I am an in-house designer at Dick’s Sporting Goods, where I have collaborated with a diverse range of business partners across various initiatives. My experience includes logo design and branding for both internal and external campaigns, creating product videos for e-commerce PDP pages, and producing training content for leadership and professional development. I manage these projects end to end, handling pre-production, production, and post-production.

Additionally, I have led multiple recruiting campaigns, providing art and creative direction for initiatives like Hiring Our Heroes, which supports military professionals transitioning to civilian careers. My work in employment brand marketing has helped position Dick’s Sporting Goods as an employer of choice.

I am a skilled graphic designer, photographer, videographer, project manager, and art director.

Project Overview

Dick’s Sporting Goods aims to strengthen its workforce by attracting and hiring military personnel transitioning to civilian careers. This initiative will leverage the Hiring Our Heroes program to position Dick’s Sporting Goods as a premier employer for veterans and military spouses. The campaign will highlight career opportunities, company culture, and the transferable skills that military personnel bring to the team.

Brief

Create a compelling recruitment campaign that resonates with transitioning military personnel and their families. Showcase Dick’s Sporting Goods as a veteran-friendly workplace that values leadership, teamwork, and discipline. Drive awareness and engagement through digital, social, recruiting events and in-store marketing assets.

Objective

  • Design a dedicated career page on the Dick’s Sporting Goods website that speaks directly to veterans and military families, providing a seamless and engaging user experience that highlights the company’s commitment to hiring military personnel.
  • Increase applications from veterans and military spouses.
  • Higher engagement rates on social media recruitment posts.
  • Positive brand perception among the military community.
  • Stronger participation in military hiring events and job fairs.

Brand Identity

  • The name “Akua” is Polynesian for “god,” but the client did not want any religious associations. Instead, we leaned into Polynesian visual elements to create a meaningful brand identity.
  • Red, in Polynesian culture, symbolizes life force, vitality, courage, strength, and spiritual protection.
  • The triangle, representing a shark tooth, signifies power, leadership, and strength—key traits for a security-focused brand.
  • The varying weight of the lines in the logo represents movement, tying the design to intermodal transportation security.

Typography

  • We paired the logo with the DIN typeface, originally designed for traffic signs, license plates, and road signs.
  • This choice subtly reinforces the theme of intermodal transportation security while maintaining a clean and professional aesthetic.

Color

  • The red color palette reinforces strength and security while maintaining a distinct and recognizable brand presence.
  • Unlike competitors that primarily use blue and gray tones to convey security and technology, Akua’s bold red color sets it apart, making it unique and instantly recognizable in the marketplace.
  • Designed custom icons and graphics illustrating real-time tracking, security, and logistics in an intuitive manner.

Concepts

Deliverables

The deliverables for Akua’s branding project encompassed a comprehensive suite of visual assets to establish a cohesive and professional identity. This included a logo that encapsulated the brand’s strength and innovation, along with a style guide to ensure consistency in typography, color usage, and visual elements across all materials. Additionally, we designed business cards and envelopes, reinforcing brand recognition in professional communications. For product presentation, we developed product labels and instructional materials to enhance user experience and brand credibility. To support sales and marketing efforts, we created product marketing sheets that clearly communicated key features and benefits, as well as overall marketing materials such as brochures and digital assets. To strengthen Akua’s digital presence, we also developed a social graphic package, including templates and branded visuals optimized for various platforms, ensuring a consistent and engaging online identity across social media channels.