Hi, I’m David Somerville, a creative consultant focused on design, creative direction, and lateral insights. I previously led creative at The Atlantic and FGS Global. I also do game design, and have worked with Dungeons & Dragons and Leder Games, among others.

I’m currently accepting clients. Let’s make something together.

Index:     Work
           Clients
           About
           Contact




Work




Much of my work over the years has been confidential, so I’m not able to share the full volume of my work for all clients. That said, I’ve selected a variety of work that I’m proud of. Some of it has seen the light of day, some is personal or never made it to production. Still, I hope that this exploration of design expression will give you a sense for my creative approach.




LOGOMARKS


2012–present


Each logomark is a labor of love. Some came together in seconds, others took countless hours to carefully construct. Some are simple, others complex. Some are polished, others intentionally rough. All are designed to pique curiosity, convey personality, and draw the viewer into the worlds of the brands they represent.



INFLUENCES
Aaron Draplin, Paula Scher, David Airey, Bill Gardner, Armin Vit, countless designers.

PROCESS
Research, brainstorm, sketch dump, fast render, typeset, color, polished render, variations, with conversations with the client throughout.

BELIEFS
No logo can say everything, but every logo should say something.





JUST A NUMBER



This work was for a luxury travel concierge brand catering to the super-wealthy. I’m not able to disclose their name, and neither did these ads. They simply showed an image, described a feeling, and left a number. Those in the know would get in touch.





1.

Once a year, he flies back to this beach.

No matter how many invitations he must decline or opportunities he must forego, on this day he returns —— because this is the place that made him.

He goes out on the water.

For a few short hours, he is alone and small in the vast infinity. Out there, he remembers everything that matters.

He rejoins the world by air.

When asked what service he uses to fly, he only smiles and politely shakes his head. This isn’t for anyone else.

This is his sanctuary. 2.

When she steps off the jet, this is where she comes first.

The soil is surprised by the length of  her stride. Her feet were bare and tres petit when she was last here.

She breathes. She walks. The vineyard relearns the shape of her steps.

She relearns the shape of her past, and drafts a vision of a rhyming future. When she steps back on the jet, she carries a dusty bottle and a new journal filled of still-drying ink.

In the city, he asks her, “Where did you go?”
“Chez moi,” she replies.
“And how did you get there?”

Instead of answering, she opens her journal. The pressed leaf of a grapevine flutters to the floor. It smells of soil and air.

She begins to describe her next project.





ASK BETTER QUESTIONS



A prospective campaign built for World Resources Institute, centered around the idea that those who change things often have a singular superpower: they ask better questions.


Although this project never made it to production, it remains one of the pieces I’m most proud of, and excited the team involved in a way that felt (to me) like, “Yeah, THIS! This is what I want to be doing with my time and creative energy.”








FGS GLOBAL BRAND SYSTEM



At the end of my time with FGS Global, I worked with stakeholders and designers from around the world to create a focused, polished brand system they could carry forward into the future.







Like all large companies, FGS Global continues to evolve, but I was honored to mark this moment in time with the clearest, sharpest, most coherent brand system I’ve ever had the pleasure of putting together (so far, at least -- but let’s talk if you’re looking for one, haha).








HIGHBROW/LOWBROW



This was a self-assigned project, blending ancient images and modern emotions. I thought it was fun.









CITY CHURCH ST PETE DESIGN SYSTEM



I live and work in St. Pete, FL, and was happy to design a look and feel for a small church that reflects the energy of this special place.









Many small details are at play here -- typefaces are chosen to evoke the city’s history, spiritual aspirations, and even the typographic legacy of the church’s theological antecedents. The colors are selected from murals and signs seen around St. Pete, as well as its colorful flag, and the variable rooster mascot is a testament both to the story of Saint Peter and living, unfixed nature of a body trying to come together in faith.






THIS IS NEW JERSEY


I was delighted to work with senior officials in the state of New Jersey to develop an expressive campaign expressing NJ pride and joy. The final creative of the campaign evolved past this point before it saw the light of day, but this was my favorite version of the work, so I’m sharing it here.















POSTERS & MISC DESIGN


Just a few posters and miscellaneous designs I’ve worked up for various reasons over the years, sometimes for my clients, more often for myself.

















ASSORTED ILLUSTRATION


As a child, I drew for hours on the floor. I’ve risen in the world, however, and now draw for hours at a desk.
















Selected Clients




Within the bounds of confidentiality, I’d be delighted to tell you about my work with any of these clients. Unfortunately, due to the nature of my work, I’m not able to share a full list of clients or disclose full details for all engagements.









About




David Somerville is a seasoned creative leader and game designer of acclaimed titles like Vast: The Crystal Caverns and Planegea. 

With a career spanning design, publishing, and strategic communications, he has led creative teams at The Atlantic and was the Head of Creative at FGS Global, where he crafted award-winning campaigns and experiences for Fortune 10 companies and entertainment clients.

David is currently the principal at Smrvl™, his own creative consultancy, focusing on design, creative direction, and “lateral insights,” which involves applying ideas from fiction and game design to the most interesting problems of business.

A lifelong creator, David lives in St. Petersburg, FL, with his wife and three children, a home they found on a year-long RV journey across America.



Partial CV:
 
  1. Created original game IPs generating over $1.4M in crowdfunding (so far).
  2. Fostered the reinvention of The Atlantic Festival through a week-long creative sprint.
  3. Inaugurated the role of creative partner and global creative lead to guide FGS Global’s 50-person creative team in service of Fortune 5 and 10 clients across the world.
  4. Created Planegea, a 380-page prehistoric D&D 5E setting book, leading to work as a credited Dungeons & Dragons author in D&D sourcebooks (2025).
  5. Launched The Manifold, a tabletop games media company in 2019.



Partial Games portfolio:

  • Deadfall (Writer / 2026, Wizards of the Coast)
  • Netheril’s Fall (Writer / 2025, Wizards of the Coast)
  • Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerȗn and Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerȗn (Writer, 2025 Wizards of the Coast)
  • Prismanox (Creator, 2023 TTRPG, independent)
  • Planegea (Creator, 2021 TTRPG franchise, Atlas Games)
  • Never Tell Me the Odds (Creator, 2019 TTRPG, independent)
  • Farhaven (Writer, 2019 AR mobile game, Path & Patch)
  • Die Trying (Creator, 2018 dice game, Golden Bell Games)
  • Lightning & Bolt (Creator, 2018 board game, independent)
  • Question This (Creator, 2016 card game, The Atlantic)
  • Vast: The Crystal Caverns (Creator, 2015 board game franchise, Leder Games)
  • Chicken Coop (Artist, 2011 mobile game, Technosight)








Contact



Want to get in touch? 

I’m easy to find on LinkedIn, or you can email me at david [at] smrvl.com* … and once you do, I’ll honestly just give you my number so we can text or call. The point is, I’d love to connect! 

Let’s talk!





*Sorry for the riddle. You know how bots are!