the walt disney company
strategic art direction, storytelling & brand development, graphic design, photography
Starting as a photographer in Special Events, Sanae photographed everything from marketing materials for the Disneyland Resort App to Club 33 celebrations.
Eight months later, she assumed a role in producing creative projects in Disneyland Resort’s Operations Training department. She led art direction and brand development on various training initiatives and development programs. While in her role, Sanae’s work touched 35K+ employees and continues to grow.
art direction & graphic design
creative lead for large-scale, brand-critical initiatives supporting resort-wide operations, leadership development, and immersive learning experiences.
Project: Service Model Rebrand
Scope: Update Walt Disney’s training model branding for the Service Model. Create a modernized, inclusive visual identity that honored traditional design architecture. Create resources and collateral to align cross-functional stakeholders (Operations, Support, Legal, Internal Communications) for launch and sustainment.
The Approach: Discovery sessions to identify gaps between Operations and Support teams. Understanding of legal parameters in dissecting historical branding. Archival research of Disney branding to pay homage to Walt’s training legacy.
Impact: Resort-wide brand reset for 35,000+ employees, transforming abstract service standards into a tangible, mandatory training ecosystem. Designed the visual identity now embedded in all new-hire onboarding and update trainings. Produced the 'Service Model' pocket cards distributed to every employee, promoting daily behavioral alignment across digital and physical touchpoints throughout Disneyland Resort.
Project: Branching Out: Leadership Development Program
Scope: Instructional Design, Graphic Design, Art Direction
Execution: Led end-to-end art direction, storyboarding, and asset delivery for a new training curriculum. Translated complex operational concepts into cohesive visual narratives.
Deliverables: High-fidelity print production, collateral, and comprehensive training materials designed for maximum learner engagement.
Project: Disneyland Resort SVP’s Podcast (Leadership Unplugged)
Scope: Create a marketable brand that sparks imagination and play; maintain alignment with traditional Disney branding and legal.
Execution: Led art direction, discovery sessions and consultations, typography design, colorway, and asset delivery.
Deliverables: A comprehensive Brand Kit including logo and variations, graphic elements/iconography, typography and colorway.
Project: Various assets for Experiential & Immersive Trainings.
Scope: Lead Multi-channel collateral design for “all cast” engagement and activations.
The Approach: Research of experiential training, an understanding of training environment and accessibility challenges.
Deliverables: Created a unified ecosystem of physical and digital touchpoints, including immersive experience books, custom sticker systems, environmental signage, and logo lockups.
Project: Disneyland Resort - Holiday Overlays
Scope: Create a unified look and feel for Design Holiday Overlays for backstage window and wall displays. Spark holiday cheer through seasonal branded messaging.
The Approach: Create designs that align with Imagineering’s reimagined character designs for 2025 Holiday merchandise.
Deliverables: A cohesive collection of postcard-style, designs for use in vinyl overlays.
photographed content for Disneyland Resort App, marketing, internal and external communications, events and portraits.
photography
