Client: McKelvey Homes (via fractional CMO engagement)

Role: Design · Creative direction

Engagement: Spring 2026 · one-week sprint

Context

McKelvey Homes is a Missouri-based custom home builder founded in 1898. Their product sits in the $500K–$1M+ range and they're well-respected in their market. I was brought in through their fractional CMO to support ongoing marketing execution.

The Gap

McKelvey's positioning is premium. The existing social and ad creative wasn't matching it. The assets read as generic and template-driven and off-brand for a 127-year-old builder selling million-dollar homes. There was no enforced visual system in place; only color and font guidelines that weren't being applied with intent.

The ask I received was tactical: make some graphics. I treated it as a chance to quietly establish a creative standard the team could build on.

My Role

• Creative direction across assets
• Design and production
• Enforcement of brand typography and introduction of the gold accent system
• Visual hierarchy and layout decisions across the series

Direction

My goal was to elevate the work without a full rebrand, respecting the loose guidelines already in place while introducing the discipline that was missing.

• Typography. Enforced the brand's stated fonts and built a clear hierarchy — one dominant line, one supporting line, no competing weights.