Understand the Decision
Research examined how account holders and prospective savers understood the programs, where they encountered friction, and what they needed to feel ready to act. Personas helped the team address distinct family situations.
Design / Art/Creative Direction
Maryland 529 Marketing
Maryland 529
Challenge
Across an engagement spanning 2019 to the present, Maryland 529 needed to make education savings easier to understand and act on. Families came with different resources, expectations, and levels of familiarity. The work had to connect the emotional importance of a child’s future with practical information about saving and enrolling.
Research and Experience Strategy
Stakeholder and user interviews, surveys, competitive analysis, and brand and UX/UI audits informed the work. Audience personas and customer-experience mapping connected family motivations and points of confusion with messaging and digital touchpoints. That foundation supported both the larger UX study and campaign development.
Creative Direction
I guided a connected body of work spanning brand expression, UX, advertising, photography, print, three live-action commercials, and a motion-graphic video series. Family-centered storytelling made future possibilities feel tangible, while clear hierarchy and language helped people understand the next step.
My Role
Creative Director. My contribution included substantial creative input into the three live-action commercials and the wider campaign, working with Hatcher’s multidisciplinary team and production collaborators.
Collaborators
Hatcher’s creative, strategy, account, and digital marketing teams, in collaboration with Maryland 529.
The Approach
Insight into ideas.
Ideas into experience.
Connect Brand and User Experience
Brand, content, and UX reviews informed clearer information and a more coherent digital experience. Customer-experience mapping connected communications with the questions people brought to each stage.
Develop Stories Across Media
Three live-action commercials and a motion-graphic series explored the relationship between everyday decisions and future opportunity. Sketches and photo lookbooks helped establish the story, tone, and visual direction.
Extend and Evolve the Campaign
Outdoor placements, digital ads, educational materials, and website experiences carried the ideas across channels. Research and campaign feedback supported refinements across successive years.
Selected Creative
A closer look
at the work.
Outdoor Advertising
The 2024 Big Dreams campaign brings future possibilities to life through illustrated outdoor and transit advertising.
View the Artwork ↗Digital Brand Experience
Responsive website mockups carry the identity across desktop, tablet, and mobile.
View the Artwork ↗Making Information Accessible
A historical Save4College brochure combines practical guidance with an approachable visual hierarchy.
View the Artwork ↗Video Campaign Presentation
A television mockup shows the family-centered campaign in a motion-media setting.
View the Artwork ↗From Sketch to Motion
Storyboards and finished frames show the development of the Big Dreams motion-graphic concept.
View the Artwork ↗Photography Direction
A photo lookbook establishes the people, situations, and visual tone for the campaign.
View the Artwork ↗Save4College Across Channels
Historical 2024 campaign creative connects family aspirations with a concrete program benefit across outdoor and digital formats.
View the Artwork ↗Big Dreams in Motion
A finished motion-graphic campaign presentation shows the visual story carried from the storyboard into screen-based creative.
View the Artwork ↗
Social Advertising
A coordinated suite of Maryland College Investment Plan social ads pairs family photography with clear education-savings messages.
View the Artwork ↗Motion & Storytelling
Watch the work.
Maybe an Engineer
A 30-second live-action commercial from the Maryland 529 campaign.
Work Hard Today…For Tomorrow
Live-action commercial. Original project video link.
Watch the Video ↗Parents May I?
A 30-second live-action commercial from the Maryland 529 campaign.
Anyone Can Be a Saver
A 2026 motion-graphic explainer connects education-saving possibilities with a clear invitation to open an account.
Big Dreams Animated Commercial 2024
How To Take A Distribution - Maryland College Investment Plan
What is a 529 Plan?
MPCT Benefits
The Result
Creative with
a clear purpose.
Hatcher’s 2024 case-study materials report 6.8 million paid-media ad impressions in 2023. The broader engagement combined research, creative, media, and digital experience work to support awareness and participation. The gallery includes historical campaign materials.
6.8M
Paid-media ad impressions in 2023, reported in Hatcher’s case-study materials.
Original Project Credits
Creative Director:
Reece Quiñones
Client Manager: Jim Baird
Project Manager: Cate Watson
Art Director: Bailey Gregory
Senior UX Designer: Ernest Chua
VP of Digital: Matt Anthes
Senior Video Producer: Melissa Rogers
Designers: Khanh Pham, Lindsey Smith, Marzia Motta, Katelynne Vizcayno, Debbie Rappaport, and Annette Allen
Original project description and links
Hatcher developed a comprehensive marketing plan that included detailed audience personas, key performance indicators for each campaign, and messages to reach audiences throughout Maryland. As part of a broader refresh of creative and advertising, we created a suite of new and updated materials, including: an enrollment kit, annual report and summary, infographics, photography, brochures, animated gifs, motion graphics, and campaign-themed collateral. We also provided website support, such as creating new pages and simplifying existing pages to streamline the user experience.
Projects Specs: Branding, Broadcast Television/Radio, Social Media, Website UX/UI, and Motion Graphic Videos
Commercials:
Maryland 529: Work Hard Today…For Tomorrow
Motion Graphics: