MICHAEL FLOTNER
Creative Director // Brand + Retail Specialist

mflotner@gmail.com
905.717.0545
www.michaelflotner.com

Toronto, ON

July 2014 – Oct 2024
10 Years 4 Months

Blake Jarrett & Company

CREATIVE DIRECTOR / ART DIRECTOR

Arriving at Blake Jarrett & Company I immediately implemented a new creative approach that mandated every design solution be derived from key insights, and executed through strategic planning. The better the plan, the more effective the intended response will be, optimizing conversion at the point-of-purchase.

Managing the Graphic Design Dept., which included scheduling Senior Designers, hiring and mentoring Junior Designers, and bringing in Freelancers whenever capacity required, I consistently brought ideas for interdepartmental process improvements to weekly management meetings. Working closely with the VP of Sales, GM, PM Director, and other Creative Directors I was able to shift a paradigm that involved reconfiguring our billing structure while validating ROI on requests. The effect was increased revenue and stronger confidence from our clients, all while doing more with less resources.

Highlights: Leading Samsung and Blake Jarrett & Co teams while initiating, managing and growing multiple reoccurring annual retainers in the SES, DA, HE, IM, and Omni Channel divisions / Helped re-imagine Mobile Klinik new store formats and developed all retail comm touchpoints, as well as the the online POP reorder system / Lead company rebrand, including website and brand identity elements / Directed brief brainstorm sessions, concept creation, presentations and pitches, new business development, and graphic production / Updated filenaming, archiving, folder structure for studio / Go to for onboarding new employees across depts / Created customizable plug-and-play NBD tools for Sales, reducing repetition and resource usage

Toronto, ON

Nov 2008 – Dec 2013
5 Years 2 Months

LG&P In-Store Agency - Toronto Office

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Art Direction
Developed 2014 Retail + POP Styleguide for KitchenAid US / Won RFP before Developing, Producing, Installing Under Armour Football Program at over 3,000 Retail locations across the US / Worked with Home Depot Canada to develop store signage standards, including wayfinding, iconography, and new category guidelines / Worked independently on Microsoft and KitchenAid Canada contracts - increasing yearly sales through design and, most importantly, client relationships / Creative lead in client meetings and presentations / Created design studio schedules while overseeing direction on client deliverables
Managing Design Teams
Supervised Graphic Designers and Industrial Designers / Led project specific design teams in New Jersey, Texas, California, Atlanta / Worked cohesively with external agencies on large client initiatives like Asics Marathons / Directed photographer for Home Depot photoshoot in Anaheim / Worked with internal management teams to improve on process
Project Management
Cultivating a strong relationship with vendors helps meet even the most complex client needs / Sourced and specified materials / Created work-back schedules / Instruction sheets / Press Approvals / Determined resources needed to maximize ROI

Toronto, ON

May 2005 – Nov 2008
3 Years 7 Months

Bowring / Benix / Bombay & Co - B&C Group

INTERMEDIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER / PACKAGING DESIGNER

Highlights: Produced all external communication, in-store POP, and product packaging for all three home decor brands / Managed and operated photo studio / Interviewed and supervised Junior Graphic Designers

Toronto, ON

Aug 2003 – Current 

Facet Design

PERSONAL FREELANCE COMPANY
BRANDING / STRATEGY / GRAPHIC DESIGN

King City, ON

Aug 2001 – Aug 2003
2 Years 1 Month

Design Innovations

PACKAGING DESIGNER / PRODUCTION ARTIST

Highlights: Creating composite images from multiple studio shots for European chocolate packaging / Hand-painting cellophane for White Swan package mock-ups / Created conceptual art for Altoids packaging

Sept 2001 – Apr 2004

George Brown College - School of Design
GRAPHIC DESIGN DIPLOMA

Jan 2000 – Dec 2000

Centennial College - Bell Centre for Creative Communications
NEW MEDIA DESIGN CERTIFICATE