Graphic Artist, Art Director

2018 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award Winner

2017 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award Winner

2016 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award Winner

2015 GDUSA American In-House Design Award Winner

2015 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award Winner

2014 GDUSA American In-House Design Award Winner

2014 GDUSA American Graphic Design Award Winner

2013 GDUSA American In-House Design Award Winner

SUMMARY:

Laurent Newman is an art director and graphic designer for consumer products (CPG), paper goods, apparel, home decor, seasonal merchandise and lifestyle brands.

His work was recognized in winning 8 prestigious GDUSA American Design Awards since 2013.

Laurent has worked for global leaders in the Consumer Product industry combining creative strategy, content and messaging, with creative deliverables.

He has built a stellar reputation as a Graphic Designer, an Art Director, a Product Design Director, and a Team Manager.

In 2016, he was also nominated for the Influencer of the Year Award by the Creativepool community and a panel of industry experts, who recognized him as an eminent creative leader from across the global creative community.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY:

THREE DOGS STUDIOLos Angeles, CA

4/2015 – Present

Creative Director-Owner

Three Dogs Studio partners with leaders in the Consumer Product industry to provide expertise in:

• Style guide and Product design
• Packaging
• Key art design
• Trend boards
• Art Direction
• Imagery for consumer products

THINKGEEK, INC(a GameStop company) – Fairfax, VA

4/2016 – 5/2017

 Art / Design Director

• Led Geeklabs, the in-house creative arm of ThinkGeek, Inc.
• Headed a multidisciplinary team of 8 designers and engineers responsible for ideation, product design, and packaging design

of licensed and proprietary consumer products that meet the sensibilities of the ThinkGeek customer.

• Licenses include Minecraft, Disney, Pokémon, Nintendo IPs, Marvel, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Star Trek, etc.
• Product categories include apparel & accessories, toys, electronics and gadgets, housewares, outdoor wares, home-office products, and collectibles.

ARTISSIMO DESIGNS  El Segundo, CA

2/2011 to 4/2016

Design Director – Wall Décor – 

Artissimo is North America’s largest manufacturer of wall-décor

• Led licensed and proprietary product design and art development of Artissimo’s $120M wall-décor business
• Licenses include all major Sports Leagues, Disney, DC Comics, Marvel, Star Wars, Sanrio
• Winner of 7 National Design awards for imagery created at Artissimo Designs
• Group creative leader and hands-on graphic artist
• Directed Creative and Production teams. Assigned design department activities.
• Managed Design aligned with business strategy. Set division’s Creative Direction and identify emerging trends.
• Worked closely with marketing, sales, Executive teams and licensors to develop successful product lines
• Collaborated daily with domestic and international manufacturing partners
• In charge of all product approvals. Monitored quality and integrity of all creative design and production output.

MATTEL – El Segundo, CA

12/2009 – 09/2010

Art Director – Consumer Products Worldwide   Soft-lines and Hard-lines

• Directed style guides and worldwide licensed consumer product design for Mattel’s premier brands including

Barbie, Monster High, Polly Pocket and Hot Wheels.

• Coordinated and lead a global team of Graphic Designers and Product Developers to bring the brand vision to life
• Partnered with licensees to inspire and elevate product innovation and creativity aligned with brand strategy
• Collaborated with internal design and marketing teams during product inception and refinement phases
• Reviewed design submissions from domestic and international licensees and offered feedback
• Led trend forecasting and competitive research
• Conceptualized and designed trend relevant graphics

WARNER BROS. Licensing Dept.Burbank, CA

2009

Art Director and Graphic Designer for tween apparel   Offsite Freelance

• Designed complete collections of character-driven tween apparel to be pitched by WB to Mass retailers.

Project included trend research, creative direction, fashion design, graphic design and merchandising.

DISNEY CONSUMER PRODUCTSGlendale, CA

2006 to 2009

Design Manager, Graphic Designer – Tween Apparel, Accessories and Footwear, North America

• Art Direction, Graphic Design, Product and Brand Management, Team Management
• Led team in the development of all creative assets and style guides for Disney’s tween properties

including Hannah Montana, High-School Musical, Wizards of Waverly Place, Jonas, and Camp Rock.

• Partnered with licensees to inspire and elevate product innovation and creativity aligned with brand strategy
• Collaborated with internal design and marketing teams during product inception and refinement phases
• Reviewed design submissions from licensees and offered feedback

DCP / The Disney Store

Senior Designer, Graphics

• Designed graphics for all soft-lines categories and age groups.
• Created art for each style including color placement and techniques using style-guide art and original art.
• Participated in the concept line review meetings to create a well-balanced, saleable product line
• Collaborated with vendors and cross-functional partners in creating a high-quality product line
• Shopped the market and conducted creative research for new ideas and development processes
• Followed-up sample development and production through trips to Asia.

SG GRAPHICS OF HAWAII CORP. Maui, HI

2004 to 2006

Art Director

Sportswear manufacturer, retailer and Screen-printing Company

• Art directed in-house and outside design teams
• Monitored quality and integrity of all creative designs and output
• Designed graphics for apparel, magazine ads, packaging, labeling, in-store graphics and brand tools.
• Managed relationships with outside vendors and customers.
• Created color separations for screen-printing
• Maintained a leading-edge knowledge of market trends, color, design, and screen-printing technology
• Developed off-site freelance programs and managed the freelance artist budget

EDUCATION

Paris, France

French school system.

Graduated from High-School with Baccalauréat degree (reciprocity: US bachelor’s degree)

Major: Economics – (Diploma available upon request)

• Completed a three-year fashion design course at The Schools of the French Fashion Federation. Paris, France.

(Ecoles de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne)

Internships:

Chanel Haute Couture – Tailoring

Christian Dior HauteCouture– Art Dept.

US Citizen

Read, write and speak fluently French and Conversational Spanish

• Photoshop – 10+ years
• Illustrator – 10+ years
• Microsoft Suite (Word, Powerpoint)

art direction, branding, Color Theory, Consumer Products, CPG, graphic design, Pachkaging design, Pacjaging, Team Management, Typography, wall art, Wall decor

NAPP

Conversational Spanish, Fluent in English and French