Hi! I’m John Moody—an award-winning designer, researcher, and storyteller focused on creating spaces of inclusion and imagination.
With a master’s in city planning from MIT and a background in the film industry, I approach design with an emphasis on lived experience and collective storytelling—mixing ideation, strategy, engagement, and various technical tools to uncover the secrets of places and craft ways for people to feel welcome and empowered in their environment. This way of working has helped my collaborators shape public perception, win work and recognition, and strengthen the social impact of their projects. Some of my work has even won awards, including an Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
In my recent role as Senior Designer and Creative Director at Arup, I led creative strategy and guided design teams for major resiliency and sustainable transportation projects across North America. I also co-founded an in-house studio dedicated to visual storytelling, placemaking, and wayfinding, helping bring client visions to life at all stages of projects.
Previously, I co-founded and directed an arts-based design practice called Invisible Cities Studio and worked for nearly a decade in cinematography on Hollywood film productions. I’m currently a fellow at the Urban Design Forum and board member of Co-Solve Collective, which works to create dignified housing solutions for migrant workers in India.
Experience
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• community engagement
• ethnographic studies
• existing conditions
• forensic cultural ecology
• interviews
• opportunities & constraints
• qualitative research
• site documentation
• spatial (GIS) analysis
• user surveys -
• client intelligence
• content strategy
• contract negotiation
• cost estimating
• impact strategy
• pitch decks
• place branding
• proposal writing
• teaming
• workshop facilitation -
• concept development
• creative direction
• graphic design
• modeling (rhino, sketchup)
• persona development
• scripting
• sketching
• storyboarding
• style guides & mood boards
• user journeys -
• animation
• art direction
• cinematography
• copywriting
• design visualization
• document layout
• photography
• report writing
• video production -
• active mobility
• critical research methods
• downtown revitalization
• inclusive design
• masterplanning
• public space
• placemaking & placekeeping
• resiliency planning
• social equity
• sustainability
• urban design
• user experience (UX) design
• visual development -
• Adobe AfterEffects
• Adobe Illustrator
• Adobe InDesign
• Adobe Photoshop
• Adobe Premiere
• Blender
• Enscape
• ESRI ArcGIS
• Figma
• Google Sketch-Up
• Google Suite
• McNeel Rhinoceros
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerBI
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Miro
• Procreate
Clients
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• Amtrak
• BART
• Boston North End Waterfront
• California High-Speed Rail Authority
• Caltrans
• Centralny Port Komunikacyjny
• City of Niagara Falls
• County of San Diego
• Delta Airlines
• Empire State Development
• Google
• Loden Properties
• Mi5 Security Service
• New Jersey DEP
• Port Authority of NY/NJ
• SoCal Assoc. of Governments
• Stanford University
• State of Colorado
• Zoological Society of London -
• American Academy of Arts & Sciences
• City of Las Vegas
• City of Melbourne
• LEVER Architecture
• MIT
• SOM
• WXY Studio -
• ABC
• Bad Robot
• CBS
• Disney+
• Fox TV
• NBC
• Paramount Network
• Universal Pictures
Let’s connect!
If you’re interested in working together or just want to say hi, drop me a line and I’ll do my best to get back to you.