selected works

contact

Aaron

Steele

Brown

creative

director

+ organizational

leader

2024

A trusted creative partner

I specialize in Leading with Artistry, Technology & Strategic Vision

Imagine a creative leader who can weave together the artistry of a seasoned Creative Director with the precision of a Senior Software Engineer—someone who’s as comfortable sketching out a brand identity as they are coding a generative art installation. That’s me. With over a two decades of experience at the intersection of design, technology, and strategic leadership, I’ve had the unique opportunity to bridge the worlds of creative direction and technological innovation, leading teams to deliver some of the most engaging brand experiences out there.

At Stitch Fix, I didn’t just oversee the creation of over 35 brand identities; I orchestrated the symphony. From a modest 10,000 customers to a staggering 4.2 million, I guided the brand’s expansion into four distinct lines of business, each with its own unique identity. Whether it was crafting a visual language that spoke to every demographic or implementing a unified Figma design system that cut asset generation time in half, my work was always about blending creativity with efficiency—and having a bit of fun along the way. Who knew you could save 35% on editorial photography costs and still make everyone look fabulous?

But after years of pushing boundaries and setting standards, I decided to take a step back—or rather, a leap forward—into a year-long sabbatical. This wasn’t just a break; it was an immersion into the latest in real-time generative frameworks, interactive media, and 3D modeling. Picture me in Egypt, photographing the ancient beauty of the pyramids by day and coding generative art by night—because why not combine travel with professional development? I dove into tools like TouchDesigner and Unreal Engine, explored the vast potentials of AI, and updated my coding arsenal with Python and GLSL. This sabbatical wasn’t just about recharging; it was about reimagining what’s possible when you blend art, technology, and a global perspective.

Now, with a refreshed vision and an expanded toolkit, I’m eager to return to a Senior Creative Director role where I can push the envelope even further. I’m looking for an opportunity where I can lead teams to create innovative, tech-driven campaigns that resonate on a global scale—because in today’s world, it’s not just about telling a story; it’s about creating an experience that’s as intelligent as it is inspiring.

SKILLS

leadership & management

creative direction

team building

client relations

stakeholder engagement

creative & brand strategy

creative vision

art direction

graphic design

photography

brand development

marketing and campaigns

marketing strategy

campaign development

storytelling

innovation & trend awareness

generative AI

real-time graphics

virtual production

analytical & technical

creative coding

sensor integration

software development

professional

experience

2022–23

yohana

head of creative

> details

// Leadership: Built a team of 10+ creatives, fostering collaboration and reporting to the CMO. Implemented new creative process, increasing throughput by 35% via clear RACIs, brief triaging, and a tiered resourcing model. // Brand Development: Led a global brand evolution, updating Yohana’s aesthetics and messaging with a new strategy focused on wellness, family connection, and personal thriving. The new platform was adaptable to both US and Japanese markets. // Marketing Campaigns: Developed a campaign strategy for Yohana’s seasonal product catalog, leading to a 13% increase in customer satisfaction and onboarding of over 15 new vendor partnerships.

 // Process Innovation: Partnered with the Growth team to onboard and leverage external technology platforms and agencies for rapid landing page and ad iteration, achieving over 50% new client growth through digital marketing expertise, technical proficiency, and strategic thinking.

2021–22

stitch fix

senior director,

> details

visual communications

Career Highlights (2013-2022) // Leadership: Grew team size from 3 to 32 across 5 creative departments. Maintained top 7% employee morale and intent to stay metrics, according to bi-annual HR surveys. // Brand Development: Directed creation of over 35 brand identities, expanding Stitch Fix from a single line of business with 10K customers to four LOBs with 4.2 million customers and a $4.3 billion market valuation. Developed identity systems, visual and messaging guidelines, photographic principles, motion systems, and packaging design. // Marketing Campaigns: Led creative strategy for 12 integrated campaigns across four lines of business. Drove client acquisition (>10% YOY) and retention (>70% YOY) through innovative use of TV, OTT, DTC video, OOH, social media, and influencer partnerships. // Process Innovation: Implemented standards and templates, achieving over 50% faster generation for marketing assets, and 35% cost savings in editorial photography. Introduced a unified Figma design system shared across Creative and Product design, enhancing personalized content delivery. Role Highlights // Leadership: Led and mentored a team of 32 creatives across brand design, video, photo, editorial retouching, and digital merchandising. // Brand Development: Directed identity package and go-to-market campaigns for “Freestyle,” boosting customer awareness and purchase behavior. Achieved a new user adoption rate of over 20% in the first 6 months. // Process Innovation: Integrated editorial photography from 30+ partner brands, expanding imagery by 15%. Defined processes for triaging external photography, ensuring brand coherence and adherence to design frameworks. Improved internal photo production timelines by 10%. // Project Management: Led the first major packaging redesign since the company’s inception, unifying 3 packaging systems and saving over $1M per year. The new packaging was 13% more sustainable.

