Gus Nicklos Email & Phone Number

Boise, Idaho, United States

Portland, Oregon Area

Elegant, elite solutions to the most challenging design problems of today and tomorrow. Established reputation as clutch creative problem solver by applying transferable creative knowledge to solve abstract, nuanced, deep, and specialized challenges, often in areas of zero-expertise.→ Built relationships with business and creative partners.→ Deliver penetrating results by leveraging critical thinking and commitment to curiosity with desire for deep understanding to drive thousands of hours of creative exploration.→ Redesigned iconic Danner Boots Logo and created versatile design system increasing production achievability and efficiency.→ Designed 100+ identity marks currently in use.→ Lead and produced 20+ proprietary corporate font families for some of the world’s most prominent brandsExpertise: brand identity, iconography, logo marks, typography, digital design, UX, catalog design, advertising, font design, vision decks, branded environments, and environmental designCorporate clients: Adobe, adidas, Bridgetech, Burgerville, Danner Boots, Fort George Brewery, Jantzen, Jive Software, Keen Footwear, Newsweek, Nike, Oregon College of Art and Craft, Select Oils, Starbucks, and QuicksilverAgency clients: AKQA, Big Giant, Kamp Grizzly, Liquid Agency, Plazm Media, Roundhouse, and Wieden+Kennedy

United States

Led with brand intention and used every tool available maximize instant impact. Operationalized freshly minted brand identity, creating upbeat yet serious visual language, disseminated through suites of assets, advertising, and collateral spanning 3 distinct customer segments. Produced compelling content to differentiate DAT from industry competitors and increase awareness, resulting in brand consistency across deliverables. Developed rapport and respect through mutual appreciation for each team member’s role and abilities to foster climate of achievable excellence.→ Increased social media engagement LinkedIn (77%+) and Instagram (89%+).→ Elevated brand prestige through strategic visual language, bolstering DAT’s reputation as thought leader in post-covid supply chain.→ Enhanced creative team efficiency by creating streamlined, reusable templates that cut revision rounds by up to 80% through long-form layout (reports, white papers, guides) design time reduction.→ Implemented captivating illustrations and easily understandable data visualizations, crafting earnest and authentic campaigns that set customer’s expectations on steady upward trajectory.→ Designed and implemented refined creative assets into user-friendly systems and templates that yielded brand consistent products—no matter the designer.

Portland, Oregon Area

Portland, Oregon Area

Managed teams to deliver creative across diverse media. Provided hands-on guidance throughout creative process to ensure consistent design vision execution. Managed multiple projects at a time. Reviewed and approved final work. Presented and championed work to clients. Supported new business development. Pursued personal and professional growth beyond core competencies.→ Set direction, lead teams and interfaced with client (Nike) and delivered high caliber email designs on $1.5M biannual contract.→ Built a highly productive Design Studio from a team of 2 to 20 designers in 6 months, leading the recruitment and onboarding process (scouting, vetting, and hiring talent – graphic, motion, video, and email), while inspiring rigorous diligence.→ Cultivated collaborative environment by actively listening, understanding individual temperaments, and mentoring and guiding team members, setting many promising careers in motion.→ Set design theme and directed implementation of Bay Equity Home Loans’ rebrand and interactive mortgage experience. This included typography, photo style guide, cinemagraphs to engage and draw in potential customers and agents, illustration/iconography visual language and art directed key photo shoots.

Beaverton, Oregon, United States

Channeled 50+ years of Nike’s storied history to engage employees. Designed and art directed agency partners to infuse brand character through workspaces and employee environments. → Wrapped individual employees with purpose, gravity, and significance, as 1 of 11K that graced Nike’s 75 building World Headquarters (WHQ) daily, through captivating interactions and immersive installations.→ Wrapped individual employees with purpose, gravity, and significance, as 1 of 11K that graced Nike’s 75 building World Headquarters (WHQ) daily, through captivating interactions and immersive installations.→ Identified and interviewed world’s top artists including Antony Gormley, Xavier Veilhan, Janet Echelman, Jenny Sabin, Marco Cianfanelli, Seung Mo Park, Brendan Monroe, Dalek, Futura and Haze, for 40 permanent art installations inside and out of 5 new buildings at Nike WHQ, supporting VP / CEO decision makers.→ Planned, designed, and directed employee environment graphic application and physical build outs at Nike WHQ, Canada HQ, Melbourne, Australia, and Shanghai, cultivating positive workplace that motivated employees across organization.

Portland, Oregon Area

Handpicked to mold prototype technology into captivating objects and consumer journeys for CFO and CMO eyes only to represent company’s highest strategic priorities. Collaborated with Cross-functional teams (engineers, footwear innovators, material designers) to guide product creation through pivotal phase. Drew from deep traditional graphic prepress and lithographic printing technique understanding to showcase state of project capabilities, discover new effects and opportunities, and reveal bugs and limitations.→ Created 39 physical footwear prototypes across concept categories to demonstrate project progress and technology’s viability at scale through rigorous battery of tests (performance, usability, automation, scalability, regression), providing inflection point for decision makers to determine course of program’s ongoing development.→ Generated innovative 3D conceptual ideas and conceived elaborate persona “test narratives” as proof of concept within highly secure, black-ops-like environment.→ Built roll-out framework, using existing and hypothetical category creative, branding, customer journey points, email comps, UX comps, and banner ads to illustrate expansive brand journey for C-suite deciders and to sell through category-level implementation buy-in.

Portland, Oregon Area

As a Senior Designer at Liquid Agency, I made actionable creative, rethinking brand identities and leading creative initiatives across a variety of platforms. My role was pivotal in shaping the visual and user experience aspects of major campaigns, ensuring each element was aligned with strategic objectives and client needs.→ Led the design for notable clients including Nike, where I spearheaded the corporate environment redesign.→ Extensive identity systems and digital ad campaigns, ensuring cohesive brand messaging across all media.→ Collaborated on a universal font with Yanek Iontef (Israel), contributing to significant advancements in typography and design innovation.→ Worked toward multiple patents, including Glyphprint™, underpinning our leadership in design thinking.→ Actively participated in brainstorming sessions and led the development of new business opportunities, effectively translating creative concepts into successful marketing and retail campaigns for clients such as Revelar (Pulse Medical), DMC, Ficks, and Mighty Leaf.

Graphic Design, Art History

Activities and Societies: 2 year varsity member of Golf team

Web Design & Interactive Media

Graphic Design, Anthropology, Archaeology

EXCAVATION, via The University of British Columbia; STYMPHALIA, GREECE — 2001 Member of the excavation of Ancient Stymphalia..