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Long before anyone told me, I'd seen the writing on the wall, my first day at Playboy. A huge monolith of signs, this publishing relic weighing 2 tons, which no man or woman could pry from Hef’s sticky vision. Stuck in a time warp, once a maverick, now a speck in the sea of publishing. Say hello to the millennials, Hef. THEY dictate what’s important. Not you anymore.
In anticipation of PLAYBOY closing it’s doors, I kept a vigil eye out for creative remedies. A shark. Always moving. A self-proclaimed artist, I paint stories on behalf of others. This out-of-the-box idea named ZIPZ® was it!. With necessity driving me forward, they dubbed me Creative Director, and I earned it.
[*SIDEBAR: In my youth I wore OCEAN PACIFIC brand tees. The Kraken of lifestyle apparel. Love at first sight. OP was the brand I loved. The California dream, printed on a soft cotton tee. OP inspired my future as a creative in fashion and apparel. It inspired my ZIPZ® story.]
During my 8 year tenure at ZIPZ®, I had the opportunity to wear dozens of hat, improving my creative, communication, and directing skills, crafting stories on behalf of this clever idea with potential to influence retail. At ZIPZ®, I was creative director, art director, illustrator, writer, photographer, director, and editor; a one-stop creative shop. Packaging, shoe design, branding, artwork, aesthetics, POS, shelf-talkers, trade show booths and promotionals, photo shoots, video, web sites, copy, sell sheets. You name it, I made it. Thought it. Sang life into it. Like a mermaid to the sailors.
My vision for the brand can be found on the SOUL [sole] of the shoe, which I first wrote on a napkin: “Change your shoes. Change yourself. Change the world”.
Z Box
I loved this box design. Simple. Crisp. White space. Super