Scaling Barbie.com from 2M to 33M users.

From microsite to scaled engagement platform.

Barbie.com began as a brand microsite — a digital extension of the toy aisle. As Mattel's digital strategy matured and a generation of girls moved their play and identity online, the site needed to evolve into a scaled engagement platform: a content destination, an interactive experience, and a brand stewardship vehicle, all at once. The team had to build that without losing what made Barbie beloved offline.

Building a design organization that could move fast and protect a 60-year-old brand.

I led design across every customer-facing surface of Barbie.com over a decade — through multiple brand evolutions, product launches, and platform shifts. My focus was building a design organization that could move fast on campaigns while protecting a 60-year-old brand. I scaled the team to fifteen designers, partnered closely with marketing and product, and instituted a brand-system approach that let us launch new properties and microsites without diluting the core experience.

I championed the principle that good design solves a problem — every page we shipped had to earn its place against a clearly defined audience need. Across the run, I oversaw redesigns that modernized the visual language, expanded the site's content surface area, and brought consistency to a sprawling family of sub-brands and seasonal campaigns. I also built the operating rhythm — review cadences, brand guardrails, cross-functional partnerships — that let an in-house team punch well above its weight.

Beyond Barbie.com itself, the brand-system approach extended into sister properties — most notably EverythingGirl.com, the destination for Mattel's family of girls' brands. There I shaped the creative direction for Pippa, the fairy host who welcomed visitors and guided them across the network. Pippa gave the multi-property experience a single character voice — a recognizable face for a brand family that, until then, had no shared one.

What I led.

• Design LeadershipScaled the team to 15 designers and built the operating rhythm — review cadences, brand guardrails, cross-functional partnerships — that let an in-house team ship at the pace of marketing. Set the creative strategy for growing brand awareness around major product launches, and gave creative direction to several outside agencies that built additional games and content — extending the portfolio of sister sites without diluting the Barbie identity.
• Brand-System ApproachInstituted a reusable system that let us launch new properties, microsites, and seasonal campaigns without diluting the core Barbie experience.
• Content & eCommerce StrategyAligned editorial and commerce around a clearly defined audience need — the lever behind the 4.5× single-year audience lift.
• Brand StewardshipProtected a 60-year-old brand through multiple digital evolutions, platform shifts, and high-stakes product launches.