2019–21

director,

> details

brand systems & photography

// Brand Development: Directed major rebranding effort to unify three sibling brands into a single master brand. Facilitated an 8-week creative sprint with in-house and external teams, producing three unique brand platforms. Secured executive buy-in for final direction and developed a holistic brand system in collaboration with Merchandising, Product, Operations, Marketing, and Corporate Strategy. // Process Innovation: Co-led Digital Asset Management (DAM) system integration. Required overhauling planning and execution of content strategy and photoshoots, and the curation and deployment of photography in marketing assets. Efforts increased the utilization of editorial photography by over 200% and reduced per shot costs by 35%. // Process Innovation: Led transition from Adobe to Figma as primary creative tool, leading to a 40% uptick in project throughput , and more consistent brand expression across Marketing and Product . // Marketing Campaigns: Oversaw creative execution and implementation of Stitch Fix’s first major brand campaign, “We See You,” in partnership with VP of Brand and The Many/Mistress ad agency. Deliverables included an Oscar’s TV spot, large-scale OOH deployments, OTT and digital DTC videos, and assets for growth, CRM, and social. The campaign resulted in a 5% increase in unaided awareness, a 10% increase in aided awareness, and over 20K new clients.

2017–19

director

> details

design & photography

// Marketing Campaigns: Directed Stitch Fix’s IPO video installation across 25 digital billboards in Times Square, enhancing PR campaign for NASDAQ appearance. // Brand Development: Created the brand identity for Stitch Fix Kids, and the attendant launch campaign, leading to 25K+ signups in the first two months. // Process Innovation: Moved still life photography from editorial team to product team via training and documentation, increasing shoot cadence from 5 to 20 days a month, leading to a 23% increase in shot count and improving overall efficiency. // Leadership: Introduced quarterly creative sprints to address marketing needs and trends, and to extend brand guidelines. Sprints increased team morale by over 10% in quarterly surveys.

2015–17

director,

> details

design

// Brand Development: Directed the development of Stitch Fix Men’s brand identity, achieving a 15% signup rate in the first two months. // Marketing Campaigns: Directed 12 quarterly editorial campaigns highlighting seasonal merchandising trends.

2013–15

principal product designer

> details

// Process Innovation: Bootstrapped the initial creative process for creative and UX design, and editorial photography. // Managed design of Stitch Fix’s first mobile app, and first major homepage redesign, boosting client understanding by 18% and signups by 23%.

2012–13

carbon five

user experience designer

> details

// UX Design: Lead user experience designer, and occasional Front End Developer, for four startup initiatives, enhancing user interfaces and contributing to successful product launches. // Software Development: Developed an innovative data visualization web app for NY Times, enabling visual exploration of the article archive. Built with JavaScript, D3, and MySQL.

2011–12

lorenc & yoo design

environmental designer

> details

// Authored conceptual marketing narratives for multiple sales pitches in response to RFPs, showcasing strategic thinking and creative vision. Demonstrated strong presentation skills and effectively managed client relations to secure new business opportunities. // Designed construction barricade super graphics, hanging lanterns, and sidewalk patterns for large-scale, mixed-use property developments in China, demonstrating art direction, graphic design, and trend awareness. Successfully managed the project from concept to completion, ensuring cohesive and impactful visual presentations // Designed Art Nouveau-inspired street-lamps and restaurant identity signage for Winstar World Casino, showcasing art direction, brand development, graphic design, and innovation.

2000–09

various

senior software engineer

> details

// Software Development: Delivered robust software solutions as a (senior) software engineer and consultant for multiple companies including Scient, Finaplex, and Carbon Five, using Ruby on Rails, .NET, J2EE, and JavaScript. // Project Management: Led Agile projects employing test-driven development (TDD), and Design Thinking (Stanford D-School) methodologies, resulting in a 20% increase in project delivery speed and improved product quality.

EDUCATION

2009–12

Savannah College of Art & Design

M.F.A, Visual Communications m.a., printmaking

2003–04

University of Chicago

MA, humanities & critical theory

1995-99

Georgia Institute of Technology

bs, computer science

  • open to work

    open to work

let’s

partner

together

aaron.s.brown at gmail dot com