Arc’teryx

Info

Black background with white text displaying '2015-2026'

Graphic Design — Art Direction — Digital — Social Media — 
Concepting — Brand Awareness

Overview

A decade of work with Arc'teryx, across two relationships.

In-house, I led the build of the brand's first documented design system and partnered with the Art Director on global seasonal campaigns. Designing the full omnichannel rollout across OOH, retail, digital, and social. The work spanned both DTC and B2B surfaces, and happened cross-functionally with graphic design, web, photography, video, and social. I also presented creative and art direction to internal leadership and external partners, defending the work, taking feedback, and getting it through approval at scale.

As an agency contractor, I've supported the in-house design team on key digital launches, including the Footwear category landing and the Obsessive Design film series page on arcteryx.com.

Working at Arc'teryx is what taught me to lead design under pressure. Across formats, regions, and teams, holding the brand's precision while moving fast enough to ship.

A snow-covered mountain slope with ski tracks and a skier making turns on the snow

Spring Creative 2021

In-house, Arc'teryx, Senior Designer, supporting Art Direction

Capturing momentum, positioning spring as a season of movement, where product and purpose align for those pursuing their own challenges.

CONCEPTING MOCK-UPS

Collage of various outdoor landscapes, including deserts, mountains, and lakes; people engaging in activities like hiking, sitting, and taking photos; cityscapes, social media app screenshots, and artistic images with text and abstract designs.

MOODBOARD INSPIRATION

A woman wearing a blue waterproof jacket standing outdoors in mountain terrain, with promotional text for the Arc'teryx Beta LT Jacket stating "No Shelter Needed" and "Full waterproof protection with disciplined simplicity."

Four shoots. Four locations. One connective principle.

Spring '21 covered four product categories across four productions: rock climbing, fast-pack hiking, lightweight insulation, and a rain hike. The challenge was making them feel like one campaign.

I proposed the connective principle: leading lines. Compositional direction in every frame, drawing the eye through the work across four environments that had nothing else in common. A horizon, a trail, a contour, a piece of gear. The AD endorsed it. We built the campaign on top of it.

I was on location for all four shoots, and led the rain hike shoot as AD on set. The principle wasn't just something I proposed in a deck. It was something I held in real time, frame by frame.

Then I designed the full 360 rollout. OOH, retail, digital, social.

Role: Co-developed creative direction with lead AD. Proposed the leading-lines principle. Lead AD on rain hike shoot. On location for all four productions. Sole designer on omnichannel rollout. Scope: Global launch, Spring 2021. Four shoots, four locations, four product categories.

FINAL CREATIVE

A woman dressed in rain gear with a backpack, hiking outdoors in a misty forested mountain area.
A woman outdoors wearing a black cap and a khaki jacket, carrying a backpack, with a misty mountain landscape in the background.
A man rock climbing on a steep outdoor cliff face with a rope attached. Overlaid on the left side is a promotional advertisement for Arc'teryx's Konseal Climb Collection, highlighting their durability and comfort since 1989.
A woman rock climbing on a steep outdoor rock face, wearing climbing gear and reaching for holds with a determined expression.
A man outdoors wearing a dark jacket and cap, looking into the distance with mountains and a sunset in the background. Overlaid banner advertising Arc'teryx Atom SL insulation, with a smaller image of a person standing on a mountain peak.
A woman wearing a light purple jacket with a hood, standing outdoors on rocky terrain at sunrise or sunset, with a pinkish sky in the background, and a promotional overlay for Arc'teryx's Atom SL jacket.
A woman in a yellow Arc'teryx jacket standing outdoors with a backpack, holding a water bottle in a black pouch. The background features a cloudy sky and earthy, mountainous terrain. A promotional poster for Arc'teryx summer hike collection is superimposed, showing hikers on a trail with the text "Embrace the Heat" and a description of outdoor gear.
A rugged male hiker wearing a light gray waterproof jacket and a neon green backpack standing on a trail in a mountainous landscape with brown and orange terrain, gazing into the distance.

Arc’teryx Brand Guidelines

In-house, Arc'teryx, Lead Designer, end-to-end ownership

Defining a unified visual system—establishing how Arc’teryx shows up with clarity, precision, and consistency across every touchpoint.

