When Allbirds was founded in San Francisco in 2014, it instantly became a hit, not only for its super comfortable (and minimalist) shoes but also for placing sustainability at its core—a commitment that few other companies were making at the time. From the start, the brand stood apart through the use of natural materials and its whimsical and colorful approach to marketing. However, as Allbirds expanded into other categories over the years, it lost some of its charm and uniqueness, beginning to resemble its competitors. It was time to pause, reflect, and evolve the art direction to a more refined territory without losing its roots. Inspired by nature, the solution was to organize the portfolio into “Worlds,” grounded in product benefits: Breeze (sneakers made from tree fiber blends), Comfort (shoes made from wool), and Protection (weather-ready shoes).
Design Studio: Allbirds Creative Studio | Chief Design Officer: Adrian Nyman | Creative Director: Marko Ullman | Art Director: André Coelho
Designers: Piper Wysaske (concept, photoshoot, toolkits), Melanie Legge (photoshoot, toolkits), Genevieve Poblano, Sari Field, and Mitchell Bauman (toolkits)
Copywriters: Carl VanderZanden, Jen Kotlewski, and Abby M. | Brand Marketers: Annie Vranizan, Jess Weinstein, Dameon Gonga, and Tess Hass
Photographer: David Emmite | Prop Stylist: Margo Latka | Stylist: Kim Miller | Producer: Katie Entler Woods | San Francisco/Portland, US
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*As the Art Director, I was responsible for establishing a new concept and visual direction as a north star for all subsequent campaigns, starting with Q3 of 2024.
Using AI tools to first brainstorm and conceptualize ideas, I worked closely with designers, brand marketers, producers, prop stylists, stylists, and photographers, leading
both pre-production and a 10-day photoshoot. The output was a comprehensive library of assets, used in toolkits as the basis for an entire quarter of campaign work.