About
I like the part before anyone knows what it is.
I’m Theodora Trandafir, Theo, a Creative Director and brand builder based in San Diego.
I find the idea that organizes a brand, build the system around it, and lead the people who make it.
Five things
How I work
How I think
I look for the one idea that makes every other decision easier. At Road Armor, that meant deciding “Protect What Matters” was about people, not steel.
Where I’m useful
Brands that are still forming: a new ministry brand, a sport going national, an expert outfitter without a voice, a company built from zero.
How I lead
I write the brief, choose the people, and stay close to the work. Every project here shows what I made, what I directed, and what collaborators made.
Working with me
Direct, curious, and steady when things are live, from designing in real time during a 25-hour global broadcast to running my own events business.
Why the range
Recruiting, faith media, strength sports, off-road, coffee, beauty. Each is a community with its own language; the job is to learn it and build something its people recognize as theirs.
The idea, at Road Armor
“Protect What Matters” was about people, not steel.See the work →
Background
Where I’ve been
- Now
Brand ManagerPassages at Turning Point Ministries
Creative DirectorUSA Streetlifting, nationally
FounderVerus Coffee, my own company
- Before
Art DirectorVML, on the U.S. Navy account
Art DirectorThe Integer Group / TracyLocke