About colby smith
For the last 7+ years, he has crafted the graphic language for products sold by Filson, an iconic luxury outdoor heritage brand with 125 years of history. As Art Director, he pulled inspiration from the Alaskan Gold Rush, Logging Outfits, and different eras of Northwest Sportsmen to help guide him, his in-house designers, and a large quiver of freelance illustrators to hone the graphic look of the Filson brand. Key responsibilities were gathering graphic art direction, managing art creation from start to finish for all product categories which required packaging, trims/hangtags, or graphic art for their development, and art for permanent store signage in the Filson retail stores.
Colby began his creative career in the American Northwest snowboard industry, he developed his knowledge base by leading clothing and accessory design at Lib Tech, Gnu and Spacecraft Collective. He created visual design work for Microsoft Windows Games and Xbox, as well as graphic design for Nordstrom and Zumiez. Years of experience researching creative inspiration for clothing, accessories, print and media has refined Colby's craft and skills to art direct, follow and foresee market trends, and design innovative product categories.
The skills and expertise to manage multiple projects, brands and strict deadlines successfully came from hard work and by living his "make it happen on time" mantra. Developing strategies which effectively guide the creative process, setting achievable goals and crafting with purpose ensure high fives and a steady flow of checks off the to-do list.