Shanna Duncan
Granite Falls
Summary
Dynamic professional with extensive experience in innovative storytelling and creative direction through impactful visual designs across diverse industries and platforms. Proven track record in leading creative teams and overseeing the development and execution of compelling visual narratives for top-tier brands and intellectual properties. Expertise in brand evolution, integrating cohesive design strategies to enhance consumer engagement through art direction and trend research. Committed to delivering high-quality assets on time while fostering strong partnerships with external vendors, artists, and stakeholders to align creative goals with campaign objectives, all while pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling to inspire global audiences.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Design Lead
Big Fish Games / JetSynthesys
Seattle, WA
01.2022 - Current
- Collaboratively built visually engaging marketing experiences across multiple platforms, including interactive screens, social media events, in-game pop-ups & statics, interstitials, character and environmental concepts, and global paid media campaigns.
- Provided art direction for new game pipelines, including brand guides, character concepts, environmental storyboarding, and social event campaigns by leading asset creation and management across eight mobile and premium game titles.
- Drove commercial success of Big Fish's premium and mobile games, including GummyDrop!, EverMerge, Cooking Craze by developing compelling visual styles and immersive world settings in collaboration with product and marketing teams.
- Modernized brand's image by helping expand service promotions and enhanced audience engagement by spearheading Big Fish's corporate rebrand, integrating multiple IPs, products and brands into a cohesive storyline of corporate assets including logos, color stories, mascot refresh, new games pipelines, and overall corporate look.
- Developed and maintained comprehensive IP & brand resources, ensuring visual consistency across games, merchandise, and media. For example, lifetime metrics for EverMerge include 966 pitched concepts with 5,478 assets made, resulting in 21.4ML mobile installs. For GummyDrop!, those metrics include 96 concepts, 345 assets with 42ML individual mobile installs.
- Collaborated with internal UA teams, building branded assets through regular testing, brainstorming sessions, empirical research & data, including live-ops materials, statics, animations, character design, concept art, storyboarding & brand guidelines.
- Worked with artist teams on the development of the new games pipelines. Strategized icubation stages for game development including overall brand aesthetics, character arcs, narrative, accompanied with UA testing.
Outsourcing Art Director
Ravensburger North America Inc.
Remote
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Fostered and managed strong external partnerships with vendors and artists.
- Collaborated with game & design teams on product design including foundations for world-building, visual development, character and environmental design, and tied marketing.
- Led initial development phases for Disney's Lorcana, overseeing artist recruitment, conducting brainstorming sessions for game title and aesthetics, character definitions, crafted storylines, and refining game mechanics and narrative elements.
- Served as an outsourcing manager for Disney's first trading card game (TCG), Lorcana, helping identify potential artists to work on the initial installment of the game.
- Oversaw creative adaptations of iconic Disney characters in unique roles, driving innovation in character design/storytelling by helping manage initial concepts submitted by artists working on the project.
- Art director & outsourcing manager for Disney's Gargoyles: Awakening boardgame, helping manage artists with consistent feedback loops, redlining concept sketches, paint-overs, and developing strong lines of communication between design leads, in addition to accountability for final art files.
- Led creative concept development for product packaging and promotional materials.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure brand consistency across all visual communications.
Art Director, Transformers TCG
Hasbro | WotC
Renton, WA
12.2018 - 01.2022
- Spearheaded the successful development of the Transformers Trading Card Game (TCG), contributing to Magic: The Gathering's Transformers Secret Lair: Brothers War set, expanding cross-franchise engagement and attracting Transformers fans to the Magic: The Gathering universe.
- Directed collaborations with external vendors to produce high-quality art for game design, animation, mobile applications, and multi-platform marketing campaigns, ensuring visual cohesion and brand integrity.
- Led production of the Energon Cube collector's set, engineering innovative box design with limited edition foils and limited edition holographic cards, as well as custom dice, enhancing the market appeal of the final product.
- Oversaw art direction for Magic: The Gathering's Transformers Secret Lair: Brothers War, working alongside artists from IDW and Marvel to craft game aesthetics inspired by the Generation 1 series and Shattered Glass storyline, incorporating iconic characters and stills from the animated series to resonate with dedicated fans.
- Led creative direction for game design projects, ensuring alignment with brand vision and target audience.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop cohesive marketing strategies and promotional materials.
Senior Concept Artist
Funko
Everett, WA
01.2014 - 01.2018
- Oversaw product development for Funko's licensed products, specializing in game and horror franchises, including ideation stages, concept & packaging design, prototyping, factory approvals, and related marketing.
- Expanded Funko's portfolio by helping conceptualize and launch Funko Store's first original IP, Wetmore Forest.
- Raised visibility and brand recognition by orchestrating an online fundraising event in partnership with Funko, Chris Pratt, and Marvel Studios in efforts to build a new location for the Lake Stevens Boys & Girls Club.
- Auction donations were matched by Pratt and went towards modernizing a new building while hosting a grand opening event.
- Broadened the consumer base by introducing independent gaming licenses to product lines, including Bendy & the Ink Machine, Cup Head, and Five Nights at Freddy's.
- Served as a consultant, leading the final art direction for Funko's first mobile game GearsPop!, in association with Microsoft's Gears of War.
Education
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Fine Art with an emphasis in Oil Painting & Art History, Psychology
Pacific Lutheran University
TacomaAssociates Degree - General Studies
Edmonds Community College
EdmondsSkills
- Creative Art Direction & Artistic Vision
- Trend Research & Concepting
- Brand Strategy & Development
- Illustration & Conceptual Design
- Vendor & Artist Management
- Product & Package Design
- Social Media Content & Strategies
- Adobe Creative Suite
- ZBrush / Blender / Nomad Sculpt
- Google Slides
Accomplishments
- Helped develop the first independent IP for Funko's brick and mortar store, The Wetmore Forest.
- Designed & Debuted the first D2C collectible set for WotC's Transformers TCG, The Energon Cube,
Certification
Ready To Rise - Mentorship Program, Corporate Leadership Series, Remote
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Spanish
Limited Working
Timeline
Senior Design Lead
Big Fish Games / JetSynthesys
01.2022 - Current
Outsourcing Art Director
Ravensburger North America Inc.
01.2020 - 01.2022
Art Director, Transformers TCG
Hasbro | WotC
12.2018 - 01.2022
Senior Concept Artist
Funko
01.2014 - 01.2018
Associates Degree - General Studies
Edmonds Community College
Bachelor of Fine Arts - Fine Art with an emphasis in Oil Painting & Art History, Psychology
Pacific Lutheran University