GERARD ZENGEL, JR.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
JUSTWORKS.COM B2B HR Tech SaaS
Art Director, July 2021 — February 2025
Art Director, July 2021 — February 2025
Led art direction for full-funnel national and regional campaigns, owning creative from concept through execution across digital ads, landing pages, print, film, motion, and out-of-home.
Set creative direction and presented strategic concepts to senior leadership, aligning stakeholders and securing buy-in for multi-million-dollar campaigns.
Partnered cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, and Strategy to solve complex business problems through creative, improving ad conversion rates from 1.7% to 3.2% (an 88% increase).
Defined visual identity and experiential design for high-profile national and regional events, ensuring consistency and impact across all brand touchpoints.
Developed original illustration systems for campaigns, events, and core brand elements, contributing to a 12% increase in brand awareness in markets with media placements versus control regions.
Directed and collaborated with external artists, designers, and production partners, maintaining a high creative bar while delivering at scale.
PRIMARY.COM DTC E-commerce Children’s Clothing Brand
Art Director, February 2017 — May 2021
Art Director, February 2017 — May 2021
Owned creative strategy across digital and print channels, contributing to 1.5x year-over-year growth through improved engagement and conversion-focused design.
Led concepting and execution for print, email, and social across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google, partnering closely with marketing leadership.
Managed and mentored designers and copywriters while overseeing external agencies for large-scale seasonal and brand campaigns.
Collaborated with developers to bring creative concepts to life through HTML execution and site updates
Planned and art directed flat-lay and on-figure photoshoots, building a flexible asset library to support ongoing marketing needs.
COMMONBOND.CO DTC Fintech Platform
Senior Digital Designer, Freelance 2017
Contributed to a high-visibility out-of-home brand campaign at Union Square, reaching over 10 million people in one month.
Designed brand experiences for conferences and trade shows, including swag, collateral, and sales support materials.
AMPLIFY.COM B2B EdTech Platform for K–12 Educators
Art Director, 2014 — 2017
Designed and executed assets for growth initiatives, including HTML ads, social content, conference materials, product walkthroughs, and video.
Built and managed a freelance team to design and produce an 849-page printed book on a four-week timeline.
Led design for national and regional field marketing conference booths across print, screen, and digital formats.
EDUCATION
RINGLING COLLEGE OF
ART AND DESIGN
BFA, Graphic Interactions and Communications, 2011
Minor: Creative Business
ART AND DESIGN
BFA, Graphic Interactions and Communications, 2011
Minor: Creative Business
TOOLS & TECH
Adobe:
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Bridge
Premier
Animate
Adobe:
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Bridge
Premier
Animate
AI:
Chat GPT
Midjourney
Firefly
Flow
Gemini
Khroma
Other:
Sketch
Figma
Keynote
Office suite
Jira
Asana
Chat GPT
Midjourney
Firefly
Flow
Gemini
Khroma
Other:
Sketch
Figma
Keynote
Office suite
Jira
Asana
CORE STRENGTHS
INTERESTS
Brand Identity Development
Campaign Concepting and Execution
Landing Page & Digital Asset Design
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Art Direction for Photo/Video
Visual Storytelling
Performance Marketing Support
High Attention to Detail
Independent Project Ownership
Fast-Paced Creative Environments
Campaign Concepting and Execution
Landing Page & Digital Asset Design
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Art Direction for Photo/Video
Visual Storytelling
Performance Marketing Support
High Attention to Detail
Independent Project Ownership
Fast-Paced Creative Environments
INTERESTS
Positive team culture
Collaborative leadership
Creative mentorship
Plant parent/Cat dad
Collaborative leadership
Creative mentorship
Plant parent/Cat dad