GERARD ZENGEL, JR.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
JUSTWORKS.COM A B2B, HR tech SAAS company
Art Director, July 2021 — February 2025
Art Director, July 2021 — February 2025
Led the art direction for full-funnel, end-to-end national and regional marketing campaigns.
Managed everything from concept development to driving brand awareness and engagement across digital ads, landing pages, print, film, motion, and out-of-home.
Presented strategic creative concepts to leaders, aligning stakeholders on brand direction and securing buy-in for multi-million dollar campaigns.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams across marketing, product, and strategy to conceptualize and deliver creative solutions, driving ad conversion rates from 1.7% to 3.2% — an 88% improvement.
Spearheaded the visual identity and experiential design for high-profile national and regional events, ensuring brand consistency and impact.
Created distinctive illustrations for multi-channel campaigns, events, and core brand elements that strengthened visual storytelling, resulting in a measurable 12% increase inbrand awareness in markets with placements compared to control regions.
Directed and collaborated with external artists and designers to produce compelling creative assets for advertising campaigns, the company website, and digital platforms.
PRIMARY.COM A DTC, an e-commerce children’s clothing brand
Art Director, February 2017 — May 2021
Art Director, February 2017 — May 2021
Drove 1.5x YoY growth by overseeing creative strategy across digital and print channels, optimizing design for engagement and conversions.
Partnered with the marketing team to ideate, delegate, and create all print, email, and social assets for channels including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Google.
Effectively led and mentored a team of designers and copywriters, directing creative execution while managing external agencies for large-scale campaigns.
Partnered with developers to bring creative vision to life through HTML design and execution
Planned and oversaw flat-lay and on-figure photoshoots
COMMONBOND.CO A DTC, financial technology platform
Senior Digital Designer, Freelance 2017
Facilitated an out-of-home brand campaign at Union Square subway station in NYC with 10M+ people passing through in one month.
Created high-quality brand experiences for conferences and trade shows, including swag, collateral and, additional sales support.
AMPLIFY.COM A B2B, digital tech platform for K-12 teachers and educators
Art Director, 2014 — 2017
Collaborated with the marketing team to brainstorm and generate assets for growth initiatives, including HTML ads, social media content, conference and trade show materials, product walkthroughs, and video editing
Established a team of freelance designers and copywriters to generate and execute an 849-page, printed book on a four-week timeline
Conceived and implemented the design of all print, screen, and digital assets for national and regional field marketing conference booths
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
SOFTWARE
Adobe:
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Bridge
Premier
Animate
Adobe:
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Bridge
Premier
Animate
Other:
Figma
Sketch
Keynote
Chat GPT
Midjourney
Office suite
Figma
Sketch
Keynote
Chat GPT
Midjourney
Office suite
SKILLS & INTERESTS
Empathic leader
Valued collaborator
Effective communicator
Thoughtful problem solver
Team Ringleader
Advocate for positive company culture
Brand loyalist
Plant parent
Cat dad
Empathic leader
Valued collaborator
Effective communicator
Thoughtful problem solver
Team Ringleader
Advocate for positive company culture
Brand loyalist
Plant parent
Cat dad