Career
Professional Profile
- Creative Director with over 20 years of experience in crafting high-impact visual campaigns and resources, particularly in fast-paced and high-growth environments.
- Expert in integrating visual design with digital marketing strategies, driving brand awareness and engagement, and contributing to significant revenue growth.
- Proven ability to design and implement visual solutions that communicate complex AI-driven solutions effectively, inspire trust, and connect with diverse audiences.
- Adept at leading creative teams in startup settings, thriving in results-oriented cultures, and pivoting strategies based on analytical insights.
- Experience in building brand identity and visual storytelling from the ground floor, with a track record of successful campaigns in software and tech industries.
Areas of Expertise
- Creative Direction & Strategy
- Visual Alignment & Design Execution
- Corporate Brand Development & Continuity
- Employee Development
- Continuous Improvement
- Marketing Communication
- Performance Management
- Design & Visual Storytelling
- Visual Design & Design Execution
- Global Project Management
- Global Brand Development
MAY 2023 – CURRENT
KenDrab.com
Creative Director
- Successfully managed large-scale and mid-sized creative projects for global and local clients, delivering high-quality results on time and within budget.
- Developed and executed design concepts for clients across various industries, including healthcare, offshore staffing, law and security firms, and insurance.
- Collaborated with clients to create cohesive branding strategies, designing logos, marketing materials, and website graphics that align with their business objectives.
- Created engaging digital assets including, social media graphics, email templates, and web banners to enhance online presence and drive user engagement.
- Produced print materials such as brochures, posters, and business cards, ensuring consistent branding and high-quality output.
- Worked closely with clients to understand their needs, present design ideas, and incorporate feedback to achieve desired outcomes.
- Utilized Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects), Figma, and other design tools to create visually compelling graphics.
- Applied industry best practices and kept up-to-date with the latest design trends and techniques to ensure innovative and relevant design solutions.
- Leveraged creative problem-solving skills to overcome design challenges and provide effective visual solutions that meet client goals.
- Maintained a diverse portfolio showcasing a range of design projects and styles, reflecting versatility and creativity.
DECEMBER 2021 – MAY 2023
Ashley Furniture Industries / Ashley Global Retail
Creative Director
- Leveraged passion for captivating storytelling and great design to craft visual identity of home furnishings retailer.
- Served in dual role as designer and creative director evolving all broadcast (TV, streaming, and radio), digital advertising, in-store signage/displays, external signage collateral, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising to achieve quality and consistency for brand at scale.
- Guided lean teams in creative strategy and productive brainstorming.
- Gained accountability for creative account team, supported business development initiatives, and coordinated with external agencies to execute multi-channel campaigns within budget, timelines, and brand standards.
- Developed systems and processes following Ashley Outlet rebrand, laying foundation for growth and scalability. Achieved stellar results while instilling accountability in team and tapped by leadership to produce similar outcomes for Ashley Global Retail.
- Recognized need to repair relationships between marketing and creative teams. Rolled out weekly meetings with directors to create transparency and positioned creative team as approachable, responsive, and highly collaborative in addressing business needs. Rebuilt trust between disparate teams and earned buy-in to implement change.
- Applied problem-solver mindset to work with minimal direction; utilized existing resources and assumed additional responsibilities, such as copywriting, to conserve budget. Enabled team to grow and expand brand internationally while achieving cost savings.
- Built consensus among leadership to drive large-scale modernization initiative. Coordinated with internal Smartsheet expert to build out project management system, and worked independently to define metrics and implement processes to track thousands of creative requests across global enterprise. Created visibility for first time and established performance management for designers and creative team.
- Championed continuous improvement and innovation. Researched and vetted artificial intelligence (AI) apps to expedite creative production through automation.
Sample Work
VERT Logo Redesign and Brand Campaign
Care Talk Health Website and Rebrand
Protego Brand Identity
I-MAGE Brand Identity
Ashley Outlet Design System and Creative Style Guide
Ashley Outlet TV, Radio, Streaming, and Social Campaigns
DealMaker Virtual Global Event – Event Identity
Evolving Brand & Creative Style Design System
Annual Event Identity Development and Evolution
Global Corporate Rebrands and Identity Evolution
Ashley Outlet Seasonal Creative Toolkit
The Road to Recovery eReport
Rakuten Ready Key Trends eReport
Immersive Event Booth Design Experience
DealMaker Global Event Identity – 2018
Bone Head Surf Apparel Identity
Ken Drab Creative Gallery
AUGUST 2007 – APRIL 2021
Rakuten Advertising
Sr. Creative Director
Senior Creative Director, Global Marketing and Events (2018–2021)
Creative Director, Global Marketing and Events (2015–2018)
- Shaped strategic vision and goals for affiliate-based creative communication and display-advertising creative developer teams.
- Sourced top internal talent to execute over 700 projects per year; provided leadership and ongoing mentorship to 6 direct reports and total global team of 16.
- Led design direction on all rebranding, events, and corporate marketing campaigns, and C-level and keynote presentations across parent company and subsidiaries.
- Collaborated seamlessly across marketers, product managers, leaders, other designers, and agency partners to establish visual consistency; implemented brand standards, systems, and processes to serve global audience.
- Spearheaded initiative to achieve brand consistency and efficiency following multiple acquisitions and rebrandings. Ideated and developed in-house digital asset management system (DAM) using WordPress site despite initial pushback from leadership. Delivered solution generating $30K in annual cost savings.
- Received excellent feedback across all teams and nominated for President’s Award for challenging status quo.
