Available for lead roles & retainers
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
Art Direction
Retail & Shopper
Brand Systems
Print & Packaging
Retouching & Color
Generative AI · Image & MotionStill 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 work- Cricket Wireless
- Tropicana
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Aon
- GM Fleet & Commercial
- McDougal Littell / HMH
- American Bar Association
- MacNeal Hospital
- GTE
- Ovation Musical Theatre
Portfolio
Client work from agency, in-house and freelance roles. Older pieces are 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
Create a selection PDF 0 of 10 picked
Create a selection PDF - Choose up to ten pieces with + Add to PDF on a card or inside a project.
- Press Make PDF in the bar that appears at the bottom of the screen.
- You get one page with your picks and my contact details, ready to save or share.
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.
| Preview | Client | Project | Formats | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Royale Upgrade — Queen Yemeni Coffee | Poster | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | MacNeal Hospital residency recruitment cover | Recruitment cover | Client work — remastered | |
 | ABA Source publication cover | Publication cover | Client work — remastered | |
 | GTE Student Visa website | Website | Client work — remastered | |
 | Find Your Own Frequency — Converse | Vertical poster / social | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | Philips Hue print concept | Print ad / OOH | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | Put In the Work — Gatorade | Vertical poster / social | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | A Different Point of View — Warby Parker | Vertical poster / social | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | Find Your Next Favorite — Spotify | Vertical poster / social | Speculative concept — not commissioned | |
 | Sidequest Citrus Co. poster | Beverage ad / poster | Fictional brand concept | |
 | EM Studio type poster | Service poster | Fictional brand concept | |
 | Ovation Musical Theatre poster | Poster | Client work |
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.
- Art Direction
- Retail & Shopper
- Brand Systems
- Print & Packaging
- Retouching & Color
- Generative AI · Image & Motion
- 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. No templates or site builders.
- Studio portrait heroThe opening is drawn live in WebGL: Kevin in cool studio light against slow blue swirls, with small cyan, magenta and yellow registration squares drifting through the room. Move the cursor to stir the swirls; click to send ripples across the surface.
- 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.
Studio portrait heroThe opening is drawn live in WebGL: Kevin in cool studio light against slow blue swirls, with small cyan, magenta and yellow registration squares drifting through the room. Move the cursor to stir the swirls; click to send ripples across the surface.
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 talk
I'm open to senior creative roles, freelance projects and extra help when a deadline gets close. If something here fits what you're working on, I'd be glad to hear from you.
- 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.
Agency overflowAn experienced pair of hands that needs no hand-holding.
Résumé · PDF ↓Chicago-based · Remote by default · References on request
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