where I've been 🌍️
Contrast.  Associate Creative Director, January 2025 – Present
Led brand design for major initiatives, including a Hillshire Farm brand refresh, various Tyson sub-brands architecture and packaging overhaul, resulting in better brand recall and category growth.
Led design management across product verticals, overseeing a team of packaging designers, illustrators, and production artists.
Elevated visual identity systems, scaled brand guidelines globally, and increased design efficiency by 30% through systems thinking and cross-functional partnership.
Championed a "brand-first, scalable-second" culture, balancing high-craft hero assets with templatized systems for speed-to-market.
Integrated AI tools into creative workflows to enhance efficiency, innovation, and speed-to-market across design processes.
Self-Employed.  Creative Consultant​​​​​​​, January 2023 – January 2025
Partnered with DTC clients as a fractional creative leader, delivering brand design systems, creative direction, and design operations strategy.
Served as an external brand strategist and creative advisor to C-suite and marketing leads, translating business objectives into design briefs and creative KPIs.
Presented strategic creative rationale to stakeholders ranging from startup founders to enterprise brand directors, consistently achieving client re-engagement.
Brands include: Altria, ALDI, Nature's Path, Tyson, Ameren Illinois, BlytzPay.
Conagra Brands.  Design Director, January 2019 – January 2023
Partnered with Product, Marketing, and Executive leadership to translate business strategy into brand design solutions for campaign types: product launches, rebrands, seasonal drops, and brand activations.
Managed external design agencies and freelance illustrators, negotiating SOWs and ensuring final deliverables adhered to brand quality standards.
Built reusable component libraries and master templates, allowing non-designers to self-serve low-complexity assets while maintaining brand integrity.
Brands: Duncan Hines, Slim Jim, Hunts, BoomChickaPop, Kid Cuisine, Udi's..
The Marketing Store (HAVI).  Senior Designer, January 2018 – January 2019
Served as a Senior Creative on The Marketing Store's flagship McDonald's account, leading concept development, creative execution, and production for integrated campaigns spanning McCafe global redesign, loyalty programs, seasonal promotions ($5 MealDeal, McDelivery), Happy Meal initiatives and licensed media collaborations (Disney, Marvel, LucasFilm), and national brand moments.
Partnered with McDonald's brand marketing teams and franchisee stakeholders to ensure all creative aligned with brand guidelines, QSR compliance standards, and promotional legal requirements.
Collaborated with the copywriting, strategy, account, and production teams to translate McDonald's business objectives into breakthrough creative platforms.
Worked alongside CRM and digital teams to ensure creative consistency across email, push notifications, in-app messaging, and loyalty program touchpoints.
Led brainstorms and creative sprints for new business pitches within the McDonald's portfolio.
PepsiCo.  Senior Designer, January 2016 – January 2018
Developed brand design strategy and execution for Quaker, Tropicana, Naked Juice, Kevita and other brands within PepsiCo's global (former) Nutrition team.
Partnered cross-functionally with Marketing, R&D, and Insights to deliver breakthrough visual identity systems, packaging design, and 360° brand experiences that drove revenue growth and brand love.
Implemented scalable packaging architecture and visual identity systems across 360° touchpoints.
Participated in consumer research activities, effectively translating customer needs into actionable design requirements and executing those requirements into final design solutions.
Equator.  Designer, January 2015 – January 2016
Specialized in private brand packaging design for one of the nation's fastest-growing grocery retailers, creating powerful brands that get noticed and chosen across ALDI's brand portfolio.
Collaborated with Creative Directors and Design Directors to translate ALDI's briefs into strategic creative solutions that disrupted the discount category.
Directed photoshoots and collaborated with food stylists and photographers to capture on-brand imagery for packaging applications.
Dark Matter Coffee.  Creative Director, January 2013 – January 2015
Led brand creative direction for fast-growing specialty coffee roastery. Directed packaging design, retail environment art, and music industry collaborations with Mastodon, Judas Priest, Thrill Jockey Records, and Numero Group. Oversaw creative for Mothership roastery opening (2014) and limited-edition releases including Sun Ra tribute "Astro-Black" and "Doom Chuggy" metal blend. Established visual language defined by psychedelic illustration and retro-futurism, differentiating brand in Chicago's competitive coffee market.
Commissioned and art-directed illustrators including Sam Nigrosh, Raul Urias, and Jason Brammer.
The Dupuis Group.  Designer, January 2011 – January 2013
Designed brand identity systems and packaging solutions for CPG clients across food, beverage, and consumer product categories, working within a nimble agency environment that specialized in innovation and branding.
Contributed to award-winning packaging work for Fortune 500 and emerging startup clients.
Contributed to innovation pipelines from insights through commercialization, helping clients develop new product categories and disruptive branding strategies.
Supported creative presentations and client communications, helping articulate design rationale and strategic recommendations.
Conducted market research and trend analysis to support the agency's reputation as an "early trend spotter".

Education.
Truman State University, January 2010.    Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication



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