Portfolio by Ishmael Islam
These are a lot of syllables to put in front of ‘creative’.
So, Visioncraft is what I call my practice instead.
Words, sounds, and imagery
bringing visions to life.
Here’s a selection of work I’ve made
for brands, small businesses, and creators.
Agency: Obsidianworks
Role: Associate Creative Director
Skills: concept development, copywriting, scripting, media planning
This anthem film and social campaign celebrates the release of Timberland’s Hip Hop Royalty Boot, and commemorates the 50th anniversary of the brand’s iconic Yellow Boot, and the birth of Hip Hop.
I developed scripts and campaign messaging for the anthem video in collaboration with the visual development from my art director partner, Eva Delacruz.
We set the stage for our recommended talent, Brooklyn rapper Lola Brooke to nod to the shared legacy of Timberland and Hip Hop while being a voice of their present and future impact on culture.
This campaign fulfilled the sales projections of the special edition boot and served as a kickoff for Timberland’s full year of programming in 2023 for the 50th anniversary of the Original Yellow Boot™.
Swipe or tap for process imagery
Agency: Translation
Roles: Community Manager, Social Media Manager, Social Copywriter
Skills: copywriting, social publishing, digital assets, social creative, community mgmt.
I served as social media manager, copywriter, and community manager for the global set of Beats by Dre social channels. Alongside the agency’s small but mighty social team, I ran the gamut of everything from content publishing to audience engagement across a two-year period of countless social campaigns, brand collabs, and cultural moments.
Swipe or tap for gallery
The timespan of this role includes working on two of the brand’s biggest product releases in Beats Studio Buds and Beats Fit Pro. Their primary launch campaigns combined for nearly 50 million impressions and over 5 million engagements on social media.
Roles: Social Media Manager, Copywriter, Content Strategist
Skills: copywriting, social publishing, digital asset management, social media management, community management, content strategy
STASHED, an apparel and footwear boutique located in San Francisco established a firm e-commerce presence due to shifts from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. It needed its social media touch points to keep up.
I came into STASHED with a natural understanding of its core ethos; provide an elevated and diverse selection of products while treating each item with tasteful storytelling—as if they were works of art.
To complement the social team’s visual creative, I worked to shape the persona, tone of voice, and copy as a savvy style curator who’s knowledgeable of many brands, and equally confident in making the customer feel like a companion.
Over the course of a year, the efforts of our social team doubled the performance in reach, engagement, and page visits to the store.
The growth boosted sales, opened doors for new partnerships, and expanded the range of brands and product inventory hosted by STASHED both in-store and online.
Swipe or tap for gallery
Agency: Obsidianworks
Production: Softspot
Tap image to watch the series on TikTok
Roles: Associate Creative Director
Skills: Creative development, copywriting, scripting, post-production supervision
TimbsTok is a social-first variety show that myself and art director, Eva Delacruz created for Timberland’s 2023 programming.
Shot on-location at the TImberland headquarters, we tapped social media influencer, Cleotrapa to host the show with her it-girl flare and throughly New York attitude.
Over six episodes with accompanying vignettes, we dived deeper into the values of craftsmanship and creativity that Timberland has thrived on for decades—all within a cutting-edge platform like TikTok. Watch the series here.
The series hit over 21 million views and grew Timberland’s TikTok channel by 29.2% percent, refreshing the brand’s relevancy and connectivity with a Gen-Z audience.
Motion graphics for various creator brands.
Visual identity for The Conversation,
a literary conference and writing fellowship.
Single artwork for various artists.