Somewhere on the west coast of Ireland
About — Los Angeles based Senior Designer / Art Director. Building brand systems, launches, and campaign creative across packaging, digital, social, and motion.
If I’m not at my computer, you can usually find me traveling, training for a race, skiing, DJing, reading sci-fi/fantasy, or printing dumb t-shirts in my garage.
Creative Services
-> Art Direction
-> Campaign Design
-> Brand and Visual Systems
-> Product Launch Creative
-> Digital Design (Web, Social, Email)
-> Packaging and Retail Design
-> Motion Design
-> Presentation and Storytelling Decks
Biography
Buckle in. This is probably too much info about me.
I’m Daniel Pettit. I’m a designer and art director, eight years deep in agency work building brand systems and campaigns for consumer brands.
I grew up in Minnesota. I was always a runner and an extroverted introvert. I like people, but I recharge solo. In that quiet time, I’ve always made things.
Even as a kid, I wasn’t “drawing” so much as arranging. Color, hierarchy, shapes that locked together. Little systems. I didn’t have the language for it yet, but it was design.
In high school I found my real outlet through yearbook and newspaper. Covers, layouts, type, weird youtube photoshop tutorials. It was the first time I saw design as something practical and real, not just “art.” From there, graphic design was never a question.
I went to South Dakota State University because it had the two things I cared about most: a strong design program and a Division I running program. I poured myself into both. I also minored in German and, on a whim, applied for a scholarship that sent me to Berlin.
Berlin reshaped my perspective. I came back to school with a clear goal: build a portfolio good enough to move to a bigger world. I moved to Los Angeles right after graduation and started at Arcana Academy as an intern. I stayed and grew into my role over time, leading work across packaging, visual identity systems, digital and social campaigns, motion, and product launches.
Early on, I got to cut my teeth on licensed entertainment and music work. KISS on their final tour, plus projects tied to Britney Spears and Jimi Hendrix. That stuff was a crash course in craft, speed, and respecting a brand that already has a diehard audience.
More recently, I’ve been trusted with bigger swings. I’ve helped steer the look and rollout for the KILZ and BEHR Ultimate Pro Van Contest and multiple nutribullet launches. That’s meant packaging systems, campaign assets across channels, and real production moments like being on set, making decisions fast, and keeping the work sharp from concept through delivery. I’ve also had the chance to pitch more conceptual work, like a positioning and campaign concept for Hammitt, and present it directly to their team.
Somewhere in the middle of that, I started shortdads. It began as a daily design experiment during COVID when I needed to break out of “safe” design. It pushed my craft hard. I learned Blender and Cinema 4D, got serious about custom type, and built a style that was mine. It also turned into real client work, which was a nice surprise.
Today the mix is basically the same: systems and craft, plus speed when it matters. I like work that has to live everywhere, hold up across touchpoints, and still feel sharp. If I’m not at my desk, I’m usually training for a race, skiing, DJing, or buried in a sci-fi or fantasy book.
Awards
Student ADDY Gold, South Dakota (2016–2017)
OTHER CASE STUDIES & SELECTED WORK
Project
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