DARYL BRANFORD
Designing Clarity from Complexity
A portfolio of UX design, interactive media, and experiential storytelling.
My Approach
I design experiences that transform complex ideas into clear, intuitive, and meaningful interactions.
For more than 25 years at Penn State, I worked at the intersection of research, technology, and human experience—collaborating with scientists, engineers, and creative teams to turn complex concepts into engaging experiences people could understand and explore.
My process begins with curiosity: understanding the problem, the audience, and the systems behind the experience. Whether designing digital interfaces, interactive environments, or immersive installations, my goal is the same—create experiences that feel intuitive, accessible, and memorable.
My background spans UX design, interaction design, experiential storytelling, creative direction, and real-time media. I combine design thinking with technical expertise in tools such as Figma, TouchDesigner, Unreal Engine, Cinema 4D, Blender, and Adobe Creative Cloud to bring ideas from concept to experience.
Videos shorts
Malaria animation was created for The Linder Lab, at Penn State University.
Bedbug animated video created for Nina Jenkins, Apprehend biopesticides company.
3D bioprinting animated video created for the Ozbolat lab, Penn State University.
Journal cover art
Cover art design for Deb Kelly, Huck Institutes. Link to journal
Cover art design for Deb Kelly, Huck Institutes. Link to journal
Cover art design for Deb Kelly, Huck Institutes. Link to journal
Cover design for Scott Medina, Huck Institutes. Link to journal
Cover design for Suming Hung, Penn State. Link to journal
Cover design for Zhijie Lui, University of Texas. Design competition.
Science figure illustrations
Figure design for Duverney Chaverra-Rodriguez, University Nacional De Colombia.
Figure design for Vanessa Macias, Advanced Environmental Research Institute.