career highlights
Creative Career Highlights
2010 - Present
American Express | 2023 - 2023
Senior Designer Print & Digital
Zach currently works within AMEX’s internal brand design team to create print, digital and experimental creative for the American Express global brand and its properties.
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Rivian Automotive • Remote | 2021 - 2022
Lead Senior Packaging Designer
Zach was hired on a hand-full of months before the IPO of RIVIAN as the lead senior packaging designer on the team building the brand - specifically responsible for all of RIVIAN’S gear shop packaging, in-vehicle collateral, special projects packaging. He developed a new system and process for sustainable packaging for RIVIAN using carbon counting, reducing packaging waste and material, working closely with world class materials/packaging vendors and pioneering new solutions for packaging consumer goods.
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Johnson & Johnson Design • Remote | 2021
Lead Contract Packaging Designer
Zach was brought on short term as a lead contract designer on the Sun and Skin divisions of the global Neutrogena brand design team based out of New York. While much of the work is still under NDA and won’t be released until 2023, Zach focused on packaging refreshes of a few of JOHNSON & JOHNSON’S largest properties within Neutrogena.
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Mullen Lowe Agency • Remote | 2021
Contract Lead Digital Art Director
Zach was hired to establish the design direction for an upcoming Hawaiian Airlines paid digital campaign releasing summer 2021.
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The Many Agency • Santa Monica, CA | 2017 - 2021
Senior Designer & Art Director
Zach worked on many of the the key AOR accounts at award-winning advertising agency The Many in Santa Monica. During his time at The Many, Zach helped lead the agency design team as a senior designer while heading up the brands QDOBA, Bumblebee Tuna, Biofreeze and Chambord on the design side.
From video / photoshoots for social content, global packaging re-design, client presentation, vendor management and creative strategy - Zach learned the ins & outs of a full service creative agency during hsi 3+ years at The Many.
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Aloha Creative Agency • Santa Monica, CA | 2017 - Present
Design Director & Founder
After taking a year off to travel, surf, recharge and be inspired by art in Southeast Asia, Australia and Fiji - Zach returned to LA to start his own small, project based design studio. Aloha Creative Agency focuses on branding and creative strategy.
Zach hired and managed freelance talent on a project by project basis while communicating closely with his clients. Using his management, organizational and problem solving experience Aloha Creative Agency has done branding and original content for brands like Kona Brew Co., Pause Float Studio, Botanic Tonics, Daily Tropical Soda, Sunnie Naturals, Bluey’s, James’ Beach & Canal Club. The ability to quickly turn around concepts, animation and design has given Zach an uncanny ability to create things that are relevant to modern culture, stay true to the brand’s vibe and elevate the perceptions of the clients he’s worked with.
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Rosewood Creative Agency • Los Angeles, CA | 2017
Associate Art Director & Manager
Creative talent is so hard to find, and even harder to manage. Zach made use of his director and management experience in his role at social agency ROSEWOOD based out of Venice. Working on clients like Apple, AEG and Katy Perry he wrangled creative briefs into a smooth creative process for his team to work within.
He was responsible for a team of motion graphics artists, designers and production managers. Modern media culture requires a keen eye for what is relevant in design as well as a finger on the pulse of the talent who can create something new.
Zach helped his team develop person goals, creative milestones and relished his time leading a very talented, young team of artists.
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World Surf League • Santa Monica, CA | 2016 - 2017
Lead Designer & Art Director
Zach was asked to join the brand new design & marketing team of the then ASP (now the WSL) and give the brand a system for design that could draw in new fans to the sport of surfing while not alienating core audience of surf culture. Not an easy task. Zach worked alongside the CEO, Paul Speaker from the NFL, to do just that.
He helped build and manage the small creative team responsible for making everything for the brand. Using the amazing video and photographic content captured by his world class content team, Zach was able to create highly engaging ads and environmental design to make the sport of surfing feel part of mainstream sports culture.
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Beats By Dre • Los Angeles, CA | 2013 - 2015
Lead Brand Designer
Perhaps the most notable, relevant and high profile role Zach has taken was lead brand designer & art director at the then startup, Beats By Dre. Zach was hired on as the first wave of talent on the exploding team of marketing whizzes tasked with turning a headphone company into a global brand phenomenon.
Zach presented to, took direction from and worked directly alongside Andre Young (known better as Dr Dre.) and Jimmy Iovine to make the heaviest splash seen in the brand world since Nike Just Do It. Working at breakneck speed to keep up with modern media culture, Zach designed and concepted all of the retail marketing, massive OOH media placements, celebrity collaboration content pieces and a myriad of print / packaging challenges for the brand.
Working with the Creative Director, Zach helped build out and manage the design team. After two years, they turned around and saw a $3 billion dollar company that had been built purely on the marketing and design crafted during that time. Zach’s experience and exposure during that time has proven invaluable.
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Manduka Yoga • Los Angeles, CA | 2012 - 2013
Freelance Branding & Packaging Designer
Good design can make or break a brand. Creating a distinct and unique style that can work across digital, social, packaging and print are so important for products to stand out and catch attention in a saturated market. Zach worked to develop the brand visual identity for yoga brand, Manduka. Manifesting itself in the packaging of the mats, blocks, straps - you can find his work in almost any yoga studio you walk into.
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TOMS Shoes • Santa Monica, CA | 2011 - 2012
Brand Designer
Zach started his career as a designer at the then startup, TOMS Shoes. He was tasked with working alongside the CEO and entrepreneur, Blake Mycoski, to get people excited on the concept of conscious consumerism. It was Zach’s first exposure to the challenge large scale branding that would make an impression on people from all walks of life (no pun intended).
His major success from his first year in the design world include pushing the TOMS branding even further, developing a hand-full of 360 digital campaigns for the launch of new shoe styles and executing the retail design concepts for TOMS pop-up stores in LA - most notably at Space 15 Twenty on Hollywood & Cahuenga.
From his start at TOMS, the connections and trusty eye for branding developed there are still around today. As it turns out, life is long and good vibes go a long way in this industry.
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Graduate from The University of Alabama at Birmingham 2011
B.F.A Art Studio with concentration in graphic design
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iMarketspace • Sydney, Australia | Summer 2010
Graphic Design Intern