Darryl Powlus

About Darryl Powlus

Creative leadership is more than just good design. It’s about building a brand world that connects emotionally, performs commercially, and evolves with culture. As a VP of Brand and Creative with global experience across fashion, retail, lifestyle. I bring a rare blend of creative instinct and strategic clarity to every engagement. My work lives at the intersection of storytelling, design systems, and cultural relevance. From elevating billion-dollar brands to leading high-profile collaborations and AI-integrated content workflows, I’ve helped shape the identities of legacy and emerging brands alike. Past work includes reimagining Carter’s brand expression across digital and retail, leading the Little Planet launch into a top organic baby brand, and crafting celebrity-led campaigns at New York & Company that drove both buzz and business. I’ve led teams ranging from agile pods of 3 to 20+ multi-disciplinary creatives, including designers, writers, art directors, and content creators. I build environments where collaboration thrives, talent grows, and the work stays bold, relevant, and clear. Fluent in tools like Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, and emerging AI platforms including Firefly, ChatGPT, Midjourney, and Sora, I lead teams to work smarter, faster, and with intention. Mentorship, brand integrity, and storytelling that resonates — these are my through lines. I’m passionate about connecting people to brands in ways that feel both elevated and human. If you’re looking for a creative leader who can scale vision into execution, elevate teams, and bring new energy to established ideas, let’s connect.

Experience

1. Founder Creative

   Creative Evolution

   Mar 2023 — Present · Atlanta, GA, US

   Independent Consulting Practice Led a range of brand, creative, and marketing initiatives for emerging and established clients, spanning fashion, lifestyle, wellness, and consumer tech. Projects ranged from full brand development and strategic positioning to campaign storytelling, team mentorship, and creative operations.VP, Brand & Creative – Custom Brand Service (CONTRACT) Recruited by a boutique agency to elevate creative leadership and bring structure to a growing client portfolio. Partnered directly with client and brand teams to define vision, build launch toolkits, and mentor internal creatives. Developed foundational brand systems, from tone-of-voice and initial templates to visual codes and QA processes, while improving internal workflows and team scalability.Crafted brand identities and content systems across channels: email, digital, social, and print.Provided hands-on leadership for high-touch clients navigating change or brand repositioning.Scaled creative operations by introducing formalized processes, team mentorship, and org design recommendations, elevating output, consistency, and long-term efficiency.

Education

• Temple University

  Bachelor's degree