Portrait of Arina
Portfolio — Creative Direction & Content

Arina
Creative Director

Brand Voice · Content Strategy · Visual Direction

I'm a Creative Director, but that really means helping brands find their voice — and bringing their vision to life through thoughtful design and creative strategy.

Introduction

A Little About Me

— / —

Who I Am

Hi there! I'm Arina — a Creative Director who helps brands find their voice and bring their vision to life through thoughtful design and creative strategy.

I'm 26 and based in Portugal. I actually have a background as a software developer, spending 4 years working as a backend developer with Java, most recently at OLX Group. I quickly realized I wanted to follow a more creative path, so I started freelancing as a social media manager instead.

Over the past year I've worked across content creation, branding, production and social media management, helping brands turn ideas into visuals and stories that actually connect.

Language

PortugueseNative
EnglishFluent
RussianNative / Beginner

Experience

Creative Director (Present)
myvanillagallery — started implementing new ideas like adding templates, creating my own content (a stock videos collection), and helping on content shootings and production of videos
Freelancer Social Media Manager (1 year)
myvanillagallery — creating posts, reels, stories and TikToks for the brand
Backend Developer (4 years)
OLX Group — building and maintaining backend systems in Java

Craft & Tools

Creativity Storytelling Attention to Detail Communication Direction Strategy

Software

Canva CapCut Notion Slack ChatGPT Claude
What I Do

Skills & Craft

UGC Content Creation Brand Storytelling Copywriting Social Media Strategy & Management Brand Identity & Direction Social SEO Strategy Stock Video Production Video Editing Canva Template Design
Selected Work

Instagram Posts

A mix of content types — from Canva design breakdowns to educational hooks and seasonal posts.

01 / 05
Instagram post 1
Canva Design
Instagram post 2
Educational
Instagram post 3
Educational
Instagram post 4
Seasonal · Templates
Instagram post 5
Seasonal · Fun
Instagram post 6
Seasonal · Educational
01

Feed Transformation

Over the past year I reworked myvanillagallery's Instagram grid from a scattered mix of everyday lifestyle shots into a cohesive, branded feed — unifying the color palette, typography and layout so every post reads as part of one aesthetic.

Feed before
Feed Before
Feed after
Feed After
By The Numbers · 9 Months

Social Media Metrics

Growth across Instagram and Pinterest over the past nine months.

02 / 05
01

Instagram

+10K
Followers gained
4.8M
Monthly impressions
Instagram post example with metrics — 1.3M views
1.3M views · 4.3K saves on a single post
Instagram post example with metrics — 5.4K interactions
5.4K interactions · 2.8K saves on a single post
02

Pinterest

10.7M
Impressions
3.86M
Total audience
400K
Engagements
246K
Engaged audience
109K
Saves
3.63K
Outbound clicks
Reach funnel
Impressions
10.7M
Total audience
3.86M
Engagements
400K
Engaged audience
246K
Saves
109K
Outbound clicks
3.63K
Engagement rate breakdown
Engagement rate
3.74%
400K / 10.7M
Save rate
1.02%
109K / 10.7M
Audience eng.
6.37%
246K / 3.86M
Click-through
0.034%
3.63K / 10.7M
Engagement rate Save rate Audience engagement Click-through rate
Stock Footage

Content Creation

Creating UGC, Stock & Social Media Content

03 / 05
01

Lifestyle & Brands

UGC content and brand collaborations created as a micro-influencer — authentic lifestyle visuals made to feel native to the feed.

ORA Journals Collab
Skincare UGC Video Example
Suppuru Collab
Cozy Heaven UGC Work
02

Stock Gallery

A curated collection of stock videos I produced for My Vanilla Gallery — timeless, editorial-quality footage built for versatile commercial use.

03

IRL Shootings/Production

On-site production support — from envisioning the concept and directing the shoot to modeling on camera. A full creative hand in bringing the vision to life.

For Brands

Templates Creation

Canva templates designed for brands and creators - made for myvanillagallery

04 / 05
01

Pinterest Templates

Pinterest template examples collage
02

Wellness

Wellness template examples collage
03

Editorial

Editorial template examples collage
04

Seasonal

Holiday template examples collage
Valentine's template examples collage
Web Design

Website Builds

Three café brands, three different vibes, same idea applied to a different audience each time.

05 / 05

Traditional Portuguese Café

A neighbourhood tasca in Lisbon, in business since 1958.

Azulejo blue, terracotta and a warm, handwritten feel, built to feel like a café that's been there forever.

Modern Portuguese Café

A specialty roaster in Porto, run like a design studio.

Bottle green, cork and a pop of yellow, with a clean editorial layout. Modern and confident, not cutesy.

Scandinavian-Minimalist Brunch Café

A tourist-favourite brunch spot in Príncipe Real, Lisboa.

Soft oat, sage and blush tones with lots of white space. Calm, photogenic, made for the Instagram crowd.

Let's Work Together

Got an idea that needs a voice? Let's talk.

aryence.ugc@gmail.com
@aryencebel
Arina — Creative Director · Portfolio