behind as the market shifts and clients demand climate expertise they don't have. What's the ideal solution? Climate solutions get the design muscle to drive adoption, secure funding, and build real movements. Design studios position themselves at the center of the most important work happening right now. Since 2016, I've been building brands and strategies for climate orgs that need to break through. What I've done: + Co-founded a climate design studio, for seven years + Built Climate Designers into a 5,000+ member platform across five continents + Helped climate startups secure $30M+ in funding + Produced/facilitated 100+ workshops from Fortune 500, startups, non-profits, conferences + Created climate design courses at California College of the Arts and Terra.do + Co-produced 100+ projects addressing LA County’s sustainability plan I help climate orgs translate complex solutions into brands that actually move people. I also help design studios transition to climate work and capture the opportunities that matter. Let's talk if you're: - A climate org ready to scale your impact - A design studio ready to make climate core to your practice - Looking for fractional creative direction during growth or a pivot → DM me or visit marcobrien.net ## Work Experience ### Senior Adjunct @ California College of the Arts Jan 2025 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States Since 2013, I’ve been teaching undergrads and grad students in Graphic Design and Interaction Design, part time at California College of the Arts in San Francisco, CA. In 2020, I created “Climate Designers @ CCA”, a class I teach to undergrad and grad students in the Graphic Design and Interaction Design programs. I bring topics, resources, and ideas from the global Climate Designers community into the classroom. I apply what I learn from the class and students to the larger organization. ### Adjunct Faculty @ California College of the Arts Jan 2013 – Present Created the Climate Designers class at California College of the Arts in San Francisco in 2020.

 Class objectives include: + Understanding, awareness, and the vocabulary around climate change + Building experience in developing sustainable or regenerative product and service solutions + Research, collaboration, presentation, design, rapid prototyping, and critical thinking skills ### Adjunct II @ California College of the Arts Jan 2018 – Jan 2025 | San Francisco, California, United States Since 2017, I've been teaching Social Lab 2, a capstone class within the Interaction Design masters program gives students hands-on experience by providing them with practical skills needed to leverage design for social impact. Students work with community partners and bring systems thinking to complex problems to create real change.  Learn more, http://www.ixd.cca.edu/social-lab/ ### Adjunct Faculty @ California College of the Arts Jan 2014 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco, California, United States Taught a class called "Transition to Professional Practice, a course designed to familiarize students with the skills and knowledge necessary to transition into the design industry. Students leave with a website, personal identity, portfolio PDF, and other marketing materials to land them a job or an internship. ### Co-Founder @ Climate Designers Jan 2019 – Present In 2019, I co-founded Climate Designers, a global community of designers across every industry committed to climate action. We offer support, resources, and events to help designers become climate designers. Deliverables +
Creating content and designing various collateral and materials such as website, newsletter, social media assets, and presentations + Producing and hosting Doom & Bloom, our main podcast + Producing and facilitating Project Blue Sky, our off-site program in New Cuyama, CA + Producing and hosting virtual events for our global community, such as Party Program + Creative direction for various programs such as Climify, Party Program, and the Global Party Series + Teaching the “Climate Designers @ CCA” class for undergrad and grad students in the Graphic Design and Interaction Design programs at the California College of the Arts Impact & Outcomes + Created a team of 50+ volunteers to run various programs for our global community of 5000+ members + Co-created and taught “Becoming a Climate Designer” on the Terra.do platform to 50 working design professionals + Party Program brought together 40+ speakers, 30+ events, and 250+ event attendees + Climate Designers has been covered in over 15 podcasts and articles + Chapters and Hubs have been established in 5 continents, running recurring events with local design and climate communities + IxDAward's Future Voice winner 2022 + GD USA’s Graphic Design Award Winner 2022 ### Creative Leader, Neol @ Neol Jan 2023 – Present | San Francisco, California, United States Neol is a Community-powered platform for audacious creative minds to do the best work of their lives. Neol’s platform empowers creative leaders with