about
I’m Karina, a creative director, designer, and brand builder with 20+ years of experience
shaping beauty, fragrance, and lifestyle brands.
My approach combines creative intuition with strategic thinking. From the first spark of an
idea to the world a brand lives, I’m shaping concepts, identities, packaging, design systems,
storytelling, and visual experiences that connect with consumers.
Throughout my career, I’ve led creative teams and partnered with global brands, founders,
and retailers across every stage of brand creation. As Head of Creative at Givaudan,
I led fragrance concept development for brands within Avon, Bath & Body Works, Estée Lauder,
and Victoria’s Secret. At Coty Prestige, I helped bring fragrance launches for Vera Wang
to market, and later led turnkey brand and design programs for major retailers including
TJ Maxx, Target, and Walmart.
Most recently, as VP Creative at JMD, I led multidisciplinary teams in building and evolving beauty
and fragrance brands across concept, identity, packaging, and market expression. Today, I bring
that experience to brands through my consulting arm, Studio Sonow, combining high-level creative thinking with hands-on direction and design.
I’m endlessly curious and always looking beyond the expected, finding inspiration in art, fashion, architecture, materials, culture, and the details of everyday life that quietly become the starting point for something new.
I’m Karina, a creative director, designer, and brand builder with 20+ years of experience
shaping beauty, fragrance, and lifestyle brands.
My approach combines creative intuition with strategic thinking. From the first spark of an
idea to the world a brand lives, I’m shaping concepts, identities, packaging, design systems, storytelling, and visual experiences that connect with consumers.
Throughout my career, I’ve led creative teams and partnered with global brands, founders,
and retailers across every stage of brand creation. As Head of Creative at Givaudan,
I led fragrance concept development for brands within Avon, Bath & Body Works, Estée Lauder,
and Victoria’s Secret. At Coty Prestige, I helped bring fragrance launches for Vera Wang to market, and later led turnkey brand and design programs for major retailers including
TJ Maxx, Target, and Walmart.
Most recently, as VP Creative at JMD, I led multidisciplinary teams in building and evolving beauty and fragrance brands across concept, identity, packaging, and market expression. Today, I bring that experience to brands through my consulting arm, Studio Sonow, combining high-level creative thinking with hands-on direction and design.
I’m endlessly curious and always looking beyond the expected, finding inspiration in art, fashion, architecture, materials, culture, and the details of everyday life that quietly become the starting point for something new.
“the best brands begin with a feeling. My role is to turn that feeling into something people can see, touch, & experience building a visual world that feels distinctive, cohesive, & impossible to forget.”
How i work
1. discovery + immersion
I uncover the brand, consumer, business objectives, and opportunity building a clear foundation for the work.
1. discovery + immersion
I uncover the brand, consumer, business objectives, and opportunity building a clear foundation for the work.
1. discovery + immersion
I uncover the brand, consumer, business objectives, and opportunity building a clear foundation for the work.
2. strategy + creative direction
Insights become a focused creative vision, defining the concept, story, aesthetic, and direction.
2. strategy + creative direction
Insights become a focused creative vision, defining the concept, story, aesthetic, and direction.
2. strategy + creative direction
Insights become a focused creative vision, defining the concept, story, aesthetic, and direction.
3. design + iteration
Ideas come to life across packaging, design, and brand touchpoints, then evolve through collaborative refinement.
3. design + iteration
Ideas come to life across packaging, design, and brand touchpoints, then evolve through collaborative refinement.
3. design + iteration
Ideas come to life across packaging, design, and brand touchpoints, then evolve through collaborative refinement.
4. delivery + creative stewardship
Final concepts are prepared for execution, with ongoing creative guidance to ensure the vision remains cohesive and on-brand.
4. delivery + creative stewardship
Final concepts are prepared for execution, with ongoing creative guidance to ensure the vision remains cohesive and on-brand.
4. delivery + creative stewardship
Final concepts are prepared for execution, with ongoing creative guidance to ensure the vision remains cohesive and on-brand.