- Fostered and sustained culture of excellence and inclusion by building relationships, recognizing stellar performance, and mentoring designers in best practices, design process, and ideation.
- Cultivated team of confident top performers, playing instrumental role in promotion of 2 direct reports into leadership positions.
- Maintained proven track record of 0 attrition, retaining 100% of team despite inheriting each member. Capitalized on opportunities to develop individuals and cultivated dedicated workforce as result.
- Trained and encouraged teams to share knowledge, enabling each to understand role of other and proactively provided additional support as needed.
- Elevated global events by introducing consistent localized theme throughout all events to engage audiences. Articulated importance of using images and minimal verbiage on PowerPoint slides to extend impact of keynote and executive presentations and realized immediate results.
- Conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses to make data-driven decisions affecting organization.
- Collaborated with human resources team to rewrite job descriptions and attract top-performing talent.
- Advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at rapidly growing global organization. Facilitated several initiatives, including creation of Black Employee Alliance.
RoomSaver / Travel Media Group
Marketing/Creative Director
- Initiated and managed a national rebranding effort to transition traditional direct-to-consumer print publications to align with the emerging online market.
- Led a $3 million annual remnant ad campaign, focusing on precise targeting to optimize spending and enhance brand visibility.
- Implemented budget tracking systems to effectively manage $300,000 in search engine advertising expenditures.
- Directed a comprehensive site redesign and integrated ad program, successfully relaunching the brand in the digital space.
Introduced a third-party auditing plan to expand revenue opportunities beyond hospitality. - Established a corporate newsletter for field representatives, improving communication and knowledge sharing.
- Created an internal web portal to streamline operations and facilitate the distribution of marketing materials.
Zimmerman Advertising
Sr. Acct Executive / Art Director
- Acted as both Designer and Account Manager of multiple major automotive advertising accounts nationwide, with multifaceted responsibilities.
- Primary account was the agency’s largest monthly retainer client with unique requirements and rigorously exacting standards. This included conceptualizing, designing, and presenting advertising materials for print and scriptwriting for broadcast. I oversaw every facet of these projects, ensuring their successful completion. In addition, I played a pivotal role in the formulation of advertising budgets and spearheaded media and creative planning. To maintain financial integrity, I adeptly coordinated account billing and managed other fiscal responsibilities associated with these high-profile accounts.
- Spearheaded the establishment of the Gainesville division office for Omnicom Worldwide Advertising Agency, specializing in managing conflict accounts within specific markets.
- Strategic implementated of systems to foster division autonomy while ensuring cohesion with other divisions.
- Assumed comprehensive responsibility for overseeing advertising accounts on a national scale. This encompassed the formulation of advertising strategies, budget planning, and the orchestration of media and creative development.
- Additionally, played a pivotal role in the design, layout, and presentation of advertising materials for print, as well as scriptwriting for broadcast.
- Meticulously organized all project elements until their successful completion.
- To maintain fiscal integrity, adeptly coordinated account billing and managed other financial responsibilities.
- Simultaneously, provided effective supervision for a team of five, including three local team members and two remote professionals based in Ft. Lauderdale.
McAlear & Associates / Southland Advertising
Senior Art Director / Interactive Creative Director
- Served as both Designer and Account Manager for multiple major automotive advertising accounts nationwide, including the agency’s largest retail automotive retainer account.
- Managed the primary account, which demanded high responsiveness and overnight delivery of ads and mockups.
- Conceptualized, designed, and presented advertising materials for print and wrote scripts for broadcast.
- Justified team growth by managing additional automotive clients, leading to the establishment of a Gainesville division office specializing in managing conflict accounts within specific markets.
- Successfully transitioned to remote work 15 years before it became widespread, continuing to manage the primary account from Gainesville, FL.
- Formulated advertising strategies, planned budgets, and oversaw media and creative development for national-scale accounts.
- Coordinated account billing and managed fiscal responsibilities to ensure financial integrity.
- Supervised a team of five, including three local team members and two remote professionals based in Fort Lauderdale.
- Organized all project elements from conception to completion, ensuring alignment with client expectations and agency standards.
Denight Advertising
HAGÅTÑA, GUAM
Art Director
- Gained international experience and exposure to concepting and storyboarding for television, and scripting for radio commercials.
- Managed critical advertising accounts, including Miller, Philip Morris, Citibank, Hilton and Hyatt Regency Hotels, IT&E (AT&T Guam), CBS, NBC, and WB TV Networks.
- Designed promotional materials for major island events, including concert tickets.
- Created and produced storyboards for television and scripts for radio commercials.
- Adapted to and thrived in deadline-driven environments, consistently delivering high-quality work.
PBT Design Group
Graphic Designer / Illustrator
- Self-taught in essential design applications, mastering early design software independently.
- Developed expertise in font development, focusing on organization, utilization, and typographic techniques.
- Designed corporate logos and brochures, infusing creative and strategic elements.
- Formatted and illustrated national and local publications, enhancing visual appeal and informativeness.
- Contributed to ad development through content creation and conceptualization.
- Created in-house promotional pieces to effectively communicate the brand’s essence.
Continuous Improvement
Areas of Expertise
Professional Skills
Creative Direction and Strategy
Visual Alignment, Design Execution, and Brand Development
Brand Management
Development, Integration, and Adoption
Leadership and Team Building
Employee Development and Mentoring
Collaboration
Inclusion, Communication, and Building Relationships
Design Skills
Adobe CC
Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop...
Illustration
Traditional and Digital
Microsoft Office
PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams...
Organization
Structure, Process, and Standardization