Michael Castellon Email & Phone Number

Portland, Or, Us

Purchase, New York, Us

Pepsi Global. Brand Design Innovation & Energy

Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, De

Adidas hired me as the director of global basketball brand design. I was tasked with re-defining visual tone, voice and graphic language used in campaigns, social media and consumer retail facing. My responsibilities included building and managing an internal design team and multiple external design partners. Drawing from a diverse skill set I began to consult on developing product stories and creating retail activations for our flagship stores and seasonal brand activations. This became my full time focus to enhanced the brand stories and consumers journey with Adidas. While directing footwear, apparel, and consumer launch’s at flagship level retail, I keep a growth-focused approach to align actions that achieve seasonal brand initiatives. I employ several media outlets to reach broader audiences and enhance brand distinction.I use a multi-discipline approach to build teams and solve problems. We inspire product connections through crafting stimulating stories, that amplify brand connections through experiential design, consumer-facing interactions, and fresh digital design language.My leadership style is trust-based. I seek out people with knowledge beyond my own, empower them, encourage them, and lead them towards one focused goal leveraging everyone's strengths. Cultivating partnerships with all stakeholders has been a cornerstone of my achievements.

Drawing from my unique industry skillset, merging sport, and lifestyle culture through storytelling in product design, I worked with a variety of brands to get them back on track. I helped inject new energy and purpose into their products that already had a rich history and initiated appeal to new consumer generations.Frequently working with existing teams, I managed the design team providing creative direction and strategy leadership for the product, retail, and brand positioning. —Results Delivered—🗸 I managed the creative direction from inception to completion and developed the young athlete visual brand direction for a leading footwear and performance apparel company. We created assets through .com campaigns, social channels, and retail consumer-facing experiences.🗸 Developed a new brand marketing strategy that reset the brand identity and created new product offerings, I improved the competitive edge of an established footwear company.🗸 I created and launched a signature footwear collection for a global basketball icon. We re-imaged the signature shoes through an art history lens that celebrated historical contributions to the game.🗸 A primary theme of my work as a consultant was creating opportunities for clients to evolve the tone and feel of their brand. I leveraged in-depth and cutting-edge knowledge of trends, colors, and materials that created a sense of confidence and propelled brands into the future.

Sorel brought me on board to kick start their 365-day brand campaign. Already a leader in the winter boot market, they wanted to appeal to a broader consumer market and produce products for year-round use while staying true to their original design DNA.I was hired for my expertise, leveraging the key benefits of performance footwear, and blending them with fashion and lifestyle elements. We diversified the products offered by refining fashion elements that spread the brand to new market segments. We generated buzz by partnering with global influencers and developing high-end limited-quantity products that boosted brand recognition and improved market position.—Results Delivered—🗸 I led new product development and marketing efforts that expanded the Sorel brand beyond the winter boot market globally. We launched campaigns targeting all-season footwear options while also capitalizing on the trusted brand features.🗸 I enlisted large iconic companies and famous boutiques to establish consumer connections that elevated product recognition and resonated with a broader audience across the globe.🗸 Combining the fashion lifestyle trends with the practical aspects of the brand, I revamped how winter boots were perceived industry-wide and increased consumer demand.

Beaverton, Or, Us

With a knack for telling captivating stories, I elevated brand icon footwear models into new markets by inspiring consumers to connect with products. I was able to leverage my expertise in storytelling to merge performance footwear with fashion and lifestyle elements.Nike challenged me to develop new product design standards that required initiating change in thinking and process. Needless to say, we broke some unspoken rules along the way and established new best practices.Capitalizing on a unique background that encompasses experience in footwear design, color trend analysis, and new materials, allowed me to look at projects from multiple perspectives and develop innovative solutions. My distinctive lens produced results that impacted the entire industry. —Results Delivered—🗸 I led the development of the Air Force One 25th-anniversary product design, storytelling, and brand visual centers for the multi-billion-dollar franchise that reached global audiences. The design and manufacturing innovations became the template for new story development for other brands and iconic models.🗸 Drawing on the numerous and extensive relationships built with diverse stakeholders, I established a new approach to building teams that created shoes and told stories simultaneously. The revamped model reached new markets and attained brand initiatives. The new process was adopted across the organization and continues to be best practice.🗸 I was a key stakeholder for the launch of the NSW brand of apparel and footwear at the Beijing Olympics. We targeted designs to the emerging lifestyle culture consumer and established Nike as the dominate sportswear brand at the event.🗸 Collaborating with recognized artists, musicians, and other global brands was a newer concept at the time I worked at Nike. I evolved this new model, which boosted brand awareness and visibility and achieved premier product status.