the technology, people, and processes they need to deliver impactful projects from anywhere at scale. As a Creative Leader at Neol, my ambition is to spearhead real change in the following domains; climate change, design. ### Facilitator / Advisor @ Project M Jan 2009 – Present I help lead Think Wrong workshops and two-week sessions in various locations producing projects for the greater good. Implemented business strategies for NADA Bike, managed (blank)LAB responsibilities, and tended to other Project M endeavors. First participant in South 2009 session which produced (blank)LAB. ### Fellow @ RegenIntel Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 An immersive program developed by globally renowned climate experts to go beyond sustainability and build holistic regenerative solutions. ### Co Founder @ The Determined Jan 2016 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area From 2016–2022, I co-founded and ran The Determined, a design strategy and creative consulting studio for brands large and small addressing our climate crisis. We launched a number of successful sustainability and climate-forward brand, campaign, product, and service projects. This experience has built my foundation of knowledge in the science, language, solutions, and approaches needed to address our climate emergency. ### Educator @ Terra.do Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 In 2021, I co-created “Becoming a Climate Designer” a multi-week course on the Terra.do platform. We taught two successful cohorts. ### Board Of Directors @ The League of Creative Interventionists Jan 2017 – Jan 2021 | San Francisco Bay Area ### Adjunct Faculty @ Secret Project @ CCA Jan 2014 – Jan 2017 | San Francisco Bay Area Secret Project is an experimental program at California College of the Arts that invites students from all majors and levels to participate in two-day workshops (Blitzes) and semester long classes collaborating with organizations in the Bay Area on creating positive change. Currently working with John Bielenberg on building out this new initiative. www.ccasecretproject.org ### Producer of Design @ SMALLIFY Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 Helped design initial website, assets for print and social media. Assisted in conceiving creative practices for the SMALLIFY Rapid Innovation Lab. Supported SMALLIFY Labs with photo documentation and logistics. Worked with companies, foundations, start-ups, governments, non-profits, and entrepreneurial leaders. ### Lead Instructor @ General Assembly Jan 2016 – Jan 2016 Lead instructor teaching Visual Design at GA. ### Teacher Assistant @ General Assembly Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 TAing in the Visual Design class at GA. ### Instructor in CCA Extension Program @ California College of the Arts Jan 2013 – Jan 2013 Intro to Communication This course offers a broad introduction to the field of graphic design. Following a brief survey of the history of graphic design, the course examines contemporary design practices. Topics include typography, color, grid systems, corporate identity, information design, print and digital design. ### Designer / Producer of Future Blitz @ Future Partners Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 Future is a rapid ingenuity firm that developed Future Blitz, a system for rapid innovation that unlocks the ingenuity of individuals, organizations, and teams to accelerate positive change. - Helped startup Furture's foundation by designing initial website and collateral for use in print, social media, and in establishing an online presence - Assisted in conceiving the Future Blitz methodology, a cycle for rapid ingenuity - Facilitated Future Blitzes, rapid ingenuity workshops, with universities, non-profits, businesses, conferences, foundations, and individuals ### Adjunct Professor @ SUNY Fredonia Jan 2011 – Jan 2011 | Fredonia, NY Taught a Type 1 class to sophomores. Also taught Senior studio, a portfolio/résumé building class, called Design Realities. ### Designer & Strategist (Maverick) @ C2 Group Jan 2009 – Jan 2010 | Half Moon Bay, CA Focusing on design strategy, idea generation, and storytelling through client-based workshops while participating in C2's Mavericks career acceleration program for select entrepreneurial designers and writers who are at the beginning of their career. ## Education ### Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Graphic Design Virginia Commonwealth University ### Completion in Leadership and interpersonal dynamics training Climate Wisdom Fellowship ### Intro to Philosophy for Ecological Action ### Associate of Science (A.S.) in IT/Web Development ECPI University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marcmobrien - Portfolio: http://marcobrien.net/ - Portfolio: https://www.climatedesigners.org/ - Portfolio: https://generator.ghost.io/ --- Source: https://flows.cv/marcobrien JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/marcobrien/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-13