COMPLEX
NETWORKS
CREATIVE DIRECTION • MESSAGING • VISUAL IDENTITY • MOTION DESIGN
It’s as simple as black and white.
That’s the center of the Complex brand – contrasts co-existing, the minimal and maximal blending together, the yin and yang of youth culture. Keep it simple, say what you want to say, and get out of the way.
I was brought in by founder Marc Ecko in 2017 to lead Creative Direction and design for Complex Networks and its constituent brands. The challenge was to visually and thematically unify a constantly growing slate of video programs, editorial pieces, experiential events, social channels, licensing, merchandise, and more without losing what made the content unique.
My vision for Complex was about boldness, directness, simplicity, and rich storytelling. I pared down the obvious street signifiers (graffiti, camo, metallic 3D) and built a design language around textural, type-driven graphics, naturalistic photography (courtesy our photo editor Gina Batlle and in-house photog David Cabrera), and conceptual applications, all anchored by a strong logo (courtesy Brent Rollins) and a core black-and-white palette.
I was Creative Director from 2017—2019, and Executive Creative Director from 2019—2023. In that time I oversaw the visual expressions of Complex, First We Feast, Pigeons & Planes, and Sole Collector, and ComplexCon. All of this work is truly collaborative, with incredible direction and contributions from Gina Batlle, Ryan Dunn, Cornell Brown, Damien Scott, Warren Cochrane, Noah Callahan-Bever, Joe La Puma, David Cabrera, Chris Schoenberger, Sarah Honda, Karizza Sanchez, Aria Hughes, Jonathan Fouabi, and many more remarkable individuals.
I oversaw multiple design and creative teams handling editorial design, brand partnerships, social design, and video design. I had a hands-on approach, designing and implementing identities, creating assets, and leading ideations alongside the teams. It was important to me for all designers and creatives to see that leadership was invested and involved and understood what it took to make things happen, and that decision-making was coming from an informed place.
Having creatives that are fans of the work they are making and the world they are designing for is paramount – our team knew what the audience would respond to because we ourselves were the audience.
