Michelle Nguyen
24 years of design discipline — two decades working under a Top Secret clearance on government projects. Now for founders.
I'm Michelle, nice to meet you.
I've spent 24 years as a senior graphic designer, brand designer, and UI/UX designer — twenty of them working under a Top Secret clearance on Department of Defense projects at the Pentagon and with the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute. I designed web applications and visual communications to rigorous government standards.
Along the way, I built a diverse skill set spanning creative design, front-end development, and DoD contracting. I hold a Top Secret security clearance from the Department of Defense. I'm also a mother of four with a lifelong passion for art — one I've been fortunate to turn into a career.
Beyond graphic and web design, I've worked as a marketing content and communication specialist and aerial photographer for Prince William County. Part of that role took me behind the lens — flying licensed drone photography across the county to document its scenery for marketing and social media, and photographing economic development events, job fairs, and community gatherings. That photography and design work shaped campaigns that brought new business and visibility to the community I call home.
That same passion led me to found ClayOrchid in 2012, a handmade clay flower business that has since grown into Ivory & Bloom Atelier — a Northern Virginia luxury bridal brand offering handmade clay flower accessories, jewelry, and personalized satin purses. It's an entrepreneurial and creative venture I continue to run today.
I've been freelancing in web design since 2018, building brands and websites for businesses of every size — from nail salons, real estate agents, and restaurants to larger enterprises. In 2024, I opened Michelle N Studio full-time to bring that same federal-grade discipline, careful process, and creative range to founders and small businesses. If you're building something that needs to be right the first time, that's exactly the kind of project I want to hear about.
Federal discipline, founder speed.
Two decades of making sure design holds up under real scrutiny. That discipline doesn't disappear because the client is smaller now — if anything, it matters more.
Discovery
Understand the real problem before opening a design file.
Definition
Turn ambiguity into a brief everyone agrees on before work starts.
Design
Systems, not one-offs — built to hold up and scale past launch.
Delivery
Production-ready, accessible, and documented. Nothing rushed.
One designer, six disciplines.
Graphic Design
Infographics, publications & print production.
Brand Design & Identity
Logos, systems & visual language.
Web & UI/UX Design
Accessible interfaces, built to convert.
Creative Direction
End-to-end ownership from brief to launch.
Front-End Development
HTML5, CSS3, WordPress & Drupal builds.
AI-Powered Creative
ChatGPT, Claude & Kling AI in the workflow.
24 Years, One Discipline
A career built onsite inside federal buildings — from the Army's earliest contracts through the Pentagon, Fort Belvoir, HUD, and the State Department — running in parallel with an independent bridal atelier and design studio.
Started freelancing before graduation — the design career began here in Arlington, VA.
First federal contract. Designed print publications and visual materials for the U.S. Army — began a two-decade run inside government buildings.
Redesigned citizen-facing pages for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development — onsite work on a federal platform used by millions.
Held a U.S. Top Secret clearance throughout the engagement — 50+ government web projects and 15+ secure web applications for senior DoD leadership.
Led design initiatives for a major overhaul of 24 web applications used by the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute — 20% engagement lift, full Section 508 compliance.
Front-end overhaul (HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, Angular Material) for Fort Belvoir under a DoD contract — measurable growth in user engagement.
Onsite at the Pentagon and Mark Center — Washington Headquarters Services (WHS). Ran Drupal & AFPIMS content ops, digital graphics for Pentagon directorates, and helped organize the Pentagon's 40th anniversary event.
Dept. of Economic Development — newsletters, lead-gen emails, monthly reports, presentations, and director-facing event materials, plus campaign design and drone & event photography. Grew brand visibility +15% and engagement +25% through a coordinated marketing blitz.
Launched a handmade luxury bridal accessories brand — clay flowers, jewelry, and personalized satin purses — to prove I could build a business from concept to execution, running product design, e-commerce, photography, and marketing end to end.
Select freelance projects — brand identity, web and UI/UX design, KDP children's books and e-books — bringing federal-grade design discipline to founders and small businesses.
Designed and developed KVNPS.com from concept through launch for our family-owned property services business, covering site architecture, UI/UX, visual design, responsive production, motion-rich property content, and ongoing web coordination.
From the Pentagon
to your inbox.
Fourteen years inside federal agencies that don't forgive a missed deadline or a design that fails accessibility review. Now bringing that same standard to founders, small businesses, and growing brands.
- DoD Top Secret Clearance · Eligible for renewal
- Section 508 / WCAG Accessibility Specialist
- 14+ Years of Federal Onsite Work
- 6 Federal Facilities Worked In
The Pentagon
Washington Headquarters Services · digital graphics, web content, event coverage.
2009 — 2018Foreign Service Institute
Led the redesign of 24 web applications — +20% engagement, full 508 compliance.
2015 — 2017Fort Belvoir
Front-end overhaul (HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap) for DoD web systems.
2017Mark Center
All Native Group / WHS Alexandria — cleared communication design.
2017 — 2018HUD Headquarters
Citizen-facing web redesign for the Dept. of Housing & Urban Development.
2006 — 2009Hoffman Building
First federal contract — publications, briefings, and Army print collateral.
2004 — 2006The person behind the portfolio.
Mother of Four
Raising four kids while running a studio — efficiency isn't optional, it's survival.
Bridal Atelier Founder
Ivory & Bloom Atelier — handmade clay flowers and bridal accessories that last forever.
Lifelong Artist
Drawing and painting since childhood, long before it became a career.
Creative Experimenter
Exploring AI video and animation across two YouTube channels.
Three ways to go deeper.
The Case Studies
Four engagements in full — the brief, the thinking, the decisions, and what came out the other end.
Read the work →The Full Archive
Seventy-nine catalogued pieces across brand, web, presentation, and photography.
Browse everything →The Formal Record
Employment history, education, clearance, and proficiencies — the printable version.
View the résumé →