Acacia Betancourt

Designer & Creative Director (she/her)

Hi, I’m Acacia (pronounced “Ah-Kay-Sha” - hear me pronounce it here) and I am a freelance creative director and designer in Washington DC. I collaborate with my clients to develop beautiful, equitable, and cohesive brands that stand the test of time. Working with mission-driven clients fulfills me the most, and my goal is to use visual design to solve problems, resonate with audiences, and bring the soul of an organization to life.

Since 2008, I’ve worked with a wide range of clients—small local businesses, nonprofits, large organizations, and well-known brands. Some of my notable clients include NMAAHC (Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture), The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Grassroot Soccer, PBS Wisconsin, ALS Association, the American Alliance of Museums, Appalachian Regional Commission, GlobalGiving, Johns Hopkins University, DC Fiscal Policy Institute, and Harry Potter: The Exhibition.

In addition to designing, I educate other designers on their role in shaping our culture to be more inclusive and equitable, and to wield their creative power responsibly. I facilitate trainings and workshops for design teams on how to mitigate bias in the design process, and choose inclusive images more intentionally. I also run a learning account on Instagram called SpottingRacism where followers can learn more about how the images in advertising, design, and culture impact our perceptions and actions.

I work hard. I love what I do. I love doing research, collecting inspiration, learning from what's been done in the past, collaborating with a team and feeding off each other's ideas. I love teaching design and forcing my enthusiasm for it on the people around me. I love working through a design concept and the feeling of knowing I’ve made something that didn’t exist before. I love the creative process, as uncomfortable and wild as it can be. I care deeply about using my creative skills to nudge the world in a direction that’s better for all of us.

I live in Washington, DC with my husband, baby, and dog. In my free time, I garden, explore new hikes, and enjoy rest and play with my little family.

If you have a branding or design project you’d like to work together on, I’d love to hear about it. Feel free to send me and email at acaciabetancourt@gmail.com.