James Henderson
ART DIRECTor
Art Director with 12+ years of experience creating high-impact digital and print campaigns for enterprise brands in banking, QSR, and entertainment. Proven ability to translate business goals into compelling visual solutions across email, paid media, social, and direct mail. Skilled at leading creative execution, building salable design systems, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver measurable results in fast-paced agency environments. Led award winning design teams both in-house and in an agency setting.
CASE STUDIES
EXPERIENCE
ART DIRECTOR @ DENTSU CREATIVE, 01/24-Present
• Led creative execution for 50+ multi-channel campaigns annually across email, paid social, display, and direct mail.
• Developed modular email templates reducing production time by 2-3 business days per campaign without compromising the bold emails that Burger King is known for.
• Designed creative assets reaching 10 million customers worldwide, leading to a 500% increase in loyalty program growth in 8 months and led to a 900% rise in app downloads and program sign ups.
• Supported new business pitches contributing to multiple account retentions and expansions.
• Managed an average of 8-12 concurrent projects per sprint while maintaining and expanding Burger King's brand.
ART DIRECTOR @ MERKLE INC, 10/21-01/24
• Created and standardized a creative organizational process implemented across clients.
• On-boarded a new major financial services client to the agency.
• Developed presets and templates, cutting launch-to-press time by days.
• Contributed to new client wins by stepping in for Art Directors on pitches.
SR GRAPHIC DESIGNER @ MERKLE INC, 11/18-10/21
• Produced 1,000+ digital marketing assets across email, display, and social media campaigns annually.
• Developed repeatable design frameworks that cut creative revisions by 20% on average.
• Supported Art Directors on pitches that resulted in new client acquisitions and contract renewals.
• Mentored junior designers, reducing on-boarding time and improving creative consistency.
DIGITAL MARKETING COORDINATOR @ OAKLAWN, 08/17-11/18
• Led creative for monthly casino promotions viewed by hundreds of thousands of guests annually.
• Designed integrated campaigns across print, digital, and motion that contributed to record on-property engagement and revenue growth.
• Created and maintained the redesign of 5+ on-property restaurants, improving visual consistency and conversions.
• Produced high-volume digital advertising campaigns including dozens of animated ads and social graphics per quarter.
• Key contributor to campaigns that earned 38 Romero Awards at the Gaming Marketing Conference.
DIGITAL MARKETING DESIGNER @ OAKLAWN,11/14-07/17
• Designed hundreds of digital and print assets annually supporting promotions ranging from monthly giveaways to the Oaklawn Horse racing season, part of the infamous Triple Crown.
• Created motion graphics for in-house television and the street marquee, as well as social ads that consistently increased event awareness month.
• Supported marketing team in meeting tight weekly promotional deadlines.
MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER @ CAE, 03/14-10/14
• Developed multimedia training assets used by professional pilots and aviation clients worldwide.
• Produced interactive course-ware that improved clarity and comprehension for complex technical training.
GRAPHIC DESIGNER @ WATKINS COMPANY, 05/13-03/14
• Designed weekly advertisements distributed to hundreds of thousands of consumers across multiple states.
• Produced print-ready layouts on tight weekly deadlines with near-zero production errors.
LET'S WORK TOGETHER
I am a ready to help with your goals big and small. Send me a message and I'll be in touch!
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER // VISUAL STRATEGIST // MOTORCYCLE ENTHUSIAST // LIVE MUSIC FAN //