kelsey welsch

While at Bloomingdale's, I had the opportunity to concept and art direct a shoot—the first ever—for the Loyallist program as part of a marketing strategy I devised alongside the Loyalty Department. 

Art Direction: Myself

Senior Art Director: Marie Castiglione

Creative Director: Sophia Tang

Art directed several images for Tru to create marketing collateral and pitch decks. 

Art Directors: Stephen Moss, myself

Photography: Jeff Bucari

For the Loyallist 5th Anniversary, I was tasked with refreshing the brand assets, which were often difficult to use and did not include photography or consider digital platforms. In a design sprint, I created new patterns, refined the logo lockups, freshened the color palette and typography, and developed a comprehensive set of brand guidelines for Loyallist. As part of an earlier photo shoot I spearheaded, we were also able to include photography as part of the brand for the first time.

As part of a giveaway for international tourists visiting the store, I designed a game set, including 2 decks of playing cards. For these, I derived inspiration from Bloomingdale’s art deco heritage and crafted unique patterns for all of the face cards and the backs of the cards.

In the midst of the craze surrounding emojis, Bloomingdale’s hired an illustrator to do special pop art lettering and another to do a whole set of emojis exclusive to the store. We used these to create giveaways, gift cards, and reimagine the iconic Brown Bag. As part of this team, I concepted and designed a box of pens inspired by fabric patterns from our top designers. I also came up with ideas for gift cards and T-shirts, such as using emojis to spell out “ I go bananas for Bloomies!”

To celebrate the Chinese New Year, Bloomies always had a series of events and giveaways. For 2 years in a row, I was given the opportunity to illustrate the animal of the year (monkey and then rooster) and design collateral. For the year of the monkey, I had the chance to assistant art direct a photo shoot for the CNY catalog.

In preparation for the debut of Bloomingdale’s first store in Hawaii, I designed the VIP invitation for the opening party, which was inspired by some of the decor and patterns from inside the store.

Every year, the Bloomingdale’s Loyallist program gives its Top of the List members a birthday treat. For this one, I designed the outer envelope like a gift box with a gloss/matte pattern that referenced the black-and-white checkered floors that are so famous in-store. As the gift, we came up with the idea of sending glittery cake toppers—to add that little bit of sparkle to someone’s special day.

Each year, Top of the List Loyallists (la creme de la creme) receive a special holiday gift, which I designed using a toolkit created by the holiday campaign team.

In a rare opportunity, I had the honor of collaborating with Donald Robertson’s team to develop a twist on the iconic Brown Bag exclusively for GIVE PINK GET MORE. In addition, I designed a special gift card for October Pink inspired by the linked O’s in the Bloomingdale’s logo.

For my graduate thesis at Pratt, I designed a fit navigation system consisting of a smartphone app, online shop, and vision for an improved physical retail space—all using 3D body scan technology as a solution for eliminating size confusion in the clothing industry. I wrote and designed a book, a 12 ft x 4 ft poster for presentation, and a video, using After Effects, walking the user through the entire concept.

A selection of layouts and books I created while completing my Master's at Pratt Institute.

Identities and logos I have designed for brands including Starwood and Bloomingdale's.

Experiments in illustrated and crafted 3D typography I did for my Advanced Typography class at Pratt under Eun Sun Lee.

A photographic series of wooden dolls who meet and fall in love. 35mm silver gelatin prints.