About
I Don't Just Design Experiences. I Help Define Their Direction.
I'm Marlin David Bowman, a Creative Director and multidisciplinary design professional whose career has been built around transforming ideas into compelling visual experiences.
My background includes enterprise brand development, executive communications, experiential design, product innovation, UX research, and creative production.
Throughout my career, I've worked across corporate, agency, and independent creative environments, collaborating with stakeholders, directing outsourced designers, managing production vendors, and bringing complex creative projects from concept to completion.
At Aramco Americas, my responsibilities extended beyond traditional graphic design to include creative direction for large-scale exhibitions, corporate identity applications, experiential environments, and international branding initiatives.
My experience at HP expanded my work in product innovation, UX-focused storytelling, user research, and communicating emerging technology concepts.
I believe strong creative direction requires more than a compelling aesthetic. It requires understanding people, challenging assumptions, aligning teams, and delivering creative solutions that serve a clear purpose.
Where I work best
- Creative direction for enterprise
- Large-scale exhibitions, corporate identity applications and international branding at Aramco Americas.
- Product innovation & UX storytelling
- Visual narratives, user research and emerging-technology concepts at HP.
- Executive communications
- Branded presentations and strategic visual communications for enterprise programs.
- Vendor & freelance direction
- Directing outsourced designers, managing production vendors and keeping quality consistent.
- Experiential & environmental design
- Sponsor booths, trade-show environments, aircraft branding and retail merchandising.
- Brand identity & digital experiences
- Identity systems, websites and UX/UI for corporate clients and professional athletes.
Career timeline
- March 2025 – PresentHPInnovation Content Creator / Creative Designer
- March 2024 – January 2025KBRGraphic Designer / Aramco Presentation Support (Contractor)
- January 2020 – January 2024Media Solve GroupFreelance Graphic Designer (Remote)
- June 2017 – July 2024MDB BracketCreative Director / Independent Creative Lead
- December 2022 – July 2023Drunk ElephantVisual Merchandising Designer
- February 2015 – July 2020Aramco AmericasPublic Affairs Lead Designer
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design
The Art Institute of Houston
Certifications
- Foundations of UX Design
- UX Research and Testing
- UX Wireframes & Low-Fidelity Prototypes
- UX Design Process
- SketchUp Fundamentals
Awards
- Lantern Award for Design Innovation
- Best Illustration Award — Houston
- Houston BMA Innovation Award
Career outcomes
Results reported on my resume for the role shown—not claims about individual portfolio projects.
- 30%
- Reduction in presentation revision cycles
- KBR · Aramco presentation support · 2024–2025
- 100%
- On-time delivery of executive communication projects
- KBR · Aramco presentation support · 2024–2025
- 20/week
- Branded assets delivered for client projects
- Media Solve Group · 2020–2024
- $500K
- Sponsor booth redesign directed, end to end
- Aramco Americas · 2015–2020
Leadership philosophy
- Understand people
- Strong creative direction starts with the audience and the problem, not the aesthetic.
- Challenge assumptions
- Good questions early save revision cycles later.
- Align teams
- Stakeholders, designers and vendors need one clear vision to build toward.
- Serve a purpose
- Every creative decision should earn its place in the final work.
