Kevin Halstead, Senior Art Director Creating Retail, Brand & Shopper Marketing Experiences
Senior Art Director & Designer
- Art Direction
- Retail & Shopper
- Brand Systems
- Print & Packaging
- Retouching & Color
- Generative AI · Image & Motion
Still curious
Creating brand systems, retail experiences, and creative campaigns that connect strategy with unforgettable execution.
Chicago-based Senior Art Director specializing in shopper marketing, packaging, visual identity, AI-powered content creation, and production from concept to launch.
View selected workPortfolio
Client work from agency, in-house and freelance roles, rebuilt at full resolution from the original concepts and copy. Every project is labeled, and each one opens with the story behind it.
- Client work — remastered
- Client work
- Speculative concept — not commissioned
- Fictional brand concept
Build a one-page PDF Pick up to 6 pieces with + Add to PDF on any card or inside a project, then press Make PDF. You get a single page with all six and my contact details.
Concepts
Self-initiated and speculative work. None of it was commissioned by the brands shown. It's where I test ideas in image-making, typography and tone, with generative tools directed and finished like any other source.
More work
Earlier client work and further concepts, kept for range. Click any piece to open it with its full project notes.
Experience
Twenty-five years across agency, in-house and freelance roles: retail and shopper marketing at TPN / Omnicom, educational publishing at Holt McDougal, and an in-house photo studio at Havas. The through line is owning the work from concept to press-ready files.
- 2001–PresentArt Director & DesignerIndependentIdentity, print, packaging, digital, environmental, and generative image/video for agencies and direct clients.
- 2010–2014Senior Art DirectorTPN / OmnicomRetail creative for Cricket Wireless across the complete path to purchase.
- 2004–2008Senior DesignerHolt McDougal / HMHDesign standards and art direction across a large educational marketing catalog.
- 2000Art Director, DigitalDouglas–DanielleWebsites and microsites from concept through preproduction.
- 1997–2000Studio Artist to Art DirectorHavasBuilt an in-house high-resolution photo studio and moved into art direction.
- 1990–1993Production & DesignMcKnight Kurland / Vision ProductionLayout, electronic publishing, packaging mechanicals, and typography.
About this site
Designed and art-directed by Kevin Halstead, and built by hand in HTML, CSS and JavaScript with Claude AI, with the halftone hero and the registration loupe designed first in Figma. No templates or site builders.
- Live halftone · designed in FigmaThe name in the opening is screened in real time as CMYK dots at press angles (C 15°, M 75°, Y 0°, K 45°). Move the cursor to knock the plates out of register; click to strike the plate.
- Registration loupe · designed in FigmaHover any piece and a loupe re-screens the artwork as enlarged CMYK dots, the way you'd check a proof.
- TypographyArchivo Black, Archivo and IBM Plex Mono. A small script ties the last two words of every line together, so no word ever sits alone.
- Built to be usedFull keyboard navigation, reduced-motion support, alt text on every image, and layouts tested from phone to desktop. Hosted on Cloudflare.
Let's make the next one
Hiring for a senior creative role, planning a campaign, or short on hands before a deadline? Tell me what you're working on, even if it's only a rough idea. I'll come back with questions, a point of view, and a plan for getting it to print.
- Full-time rolesSenior art director and design lead positions, Chicago or remote.
- Projects & retainersCampaigns, retail programs, brand systems and production.
- Agency overflowAn experienced pair of hands that needs no hand-holding.
Chicago-based · Remote by default · References on request