Slide titled 'Brand Guidelines' with a logo of a zebra in a square at the top right corner, and the date '09-15-2023' along the right edge, on a dark background with yellow text and design elements.
Presentation slides on brand guidelines including bold text 'MAKE GOOD SHIT' and a photograph of a person in a red jacket writing on a whiteboard, a close-up of a hooded garment, an office scene with people working at desks, and nature scenes of a forest.
A graphic showing typography font options with various styles, weights, and classifications of the URW DIN typeface family.

Arc'teryx had three decades of brand equity and no documented system to protect it. As the company scaled across teams, regions, and channels, more people were making more decisions about how Arc shows up and there was no shared reference for what "right" looked like.

I led the build of the first documented brand system, working with one copywriter and collaborating across photography, video, web, and design teams.

The brief I set for myself was simple: build something people could lean on when they didn't know how to look like Arc'teryx. A new hire making their first asset, a regional team adapting a campaign, a developer building a page, a partner producing in-store graphics, all of them needed a reference that could answer the question without me in the room.

The hardest decision was structural: principles-first, not rules-first. A rules-first system would've been faster to write and easier to police, but it would've broken the moment Arc'teryx moved into a format the document didn't anticipate. Principles-first meant writing a system that could hold across channels we hadn't built yet, and trusting the people using it to make good calls inside that frame.

The guidelines now define how Arc'teryx expresses itself across every touchpoint: typography, photography, video, layout, motion, digital, retail. They're the reference the brand grew into.

Role: Lead designer, end-to-end ownership. System architecture, design, and documentation. Team: 1 copywriter. Cross-functional collaboration with photo, video, web, and design. Scope: Arc'teryx's first documented brand system. In use globally.

A collection of four brand guideline pages, including visual layouts for typography, guest journey framework, color palette, and brand typefaces.
Collage of four images showing clothing on mannequins, a man at a desk, two women discussing fabric, and two men working with machinery in a workshop.
A presentation slide with four sections: top left shows a red outdoor jacket on a purple background, with product details and a size and price chart; top right shows a series of outdoor winter activities including snowboarding and skiing, and a man and woman outdoors, with tips and guidelines; bottom left displays a funnel diagram illustrating stages from awareness to sale; bottom right features a person working on a computer along with landscape images, discussing digital design philosophy.
A split image showing two versions of the Arc'teryx logo, one on a black background with white design and text, and one on a white background with black design and text. The logo features a stylized skeletal bird, and the text reads "ARC'TERYX".
Collage of outdoor apparel and gear including jackets, backpacks, shoes, gloves, and accessories displayed in various retail and studio settings.
Collage of graphic design materials, sketches, logos, packaging, art prints, workspace photos, and modern furniture in black and white and color, representing a creative design studio.
A collection of four slides from a presentation or brand guidelines document. The first slide contains icons representing different concepts, the second shows examples of interior store displays, the third illustrates a grid system for image placement, and the fourth features templates for digital screens or displays.

Fall/Winter Creative 2021

Senior Designer, supporting Art Direction (on set + post)

Capturing performance at full intensity, we are building a campaign that reflects the precision, energy, and unpredictability of alpine environments.

MOODBOARD INSPIRATION

A collage of winter scenes and activities, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowy mountain landscapes, along with images of snow-covered trees, a snowboarder in action, and winter apparel.

CREATIVE MOCK-UPS

Collage of winter mountain scenes, snow-covered peaks, and people hiking in snowy terrain, with text "RISE & SHINE" and "2015-16".

Ski and snowboard is Arc'teryx's biggest season. Peak Q4, peak stakes, the campaign that has to land. FW '21 was the largest of the year, with more deliverables, more channels, and more pressure than Spring or Fall.

I partnered with the lead AD on creative direction, then designed the full omnichannel rollout. OOH, retail, digital, social, motion, and a homepage takeover.

The shoot ran two productions in parallel, photography and video capturing simultaneously to hit the asset volume the campaign needed. The AD couldn't be in two places at once, so I covered the room they weren't in. Whichever side the AD was leading, I was on the other, directing with the photographer or videographer and holding the campaign's visual logic across both crews. Back at the studio, I led the motion graphics designer through final asset development, taking the homepage takeover and supporting motion pieces from concept to delivery.

