Ase'nath Leo

Creative Director and Digital Marketing Specialist with 15+ years of experience spanning brand strategy, art direction, and data-driven marketing. Track record of leading cross-functional teams of up to 10 people to deliver high-impact campaigns across digital and print. Co-founder of Zari's Learning — a proudly South African CAPS-aligned educational platform — demonstrating the ability to build and lead a brand from concept to live product.

Equally comfortable setting creative vision at the strategic level and executing hands-on design work across the full Adobe Creative Suite. Currently completing a B-Com in Digital Marketing to deepen analytical capabilities alongside an established creative foundation.

Multimedia Specialist at 555 Media Hub (2025-04 – Present)

• Producing L-Boards and broadcast graphics for DTSV channels including M-Net and Moja Love, delivering broadcast-standard visual content to tight deadlines across multiple channels simultaneously.
• Created bumper ads for major FMCG brands including Flying Fish and Schweppes — high-visibility short-form content designed for broadcast and digital platforms.
• Leading the development of a unified brand identity system for Nobanda Investment Group and its subsidiaries, including 555 PR & Events and 555 Tech & Innovation — translating a complex holding structure into a coherent visual language.
• Designing bespoke iconography, logo treatments, and brand guidelines to establish consistent visual standards across the full investment portfolio.
• Developing strategic creative rationales and positioning materials to compete for high-level contracts in the South African market.

Co-Founder & Creative Director at Leo Kreatives / Zari's Learning (2025-01 – Present)

• Co-founded Zari's Learning — a CAPS-aligned educational platform built for South African children, inspired by our daughter Azzaria and designed to provide culturally representative learning resources for every African child.
• Led all creative output from the ground up: brand identity, logo, comprehensive phase-based design system, WordPress website, educational resource templates, 3D animation videos, and social media assets across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.
• Developed a three-tier print system (Full Colour, Colour-In, and Eco/Ink Saver) embedded into every resource to ensure accessibility across all income levels.
• Built and manage the full platform at zarislearning.co.za, overseeing creative direction, content production, and brand consistency across all touchpoints.

Freelance Graphic Designer (part-time, remote) at Twinkl UK (2024-01 – 2024-12)

• Designed educational resources for a leading UK-based digital publishing platform, producing print-ready and digital assets to Twinkl's brand and quality standards.
• Managed workload independently alongside a full-time Creative Lead role, demonstrating strong time management and the ability to deliver to international client briefs.

Creative Lead at Matus (2022-05 – 2025-03)

• Led a team of 7–10 creatives across design, digital marketing, and content, overseeing resource allocation, creative quality, and delivery timelines.
• Developed and owned brand strategies for multiple digital marketing campaigns, driving measurable improvements in customer engagement and brand visibility.
• Used Google Analytics and Everlytics to interrogate performance data and continuously optimise visual assets, resulting in sustained growth in social media engagement.
• Directed end-to-end digital asset production for product launches, maintaining 100% brand consistency across all touchpoints.

Digital Marketing Specialist at Matus (2022-04 – 2023-04)

• Built Matus's entire digital presence from zero — growing Facebook to 11K followers, LinkedIn to 8K followers, Instagram to 680 followers, and the Matweld YouTube channel to 395 subscribers, entirely through organic content strategy with no paid advertising.
• Designed and executed targeted digital marketing strategies across SEO, email marketing, and content delivery.
• Developed and managed social media content pipelines, driving consistent growth in lead generation through data-led content strategy.

Mid-Senior Graphic Designer at Matus (2017-04 – 2020-10)

• Produced digital and print collateral — brochures, advertising assets, social media content — to elevate brand identity for a range of clients.
• Contributed to brand consistency reviews and supported senior creative leads in campaign rollouts.

Senior Graphic Designer at Vermont Sales (2020-11 – 2021-08)

• Designed digital and print brand collateral including brochures, ads, and social media assets.
• Created packaging design for product lines and managed social media content.
• Produced motion graphic product videos, animated videos, and unboxing videos with integrated motion graphics — bringing Vermont Sales products to life on digital and social platforms.
• Implemented streamlined design processes that improved team workflow efficiency.

Junior–Mid Graphic Designer at Dawn Marketing and Design (2013-03 – 2017-03)

• Produced high volumes of digital and print collateral for a diverse client portfolio spanning brochures, advertising, and social media assets.
• Maintained brand consistency across all client deliverables on multiple simultaneous campaigns.
• Produced and edited motivational video content using stock footage, and handled full video production for client conference events — expanding the agency's video capability beyond traditional print and design.

Junior Graphic Designer at B & M Signs (2010-03 – 2012-12)

• Designed specialist signage for major clients including Absa and Johannesburg City Parks.
• Managed vinyl cutting and large-format Roland printer production from file prep through to final print.

B-Com in Digital Marketing – MANCOSA (2025-01)

B-Tech in Multimedia – University of Johannesburg (2006-01 – 2010-12)