United States

Graphic Design

Branding and Identity Design

Content Design

Content Strategy

Content Creation

Business Transformation

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Karly Hand

Brand Strategist & Creative Director

Typography

Tone consistency

Communication

Collaboration

Problem-solving

Time management

Critical-thinking

Empathy

Team player

Presentation skills

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Analytical skills

Brand positioning

Brand strategy

Branding

Conversational AI

Content creation

Content strategy

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Airtable

Figma

Adobe Creative Suite

Forecast, build, and grow the positioning and creative expression of a brand studio with reach across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Collaborate with executive leadership to shape studio positioning and strategic targeting; monitor evolving trends in lifestyle, hospitality, and resort industries to pinpoint key revenue opportunities and craft a 5-year growth plan.

Lead teams of strategists, writers, designers, and developers to establish visual identities, tones of voice, messaging frameworks, channel strategies, digital communications, and guidelines to achieve immediate and long-term business goals for clients and our design studio.

Navigate transformative client programs by collaborating at the C-Suite level to open new categories, capture new audiences, launch new products, and introduce entirely new companies and ideas to market.

Build effective and inspiring creative briefs for stakeholder alignment that acts as every project’s unique North Star. Maintain end-to-end program vision, goals, standards of excellence, and creative process via weekly strategic client workshops, vision-connects, and internal cross-functional creative reviews. 

Distill complex concepts and strategies into clear and inspired brand solutions for stakeholder buy-in; partner with clients to gain internal support by presenting the vision and plan across their org and up their stakeholder ladder. 

Recruit, manage, and mentor a team of 20+ direct reports, including Art Directors, Graphic Designers, Strategists, Writers, Motion Designers, and Creative Specialists— championing and nurturing the growth of everyone in service of the collective’s potential.

Grow and maintain studio DEI and mentorship programs to drive creative excellence and employee retention.
            

    
    

    
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Define brand strategy & vision across entire client programs.

Grew meaningful, long-term client partnerships via a shared understanding of their goals, brand, and consumer, as well as the shifting trends influencing their categories.

Led teams to translate brand strategy into brand identity and integrated seasonal and evergreen campaigns for clients resulting in year-over-year growth, increased product distribution, and brand loyalty.

Distilled complex brand strategies into easily digestible presentations for client buy-in.

Applied global consumer trends in lifestyle, hospitality, and resort industries to deliver highly relevant creative.

Developed and oversaw mentorship program while managing a team of 10+ creative direct reports.

Collaborated with Account teams to set and maintain project scopes, budgets, timelines, and teams.
            

    
    

    
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Partner with the Strategy & Creative Directors to translate creative briefs & strategies into impactful executions on individual projects.

Lead a team of designers while elevating the level of creative exploration and execution. 

Shifted seamlessly across multiple types of projects: from planning and directing photo-shoots, crafting visionary campaigns, building brand foundational tools to directing digital programs.

Conceptualized, developed, and built the nationally distributed beauty brand from concept to full acquisition by Moroccan Oil in less than 5 years

Spearheaded the brand vision and collaborated with Product Development to define product characteristics, package design, and line planning. Produced 6 products in 6 months for launch. Expanded the line through a 16-product lineup including Urban Outfitters Collaboration, Ulta, and Sephora distribution.

Developed all campaign concepts and advertising strategies, brand website, e-commerce, and channel strategy, lookbooks, education manuals, product displays, specialty products, product samples, merchandising plans, and trade show displays. Created and executed yearly marketing plans on a shoestring budget.

Collaborated with the PR team on narrative campaigns and media kits that landed features in Elle, GQ, Allure, Glossier, and Bustle.

Built and led a creative team of 6+ direct reports, overseeing all hiring and staffing needs while raising initial seed funding and developing investor prospectus for series A and B funding.
            

    
    

    
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Worked concurrently as both Art Director and Marketing Director for Birds Barbershop, growing the business from a single location into a nationally recognized Austin institution with five locations throughout the metro area, leading to a 1000% revenue increase.

Created the brand’s visual identity for print, web, and digital use. Designed and executed creative marketing concepts, including a marketing campaign that landed coverage in The Wall Street Journal for its innovative approach. Managed the marketing budget and creative staff for the brand.

Collaborated with founder to design and execute the interior and exterior look and feel of retail locations.  Coordinated and oversaw furniture and mural installations.
            

    
    

    
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Designed brand identities, promotional collateral, and web sites for local and national businesses. Gained 100% of business via word of mouth and developed long-term customer relationships lasting to present day.

Karly Hand🇺🇸