Discover®
Paid Media
DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS • ART DIRECTION
Working on the Discover® portfolio gave me the chance to dream up and pitch fresh concepts for their products. Here are a few that broke out of the brainstorm phase and found their way into the wild.
Google Virtual Card Network
The campaign launched Discover’s Virtual Card Numbers, with creative spanning email, site, direct mail, paid media, and discover.com.
GOAL
To educate cardmembers on how to shop more securely without slowing them down. The client wanted to build awareness and drive adoption, especially on Chrome and mobile devices.
SOLUTION
The standout feature of Google’s Virtual Card Network with Discover was its extra layer of security. To highlight this, I developed the concept, storyboard, and visual design around cloud imagery (a client request) and a rocketship theme—adding motion and a sense of forward momentum to underscore the campaign’s secure-yet-innovative message.
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On the site side, I designed placements that introduced the feature in key regions like the homepage, rewards center, and service areas.
Motion Design: Alec Francis
Digital Wallet
Discover wanted to continue building momentum around digital wallet adoption following a successful test campaign. The ask was to create fresh, platform-optimized paid media that could speak to both existing and new users across Meta channels.
GOAL
Drive digital wallet usage by targeting two audiences: Provisioned users who had added their card but weren’t using it, and unprovisioned users who hadn’t added their card yet. The messaging needed to be simple, clear, and tailored to each group’s stage in the journey.
SOLUTION
The final concept “You can pay with this… or that… but you should pay with this” used playful, side-by-side visuals to make mobile payments feel like the easier, smarter choice.
Motion Design: Alec Francis
Identity Theft Protection
Discover’s ITP paid media campaign aimed to drive enrollment into this service by focusing on proactive protection, peace of mind, and awareness.
GOAL
Drive enrollment by highlighting the risks of identity theft and the value of acting before it’s too late.
SOLUTION
The idea played with a simple visual: a thief silhouette running off with someone’s fingerprint, lit up by a spotlight. The message: Most people don’t think about identity theft until it happens.
Promo APR
Discover was launching paid Meta ads to promote a special Promo APR offer to cardmembers who couldn’t be reached via email.
GOAL
Drive enrollment in the offer while keeping the messaging intentionally vague: no rates, durations, or typical promo details allowed.
SOLUTION
The “Loss Aversion” concept was one of the few ultimately chosen and published for the campaign. The ad leaned into a clean, minimal visual style with bold text animations that played on the idea of missing out, suggesting that carrying a balance without this offer could cost more.
Motion Design: Alec Francis
FINAL NOTE
From concepting paid media to shaping site experiences, working across Discover’s marketing campaigns taught me how to design within complex, compliance-heavy systems—and doing it fast, with big teams and several moving parts. I ended up getting pulled into a lot of these paid media projects because MCD’s design director saw I had a knack for quick concepting and idea generation—some of my favorite problem-solving moments.