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E: darrius@darriusrankin.com L: Greenville, SC

Experience

Graphic Designer & Strategist | Independent

2013 – Present

  • Lead brand strategy and visual identity development for clients across cycling, hospitality, food and beverage, athletics, and media industries
  • Developed full identity systems including positioning strategy, logo design, color and typography systems, and brand guidelines
  • Drove $80K+ in attributed sales and counting for ORR Cycling through sustained brand and marketing engagement with significant creative and strategic ownership
  • Doubled client engagement for Newbreed Jiu Jitsu within 60 days through targeted brand and social campaign work
  • Designed campaign creative, marketing collateral, motion graphics, and digital advertising across platforms using Adobe Creative Suite
  • Managed client relationships from discovery through delivery; collaborated directly with founders and marketing leads on strategic direction

Senior Graphic Designer | 6AM City

Jun 2021 – Sept 2025

  • Led advertising creative across 30+ markets, doubling ad engagement and contributing to consistent year-over-year ad revenue growth; clients regularly requested campaign work by name
  • Produced ads, graphics, and video content for social daily across all 30+ markets, maintaining brand standards and consistency at volume
  • Built reusable templates for social, email, and digital formats that scaled output without scaling headcount
  • Designed article and landing page templates as editor-facing tools, enabling editorial teams to publish on-brand content independently
  • Developed brand identities for multiple clients including logo design, color systems, typography guidelines, and complete brand style guides
  • Built B2B sales and pitch materials that supported high-value advertising partnerships
  • Collaborated cross-functionally with marketing, editorial, sales, and leadership to maintain brand consistency and align creative with business objectives

Apparel Designer & Production Artist | Retrobrand

Jan 2019 – Aug 2020

  • Designed 100+ production-ready apparel graphics for major retail clients including MLB, Barnes & Noble, and Old Navy
  • Prepared print-ready files and technical specs for screen printing and embroidery; ensured accurate color matching and quality standards

Apparel Designer & Production Artist | Southern Tide

Sept 2018 – Jan 2019

  • Developed seasonal apparel graphics for t-shirts, polos, outerwear, and accessories aligned with brand aesthetic and seasonal assortments
  • Created technical production files ensuring accurate color matching and print quality for manufacturing

Production Artist & Designer | Infinity Marketing

Oct 2016 – Nov 2017

  • Collaborated on Comcast Xfinity customer notification materials, managing production workflow for high-volume marketing campaigns
  • Designed print ads, digital banner ads, and email campaigns using Adobe Creative Suite while meeting tight deadlines

Education

University of South Carolina Upstate

2009 – 2013

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design

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