I'm John Palka, a Senior Graphic Designer with 15+ years of experience in brand design, most of it working in-house with marketing teams. My specialty is design for retail environments, retail brands, and CPG.
My path began at Whole Foods Market, where I managed marketing design, retail signage, and display merchandising. I also served on the new store design team, helping open 20+ retail locations across two states. After a short stint at a small design studio, where I worked on projects for Silicon Valley tech companies and environmental design experiences, I was ready for a new direction.
As 2018 approached and recreational cannabis was about to become legal for adults in California, I saw an industry that needed professional, thoughtful design. I targeted it and landed a Visual Design Manager role with KindPeoples in Santa Cruz, where I developed the creative standards that shaped their design and retail interiors.
Wanting to go bigger, I moved on to Senior Graphic Designer at Praetorian Global, Inc., a multi-state cannabis company behind the brands binske and ONI. Working with a small marketing team, I supported the brand and its retail partners with print and digital assets, product display design, CPG packaging, product photography, and presentation decks for the C-suite. Along the way I sharpened my skills in cross-functional collaboration, partnering with Sales, the Chief Product Officer, Legal Counsel, and executive leadership.
Good brand design uses a brand's assets to build familiarity while keeping the visuals and messaging fresh. After eight years in cannabis and 18 months most recently on a project for the alcohol market, I'm highly experienced in designing within heavily regulated industries. Regulation can feel limiting at times, but I see it as the kind of problem-solving challenge designers are here for.
Through typography, hierarchy, color, and imagery, strong brand design tells a story and invites the customer to become part of it with clear, on-brand messaging. Today, attention spans are short and competition is crowded. Brands deserve assets that are both functional and well designed, so they stand out in a sea of competitors.
Contact:
john.palka@gmail.com
john.palka@gmail.com
Resume supplied upon request.