hello! i’m danny kusz.
welcome to my creative world!
I’M A PASSIONATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ART DIRECTOR AND VISUAL/WRITTEN STORYTELLER that’s WORKED FOR SOME OF MINNESOTAS MOST BELOVED BRANDS
get in touch
with me:
651-247-9320
dankusz@gmail.com
I've immersed myself in the creative world for the past 16 years, cherishing every moment. During this journey, I've worn various hats, including Graphic Designer, Art Director, Senior Art Director, and Creative Director. I possess a genuine love for the entire design process, from the initial spark of brainstorming to the meticulous sketching and writing of concepts and the ultimate execution of creative visions into compelling stories. Collaborating with both creative and marketing teams invigorates me, as it fosters mutual inspiration. The cherry on top is being able to guide and motivate fellow creatives to achieve their utmost potential.
Most recently I have been working in a contract job for Caribou Coffee as their Manager of Brand Design providing creative direction to support each bi-monthly promo window when they launch new products and change out all of the store signage + all of the digital and paid media to support these windows. Previously, I lead a tight-knit team of creatives while overseeing a diverse portfolio of brands at OHC. During my tenure, I spearheaded rebranding initiatives for two notable brands, Element Electronics and TYTUS Grills, in addition to spearheading the birth of a new brand, Nomo. This comprehensive project involved crafting brand positioning concepts, guiding the design team through shaping visual identities, and providing support for the relaunch and introduction of all three brands. Moreover, I had the privilege of establishing the creative department from the ground during my tenure, involving the recruitment of an eight-member team and the implementation of structured creative development methodologies and processes.
When I'm not immersed in the creative world, I enjoy spending quality time with my wife and our two sons. I'm an avid music enthusiast, both as a performer and a listener, and I enjoy activities like golfing and caring for our trio of canine companions. Additionally, I'm diehard fan of all Minnesota sports teams and constantly have my heart broken year after year :)
“My goal when leading creative teams is to create a joyful and trusted environment - I want people to be excited to show up, share ideas and have fun creating their best work possible!”
places i’ve worked:
Caribou Coffee
Nov 2023 - Present
Manager, Brand Design
OHC (Element, TYTUS & Nomo brands)
Feb 2020 - Nov 2023
Director, Creative
Target
Sept 2019 - Feb 2020
Art Director (Digital)
Patterson Companies
Dec 2007 - Sept 2018
Creative Director
what people are saying…
check out my portfolio…
project: tytus brand refresh
MY ROLE: CREATIVE DIRECTOR / WRITER
TYTUS was lacking any sort of meaningful identity to stand out in an overcrowded industry of grill brands. However, the product is an absolute game changer. An island grill that you can setup within 5 minutes, with no tools and gives you the full functionality of an outdoor kitchen for half the price. It needed a brand identity to match. Insert the Maverick archetype. TYTUS is pushing back on the grilling industry and is ready to make everyone a backyard boss. Here’s how it all came together.
Creative Team: Daniel Anderson (Art Director), Brandon Vacco, Spencer Peterson, Amaya Nordos (Designers) Ryan Russie & Sarah Hellier (Video Production)
TYTUS Brand Video from Ryan Russie on Vimeo.
SAMPLE PAGES FROM BRAND GUIDE:
SAMPLES OF BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY:
SAMPLES FROM SALES DECK:
MISC BRAND CONTENT:
project: element brand refresh
MY ROLE: CREATIVE DIRECTOR / WRITER / WEB DESIGNER
With the Element refresh, we wanted to create something that felt very different than most consumer electronic brands. Something to stand out in a sea of blacks, greys and brands that feel exclusive and unattainable. The Element consumer isn’t necessarily looking for the latest and greatest high-end technology. They are more price conscious and typically do not have an affinity for a certain brand. So we curated a brand that was more approachable and human-centered and less tech-focused. We ultimately landed on the Everyperson archetype which became the foundation of our story - to make high-quality consumer electronics and appliances accessible to everyone. Now that we had our story crafted, it was time to create a visual identity to match. And this is where we landed.
Creative Team: Daniel Anderson (Art Director), Brandon Vacco, Spencer Peterson, Amaya Nordos (Designers) Ryan Russie & Sarah Hellier (Video Production)
SAMPLE PAGES FROM BRAND GUIDE:
SAMPLE OF BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY:
COMPLETE E-COMM SITE RE-DESIGN
SOCIAL CONTENT
PACKAGING:
SAMPLE SLIDES FROM SALES DECK:
VIDEO PROJECTS:
project: nomo brand development
MY ROLE: CREATIVE DIRECTOR / WRITER / WEB DESIGNER
Nomo Smart Care is a new technology designed to allow caregivers to provide care for their loved ones from anywhere in the world. While the primary target for the brand is the aging population, we didn’t want it to come across like most senior living brands which tend to feel very outdated, filled with cheesy stock photography and over-used language like peace of mind. The brand needed to feel joyful, optimistic and instill confidence. We wanted the audience to know that at the end of the day, with Nomo, living alone can be safe and worry-free. So here is where we landed.
Creative Team: Daniel Anderson (Art Director), Brandon Vacco, Spencer Peterson, Amaya Nordos (Designers) Ryan Russie & Sarah Hellier (Video Production), PixelFarm (Animation Studio)
SAMPLES PAGES FROM BRAND GUIDE:
CUSTOM TYPEFACE
WEBSITE DESIGN
MISC BRAND CONTENT
30-SECOND VIDEO ADS
caribou coffee
2024 LAVENDER LTO PRODUCT LAUNCH
MY ROLE: MANAGER, BRAND DESIGN
MONTHLY PROMO EMAIL DESIGN
MY ROLE: DESIGNER
PROMO WINDOW #1 LAUNCH
MY ROLE: MANAGER, BRAND DESIGN
MISC PRINT PROJECTS
MY ROLE: DESIGNER
project: patterson brand refresh
MY ROLE: CREATIVE DIRECTOR / WRITER / DESIGNER
The goal of this project was to visually align our businesses and deliver more consistent, unified and recognizable communications to both internal and external stakeholders. Patterson had multiple business units all with varying brand positioning and visual systems - so we needed to create a more unified and complimentary brand system that could be scalable as the company grows.
The updated brand standards reflect trends that were identified during a comprehensive audit of the content being created by the internal Creative Services Group over a few years. This exercise illuminated opportunities to streamline our branding across the organization so that we can execute smarter, faster and better content while communicating clearly and concisely. This process included months of internal stakeholder interviews, a comprehensive brand audit and written/visual concepting before we finally landed here.
Creative Team: Daniel Anderson, Leslie Delzell & Clair Tyra (Art Directors), Rachel Manz & Trish Santarius (Designers), Jon Minnick & Sarah McNeal (Copywriters)
