2026 ©
Currently Based
SF, CA
Designer
Art Director
Creative
2026 ©
Designer
Art Director
Creative
Currently
Based
SF, CA
Clara
Speckhart
Clara
Speckhart
Clara
Speckhart
Brain
Children
The mind,
the METHOD
A calculated risk-taker is action-oriented, curious, and driven by the instinct to move forward when it feels right.
That instinct led me to study Advertising at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. It pulled me again to Florence, where I studied photography and reconnected with the craft. And eventually, it brought me to Berlin, where I continued my education at Miami Ad School Europe and began shaping the kind of creative practice I wanted to build.
My path hasn’t been linear, but it’s been intentional. Each move has been a response to my curiosity.
I’ve been working with visual media for most of my life. As a teenager, I taught myself video editing using Final Cut Pro and Sony Vegas Pro, eventually contributing tutorials to an editing community account. I studied photography throughout high school and have explored a wide range of visual disciplines ever since, from illustration and painting to design, modeling, and motion. Visual language is second nature to me, but words have always been where I feel most precise and expressive.
That comfort with language is what initially drew me toward copywriting. Choosing to study art direction instead was a deliberate step outside that comfort zone, one that pushed me to think more holistically about concept, form, and execution. Studying in Berlin, far from my home in San Francisco, compounded that challenge in the best way.
My work is shaped by a balance of strategy and intuition. Analytical, but empathetic. Detail-oriented, but always aware of the bigger picture. I’m drawn to new tools and emerging technologies, not for novelty’s sake, but for how they can expand creative thinking when used with intention.
This portfolio reflects that approach. It’s a living body of work, one that continues to evolve as I do.
I’m always learning. Always refining. And always open to the next step forward.
Experience
2 roles
Education
3 institutions
Awards
the good stuff
Portfolio Winner
D&AD
New Blood Portfolios
2025 Selection
High Potentials Recognition
ADC*E
High Potentials Program
2025 Cohort
Top Dog
Miami Ad School Europe
High GPA Recognition
2025 Spring Quarter
Valedictorian Nominee
Academy of Art University
Recognition
2024 Graduation
Student Excellence Recognition
Academy of Art University
Recognition
2024 Spring Show
Press Play Campaign
Adobe Headquarters San Francisco
Best in Show
2023 Student Agency Pitch
Zima Rebranding
American Advertising Awards
Bronze in Book Design
2022 Student Competition
Presidential Scholarship
Academy of Art University
Recipient
2019 MSA Graduation
Best of College & HS Photography
Photographer's Forum
Student Work Select
2017