Sam’s Club
Role: Art Direction, Concept Development, Layout & Editorial Design
Agency: Dentsu Creative
Team: CD — Jessica Huang, ACD — Desiree Espada, Sr. AD — Kasumi Chow, Designer/Illustrations — Kathy Ramirez
Channels: Print Catalog, Direct Mail
Sam’s Club’s Instant Savings Book (ISB) is a monthly catalog that reaches millions of members, highlighting promotions, seasonal themes, and product features. My work on ISB spans concepting original photography and designing layouts that bring a fresh creative approach to a format that could easily become overwhelming or repetitive. The challenge was to make each issue feel curated and inspiring, while staying true to the recognizable Sam’s Club brand identity and ensuring clarity in how members discover value.
Each issue began with strategic planning alongside the Sam’s Club team to identify the products and themes most relevant for that month. From there, I created mood boards and sketches that shaped photography concepts by weaving together seasonal color palettes, textures, and lifestyle storytelling. My concepts spanned categories including food, kitchenware, supplements, jewelry, and beauty. Pre-production was extensive, involving casting talent, building a robust prop library, and preparing detailed decks to guide each shoot.
Once photography was complete, I designed the brand pages and layouts, balancing product storytelling with clarity and ease of navigation. In addition to design, I managed the retouching process — reviewing and marking up images, collaborating closely with the retouching team, and handling light retouching myself when needed. These steps ensured the final books reflected a cohesive visual language and the elevated quality expected from Sam’s Club.
