Hi, I’m Marco! A digital marketer with a background in graphic design and instructional design. I bring together creative thinking, visual storytelling, and data-informed strategy to create marketing that connects with people and drives action.

My journey started in Watsonville, California, where I grew up surrounded by a strong sense of community. That connection to community has continued to influence the kind of work I value today: creative work that serves a purpose and communicates something meaningful.

From Designer to Marketer

I began my professional journey at Cabrillo College, where I discovered graphic design and became fascinated by the relationship between creativity and communication. I later transferred to California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB), earning my Bachelor of Science in Communication Design with an emphasis in Visual Design.

Through my education and professional design experience, I developed skills in graphic design, branding, web design, UX, and visual storytelling. More importantly, I learned that effective design is understanding who you’re communicating with, what you want them to understand, and what you want them to do next.

That audience-first mindset eventually led me to instructional design.

I returned to CSUMB to earn my Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology, where I learned to analyze audience needs, organize complex information, develop content strategies, and design engaging digital learning experiences. Working with clients on real-world projects strengthened my ability to approach creative challenges strategically and design with a clear purpose.

Bringing It All Together Through Digital Marketing

As my career evolved, I became increasingly interested in what happens when design, communication, audience psychology, and data come together. That led me to digital marketing.

Through hands-on marketing training and professional experience, I’ve expanded my skill set into email marketing, social media, paid media, SEO, audience research, campaign strategy, A/B testing, and performance analysis. I’ve had opportunities to develop campaigns, analyze results, create marketing content, and use performance insights to understand what resonates with an audience.

My design background allows me to think visually. My instructional design background taught me to think about how people process information. And marketing has taught me to connect those skills with audience insights, strategy, and measurable goals.

Today, I see those experiences as parts of the same story.

Whether I’m developing an email campaign, analyzing marketing performance, creating social content, designing a brand asset, or organizing information for a digital experience, I approach the work with the same questions:

Who is the audience? What do they need? What are we trying to communicate? And how can we inspire them to take action?

I’m excited to continue building my career in digital marketing while bringing the creative and strategic perspective I’ve developed through design and instructional design.

Thanks for stopping by and learning more about my journey. Feel free to explore my work or connect with me on LinkedIn!