Picture me, in a conference room in the middle of an office building aimlessly stirring hot chocolate so that is has juuuuuuuuust the right swirl, on my hands and knees putting green products together like some crazy game of Tetris, dropping everything and running to Sam’s Club to get the new “hot thing”, concepting alone in my car on the way back to the office and shooting them immediately for a post going live in 5 minutes. Designing the organic Social for Sam’s Club is a crazy mix of playing photographer, art director, prop stylist, food stylist, casting director, hand model and professional shopper. It stretched my limits in terms of speed, flexibility and knowledge and I learned so damn much in no time because of the need to wear 3,459,237 different hats to pull it all off.
Head over to @samsclub on IG or FB to see more work.
Project Role: Design Swiss Army Knife
Programs used: Illustrator, Photoshop, iMovie, Lightroom.
Annnnnnnnd then Covid happened. Overnight we had to modify our process and like everyone else figure out what to say/show and how. The organic social strategy was completely modified and we decided to use the platforms as a tool to disseminate information to followers as well as highlight Sam’s Club Associates for their contributions during a dangerously unprecedented time. Gradually we figured out creative ways to leverage UGC and existing product photography to make magic happen. Then slowly but surely we turned into amateur photographers, food stylists and prop artists to shoot recipe content for a weekly food series in our home kitchens. The level of ingenuity and flexibility this past year has required is simply baffling and ultimately changed the way we work for the better in my opinion. I’m still REALLY looking forward to getting back into a study setting though….
Head over to @samsclub on IG or FB to see more work.
Project Role: Design Swiss Army Knife
Programs Used: Photoshop, Illustrator, iMovie, Lightroom
8 years after my time on Frito-Lay Multipack team I was asked to make a quest appearance on a special project the newly named Frito-Lay Variety Pack team was having a hard time finalizing. The sad truth is that every year too many kids are fatally wounded by cars on Halloween due to them not being seen at night. Frito-Lay Variety Packs wanted to step in and do something insanely cool to help. Enter the Limited Time Only Reflective Trick or Treat Bag. I was able to choose and partner with an illustrator I had been a fan of for years, Steve Simpson, and work together to create something I absolutely love. I also got to work directly with the printer and my producer to optimize the artwork to print perfectly on a new reflective surface nobody had ever used before. It was absolutely insane and absolutely worth it.
Project Role: Lead Senior Art Director
Programs Used: Ilustrator & Photoshop
Sometimes great things take time, like these ugly sweater bags! These things make me insanely happy, but also made me go cross eyed and see stitch patterns in my dreams. Each bag has a brand inspired ugly sweater background that was lovingly (errrr...crazily?) digitally stitched by moi.
Project Role: Lead Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
A multi piece POS project to bring to life the breadth of the Frito-Lay Portfolio of products during Summer. Every location and shot was designed to hero a specific product, target demographic, and was inspired by the products brand personality and tone. It is to date the biggest photoshoot I have ever been a part of, a week long ordeal in LA, a cast of 20 models and three different locations. I have never been so tired in my life as I was flying home from all that jazz.
Project Role: Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
Using the 2017 Summer creative as a jumping board we gave 2018 Summer a much needed attitude adjustment. It is bolder, more gender neutral and packs a giant branding punch. Each key brand is given its own moment to shine and space to live while telling a greater story of Summer with Frito-Lay. It’s always fun trying to make it look like Summer for a shoot in December and January, but I think we really pulled it off!
Project Role: Lead Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
Frito-Lay has spent a huge amount of money researching how consumers shop during the holidays. It turns out that the traditional iconography we all associate with this magical time of year are actually anything but magical, they stress people out. Someone forgot to tell retailers this though, because they look to Frito-Lay and other brands to "dress up" their stores with anything and everything red and green. My team was tasked with finding a unique way into the holidays that was still festive, but more then anything, FUN. Enter, You're Invited, brand specific untraditional holiday party inspiration. Bonus points to us for also creating a new animal for Tostitos...I present to you, the Reindonkey.
Project Role: Lead Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
Picture me sitting in front of my computer for 12 hours digitally knitting brand centric sweater patterns for daaaaaaaays. Sometimes good work takes time and I am not afraid to put in the effort. Despite the time suck, this is my most favorite project in recent memory.
Project Role: Lead Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
I had just graduated and gotten hired full time when I was tasked with my first big project. Designing packaging for a Frito-Lay Multipack and Activision partnership for the new game Skylanders: Spyros Adventure. The agency was provided with an asset pack from Activision and tasked with bringing the program to life in a big way in different key timeframes over 3 years. I will never be able to adequately convey how fantastically excited I was when my concepts were chosen or how I freaked out like a lunatic when I saw them in store for the first time. Picture me fluffing bags in target and line then all up just so…it’s a feeling I will never forget.
Project Role: Jr. Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
The Haymaker is released on a monthly basis by a new Art Director and has no mandated look and feel. I have always enjoyed doing them because they provide a break from the norm and an excuse to design anything my weird little heart desires.
Project Role: Design God
Programs used: Illustrator & Photoshop
Sometimes you have to be able to improvise and pull magic out of a hat. Sometimes you have to do multiple jobs and act as a photo editor/food stylist (though your real life cooking skills rely more on microwavable dinners...yea I'm super special.) This was a down and dirty photoshoot to produce some recipe content for Tostitos and Lay's Kettle Cooked. And when I say down and dirty I mean like we shot these at work, in a conference room, with an iPhone level down and dirty...
Project Role: Art Director
Programs used: Illustrator, Photoshop, Magic
Designed breakthrough POS creative celebrating the launch of the new Sunchips Product 6-Grain Medley. Knockouts are a tricky design challenge due to their printing limitations. These concepts were considered best in class for how they creatively embraced those limitations.
Project Role: Jr. Art Director
Programs Used: Illustrator
