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Design

Creative Director & Product Growth Lead | Outdoor, Fishing & Lifestyle Brands

Creative & Design

Kalletka: Site Rebrand & Web Development

Led the full Shopify rebrand and redesign of Kalletka, a rugged waterman brand, creating a cohesive visual system with coastal-inspired colors, clean typography, and layouts that balance product and storytelling. Designed templates for product drops, ambassador profiles, and blogs, optimized SEO and checkout flows, and integrated seasonal email campaigns and highlighted world-class surf photography to showcase the brand’s authentic culture. The redesign strengthened engagement, boosted sales, and gave the team a flexible foundation for ongoing content and creative partnerships.

MERGE4: B2B Portal, SEO & Site Optimization

Led the redesign and optimization of MERGE4’s digital presence, improving UX, SEO, and B2B capabilities across consumer and wholesale channels. Designed and launched a custom B2B portal with tiered access, easy reordering, and bulk pricing, while streamlining subscription flows and platform integrations across Shopify, Amazon, and Walmart. Conducted SEO audits and implemented metadata, content, and ad optimizations to increase visibility and efficiency. The project boosted engagement, subscription sales, and wholesale revenue, creating a scalable, user-friendly site aligned with both creative and commercial goals.

Uroko: Brand Design & Digital Marketing

Led end-to-end digital marketing for Uroko, building scalable systems across email, blog, loyalty, and social channels. Developed modular email templates, launched a loyalty program, and created original content that strengthened the brand voice and customer engagement. Achieved 3× email list growth, increased retention, and deepened connections through storytelling and coastal lifestyle campaigns.

Strategic&nbsp;Design&nbsp;that&nbsp;DeliversI&nbsp;lead&nbsp;creative&nbsp;design&nbsp;and&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;for&nbsp;outdoor&nbsp;and&nbsp;lifestyle&nbsp;brands,&nbsp;building&nbsp;campaigns,&nbsp;brand&nbsp;systems,&nbsp;and&nbsp;digital&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;that&nbsp;feel&nbsp;authentic&nbsp;and&nbsp;perform&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;real&nbsp;world.&nbsp;My&nbsp;background&nbsp;blends&nbsp;creative&nbsp;direction,&nbsp;visual&nbsp;design,&nbsp;storytelling,&nbsp;and&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;execution&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;deep&nbsp;understanding&nbsp;of&nbsp;ecommerce&nbsp;and&nbsp;customer&nbsp;behavior.I&nbsp;have&nbsp;worked&nbsp;across&nbsp;fishing,&nbsp;surf,&nbsp;golf,&nbsp;and&nbsp;outdoor&nbsp;brands,&nbsp;partnering&nbsp;directly&nbsp;with&nbsp;founders&nbsp;and&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;teams&nbsp;to&nbsp;plan&nbsp;campaigns,&nbsp;shape&nbsp;brand&nbsp;voice,&nbsp;design&nbsp;content,&nbsp;and&nbsp;launch&nbsp;ecommerce&nbsp;experiences&nbsp;that&nbsp;drive&nbsp;conversion&nbsp;and&nbsp;long&nbsp;term&nbsp;growth.&nbsp;From&nbsp;product&nbsp;launches&nbsp;and&nbsp;email&nbsp;campaigns&nbsp;to&nbsp;site&nbsp;design&nbsp;and&nbsp;digital&nbsp;merchandising,&nbsp;I&nbsp;stay&nbsp;hands&nbsp;on&nbsp;and&nbsp;involved&nbsp;from&nbsp;concept&nbsp;through&nbsp;execution.My&nbsp;UX&nbsp;background&nbsp;informs&nbsp;how&nbsp;I&nbsp;work,&nbsp;but&nbsp;the&nbsp;focus&nbsp;is&nbsp;creative&nbsp;leadership,&nbsp;marketing&nbsp;strategy,&nbsp;and&nbsp;making&nbsp;work&nbsp;that&nbsp;resonates&nbsp;with&nbsp;real&nbsp;customers&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;communities&nbsp;behind&nbsp;the&nbsp;brand.Outside&nbsp;of&nbsp;work,&nbsp;I&nbsp;spend&nbsp;as&nbsp;much&nbsp;time&nbsp;as&nbsp;possible&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;water&nbsp;in&nbsp;Monterey&nbsp;Bay&nbsp;fishing&nbsp;for&nbsp;halibut,&nbsp;rockfish,&nbsp;albacore,&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dungeness&nbsp;crab,&nbsp;and&nbsp;surfing&nbsp;the&nbsp;Central&nbsp;Coast&nbsp;whenever&nbsp;conditions&nbsp;line&nbsp;up.&nbsp;That&nbsp;time&nbsp;on&nbsp;the&nbsp;water&nbsp;directly&nbsp;informs&nbsp;how&nbsp;I&nbsp;think&nbsp;about&nbsp;product&nbsp;storytelling,&nbsp;durability,&nbsp;performance,&nbsp;and&nbsp;what&nbsp;genuinely&nbsp;resonates&nbsp;with&nbsp;outdoor&nbsp;consumers.

