Hi, I’m Tessa!
As a motivated individual with an eye for design, I continuously seek out new opportunities to expand my creative knowledge. This drive has cultivated a diverse mix of skills centering around art direction, graphic design, and photography. My passion lies within design, but my skill as a team leader and project manager has proven to be intrinsic and rewarding. As an Art Director, my main goal is to craft creative solutions that strengthen the connection between consumers and brands.
Interested in working together?
Email me at TessaChadLA@gmail.com
Work Experience
Career Highlights
Strategic Art Director and Multifaceted Designer with 10+ years of experience leading cross-platform visual storytelling, photography, and hands-on production for beauty, wellness, consumer goods, and entertainment brands.
Proven success developing integrated brand identities, packaging systems, print design and digital campaigns that drove measurable engagement, record-breaking sales, and brand recognition.
Expertise in bridging creative direction and data-driven strategy, transforming design concepts into high-performing digital, print, and experiential assets.
Recognized for mentoring and leading cross-functional creative teams, improving visual consistency and elevating brand standards across global campaigns.
Adept at managing concept-to-execution pipelines—from art direction and production to post-editing and stakeholder alignment—delivering award-worthy visual storytelling that supports measurable business outcomes.
Far Out Toys – Art Director
Jul 2025 – Present
- Designed and directed brand identities across multiple toy lines, shaping logos, color systems, packaging, and brand voices from ideation to rollout.
- Led packaging development for product lines, collaborating with engineers, illustrators, vendors, and suppliers to ensure quality, compliance, and cost efficiency.
- Conceptualized immersive event and showroom experiences through 3D environments, dioramas, and installations.
- Developed strategic prompts and AI-assisted workflows to accelerate ideation, copywriting, and creative production.
- Partnered with marketing and product teams to strengthen creative storytelling and unify brand presentation across touchpoints.
Paul Mitchell – Art Director
May 2024 – June 2025
- Directed visual rebranding initiatives, bridging gaps in brand guidelines during company-wide rollout.
- Designed salon and consumer-facing websites focused on immersive UX and editorial storytelling, integrating interactive elements, product knowledge tools, and multimedia content.
- Led design of digital engagement tools (lookbooks, guides, and mobile experiences) to connect in-salon and digital channels.
- Oversaw celebrity-brand packaging and tool development, managing concept, sample reviews, materials, and vendor communication.
- Designed complex print projects for department stores and large-scale documents (themed retail packaging, POP displays, window graphics) while managing production from ideation through press checks.
- Directed creative production for photo and video shoots, including storyboards, wardrobe styling, and on-set art direction.
- Mentored junior designers, improving team workflow and visual standards.
- Researched and implemented new digital solutions for education and product interactivity through partnerships and platform integration.
Pharmedoc – Art Director
June 2019 – Dec 2023
- Developed 360° visual campaigns integrating design, photography, and video to drive engagement and conversion across e-commerce, social, email, and digital ads.
- Established brand and photography guidelines, media kits, and catalogs to elevate brand image.
- Photographed 50+ products and utilized advanced photo retouching skills to execute high-quality, compelling images.
- Conceptualized and designed dozens of full product detail pages for e-commerce sites and Amazon, including infographics, diagrams, product feature demonstrations, and customized icons.
- Directed photo and video production end-to-end—budgets, scripts, casting, wardrobe, and editing—producing 100+ high-performing assets for online campaigns.
- Designed packaging for new product lines, balancing creativity, budget, and manufacturability.
- Managed and mentored junior creatives, overseeing timelines, project delivery, and brand alignment.
- Achieved record-breaking online sales and engagement metrics, with Instagram followers increasing 6× through creative content direction.
Freelance Art Director & Designer
Jan 2016 – May 2024
- Built brand identities and marketing assets for clients across beauty, jewelry, automotive, and entertainment industries.
- Created logos, packaging, print collateral, and digital advertising campaigns that elevated visibility and sales for boutique and startup clients.
- Directed photoshoots and created content libraries optimized for social media, Shopify, and e-commerce.
- Delivered cohesive visual systems balancing creative innovation with business goals and client budgets.
University of Southern California (USC) – Project Coordinator
Sept 2012 – Oct 2018
- Supervised research teams and managed third-party vendor partnerships, ensuring operational efficiency and compliance.
- Designed and launched a first-ever data visualization and research system, enhancing accessibility of academic findings, and compiled the data to create and lead impactful presentations for stakeholders, university staff and participants.
- Developed brand identities and creative assets for university research programs.
- Facilitated bilingual community engagement and Spanish-language focus groups to improve participation and diversity in research initiatives.
Skills
core competencies
Art Direction
Brand Identity Design
Packaging
Visual Storytelling
UX/UI Collaboration
Photography Direction
Video Production
Campaign Development
Content Strategy
Vendor Management
Creative Leadership
Trend Research
Team Mentorship
creative tools
Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Lightroom, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Workfront)
AI-powered tools (Midjourney, Firefly, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
Autodesk Maya
DSLR & Studio Photography
Microsoft Office Suite
Website Builders: WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace, Showit
languages
English (Native)
French (Proficient)
Spanish (Working)
Soft Skills
Innovative Problem Solver
Highly Adaptable
Skilled at Multi-Tasking
Collaborative & Independent Worker
Well Organized
Friendly & Enthusiastic
Motivated
Passionate About Design
Strong Time Management Skills