Stepping into AD support on set changed how I design. Knowing what a system actually needs from a frame, what crops for social, what holds the product, what gives type room at OOH scale, is the difference between making a campaign work in post and capturing the right thing the first time. I bring that thinking into every campaign I design now.

Role: Co-developed creative direction with lead AD. Sole designer on omnichannel rollout. On-set art direction support across photo and video. Led 1 motion graphics designer through final motion assets. Scope: Ski & Snowboard global launch. Peak Q4 season. Largest of three FW '21 in-house campaigns.

Advertisement for Arc'teryx ski and snowboard collection featuring a smiling woman in winter gear and a skier in action on snowy slopes.
A person wearing a black helmet, orange jacket, and goggles, smiling in snowy weather, with snow-covered trees in the background. The image is part of an advertisement for Arc'teryx's new ski and snowboard collection, featuring a snowy mountain scene with a skier in mid-air.
Advertisement for Arc'teryx ski and snowboard collection showing a smiling woman in a beige and yellow winter jacket with a Red Bull helmet and goggles on snow, and a skier descending a snow-covered mountain.
A promotional image for Arc'teryx featuring a skier jumping through fresh snow between snow-covered trees, with a close-up of a smiling skier wearing a yellow jacket and winter gear, including goggles and a helmet, in a snowy outdoor setting.
Two smartphones displaying different images. The left phone shows a black-and-white mountain landscape with the text 'Rise and Shine' and 'New Ski & Snowboard Collection.' The right phone shows a woman in winter gear skiing in snowy trees, wearing a helmet, goggles, and a beige and yellow jacket.
Two people skiing in a snowy forest, wearing winter gear, goggles, and helmets.

FINAL CREATIVE

Laptop displaying an outdoor clothing website with an image of a person wearing an orange jacket and a black backpack in snowy mountains, overlaid with mountains and text promoting outdoor gear.
A snowboarder falling on his side in deep snow, surrounded by snowy trees, with an aerial view of a snowy landscape.
Black and white illustration of mountain ranges with layered, misty peaks.
A webpage featuring winter outdoor gear and apparel from Arc'teryx, showcasing images of people skiing, snowboarding, and hiking in snowy landscapes, with clothing options like jackets, pants, and accessories for cold weather adventure.
Advertising display for ski and snowboard equipment with images of a skier in snow gear, a snowboarder on snow, and mountain imagery. The text reads: "Rise and Shine," "New Ski & Snowboard Collection," and "From Sunrise to Summit."
Skis and snowboarding gear on display in front of snow-themed outdoor advertisements at a winter sports retail store.
Two men dressed in winter outdoor gear standing on snow, with snowy mountains in the background. One man is wearing a gray jacket and a gray beanie, the other is wearing a yellow and white jacket with a black helmet and sunglasses.
Side-by-side images of winter clothing and outdoor gear. Left: woman in yellow winter jacket, wearing sunglasses, hat, gloves, holding ski poles, with skis on her shoulder, on snow. Right: man in beige winter jacket, beanie, black gloves, standing against a plain background.
Two women dressed in winter outdoor gear in a snowy landscape, one standing on the left wearing a gray and black jacket and pants, with a maroon beanie, and the other on the right wearing a dark burgundy jacket and pants, with a black beanie and gloves.
A young man and woman wearing winter jackets, pants, gloves, and hats in a snowy outdoor setting.

Arc’teryx Contractor Web Work, 2024–2025

As an external partner to Arc'teryx, I've supported the in-house design and development teams on key landing pages for arcteryx.com. The Footwear category launch and the Obsessive Design film series page. Work spanned design input through asset production and development handoff, partnering closely with the in-house team to extend the brand into new digital surfaces.

Laptop displaying a website for outdoor footwear, showing a close-up of a footstep in rocky terrain with the website's menu for women, men, footwear, and discover at the top.
Laptop displaying a website for Obsessive Design with a group of people working on clothing inside a modern industrial workspace.

MEC

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