Lead creative direction, brand design, and digital marketing for outdoor, lifestyle, and retail brands, partnering directly with founders and leadership teams. I shape brand systems, campaigns, ecommerce experiences, and content strategies that drive growth while staying true to the culture behind the brand.

My role blends hands-on creative execution with strategic decision making across visual design, storytelling, ecommerce, and marketing performance. I stay involved from concept through launch, helping brands move faster, stay focused, and build systems that scale.

Highlights

Led full redesigns and launches for ecommerce brands including Kalletka, Yardage Golf, Uroko, and Naturalist World

Defined visual direction, brand systems, and content frameworks to support product launches and campaigns

Designed and executed marketing systems including email, digital merchandising, and content-driven storytelling

Improved product discovery, checkout performance, and conversion across multiple platforms

Served as principal creative and growth partner for founder-led brands, guiding priorities, timelines, and execution

Creative Director & Product Growth Lead

Led UX design for high-traffic ecommerce and account experiences supporting millions of customers across Gap’s retail brands. The work focused on reducing friction, improving clarity, and aligning complex account flows with business and brand goals.

I partnered closely with product, engineering, research, and marketing to redesign core login and account experiences, balancing usability, security, and performance at scale.

Highlights

Designed and launched a passwordless login system that improved conversion, reduced support issues, and simplified authentication

Led redesign of core account and profile experiences including loyalty, order history, payments, and in-store purchase integration

Drove UX strategy for cross-brand initiatives, aligning customer needs with business priorities

Contributed to enterprise design systems and established standards across web and mobile platforms

Senior UX/UI Designer

Led UX and digital experience strategy for the nation’s largest marine retailer, partnering closely with marketing, merchandising, and technology teams as ecommerce and digital marketing became core growth drivers for the business.

My role sat at the intersection of UX, content, and marketing, shaping how customers discovered products, engaged with campaigns, and moved between online and in-store experiences. I focused on clarity, performance, and storytelling at scale while supporting a complex retail ecosystem.

Highlights

Owned UX and content strategy for the ecommerce platform, including product discovery, checkout, retention flows, and lifecycle touchpoints

Partnered with marketing teams on email campaign design, digital storytelling, and promotional layouts supporting product launches and seasonal retail campaigns

Led navigation and information architecture design for large, complex product catalogs

Introduced user research and usability testing practices that improved decision making, reduced friction, and increased conversion

Supported company-wide digital transformation as ecommerce, email, and digital marketing became primary growth channels

Lead UX Designer

Managed day-to-day creative and production work for West Marine’s website, email marketing, and digital merchandising programs during a period of rapid ecommerce growth.

My role combined hands-on design with coordination across marketing and development, supporting campaigns, promotions, and site improvements that directly impacted traffic, engagement, and conversion.

Highlights

Led design and production for homepage features, email campaigns, product pages, and promotional marketing content

Designed email templates and campaign layouts that balanced storytelling, merchandising, and performance goals

Led redesigns of key site areas including store locator, checkout flows, and core templates to improve usability and conversion

Created user flows, wireframes, and prototypes to support new features, promotions, and site enhancements

Developed and ran customer testing programs including surveys, moderated sessions, and iterative prototypes

Partnered closely with marketing and development teams to support ongoing optimization and campaign execution

Internet Design & Production Manager

Find out detailed information about Chris Mehl, Creative Director & Product Growth Lead | Outdoor, Fishing & Lifestyle Brands in Santa Cruz, California

Chris Mehl: Creative Director & Product Growth Lead | Outdoor, Fishing & Lifestyle Brands in Santa Cruz, California

Chris Mehl

Cabrillo College

University of California, Santa Cruz

University of California, Santa Cruz