Design Manager & Creative Director
Davide Mancini
Helping companies become brands through their visual assets and communication campaigns. Busy coordinating multi-disciplinary teams to build projects and work together smoothly. Delivering on time and within budget.
Experience
I’m a creative director and brand designer helping companies become brands through their visual assets and communication campaigns.
Currently, my predominant work responsibilities involve contributing to brand strategy development to deliver, through design, the right message in the best form for the business case / client’s objectives.
My key focus areas are:
- Making projects a creative and commercial success – I lead the creative execution during the design stage in collaboration with a wide range of other communities including planners, account and project managers, artworkers, copywriters, photographers, illustrators, and animators
- Overseeing production while paying excellent attention to detail and to the client’s brand guidelines.
What has brought me here:
- 10+ years of experience working as Art Director and Graphic Designer.
- Generating clear ideas and concepts in tandem with the copywriter.
- Producing sketches, storyboards and art-layouts based on creative visions and ideas.
- Understanding marketing initiatives, strategic positioning and target audience
- Capable of taking responsibility for owning, shaping, developing and delivering creative projects
- Contributing to successful new business and farming efforts, as well as pitches.
Throughout my career, I have had the pleasure of working with international brands such as Adidas, Amex, S.Pellegrino, Galbani, Allianz, IBM, Birra Poretti, Durex, Husqvarna, Sky, G-Star RAW and many others.
— Amsterdam & Rotterdam, NL
DPDK
| April 2021 / Present
Creative Director
- Manage 12+ UX &UI designers, Brand designer and Motion designer
- Supervise department’s daily workflow, assigning project workloads, roadmapping and monitoring deadlines
- Revise content and presentations, approve/reject ideas, provide feedback to the team
- Lead projects with internal and external resources
- Direct brainstorming meetings and creative sessions
- Conceive and implement concepts, guidelines and strategies in various creative projects and oversee them to completion
Catawiki
| April 2020 / Present
Sr. Design Manager
- Design, workshop and implement brand visual guidelines
- Lead and design communication campaigns with internal and external resources
- Collaborate, design, and participate in marketing, branding and UX initiatives
Spotzer
| December 2018 / March 2020
Design Manager
- Managed 10+ designers plus 2 external contractors
- Designed guidelines and UI best practice
- Implement team’s mission, vision, and goals
- Trained several internal and external design teams
Newcraft
| June 2018 / November 2018
Senior Creative Consultant
- Developed marketing initiatives and digital campaigns
- Creative lead for client acquisition
- Mentored junior designers
G-Star RAW
| November 2017 / May 2018
Senior Creative
- Created holistic marketing campaigns
- Lead creative on photoshoots
- Collaborated with copywriters on concept creation
TBWA\United
| November 2016 / October 2017
Art Director / Designer
- Visual and design lead for advertising campaigns
- Supervised photo and video productions
- Partnered with a copywriter on creative concepts
- Focused on new business acquisition
- Developed campaigns for Adidas, JTI, Hermitage Museum
— Milan, IT
Ogilvy
| May 2012 / October 2016
Art Director
- Visual and design lead for advertising campaigns
- Supervised photo and video productions
- Partnered with a copywriter on creative concepts
- Focused on new business acquisition
- Responsible branding assignments
- Developed campaigns for Amex, S.Pellegrino, Allianz, 3Wind
M&C Saatchi
| April 2011
/ May 2012
Art Director
- Visual and design lead for advertising campaigns
- Supervised photo and video productions
- Collaborated with copywriters on creative concepts
- Focused on new business acquisition
- Developed campaigns for Husqvarna, Sky, Fastweb, Genertel
McCann Worldgroup
| October 2010 / March 2011
Junior Art Director
- Curated visual and design on advertising campaigns
- Assisted Creative Director on creative concepts
- Developed campaigns for Durex, Birra Peroni, Royal Caribbean, Dr. Sholl
Italia Brand Group
| February 2010 / August 2010
Junior Art Director
- Curated visual and design for advertising campaigns
- Partnered with a copywriter on creative concepts
- Developed campaigns for La Gardenia, TeleTu, Eridania
Giroidea
| April 2007 / December 2009
Graphic Designer
- Curated and designed textbooks and industry-specific magazines
- Designed and (front-end) coded websites
- Collaborated on brand design projects
“Make it simple,
but significant.”
Don Draper, Mad Men
— Skills
Analytical thinking and attention to detail. Understanding of trends and an ability to respond to customers’ wishes. Creativity and ability to produce innovative and original ideas. Teamwork and resource management. Written and verbal communication skills in English (fluent) and Italian (native).
Deep knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite, in particular Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, as well as Sketch, Figma, Frontify, Salesforce, Atlassian Jira and Asana.
Typography, calligraphy, photography (analogic and digital) are my passions.
- Branding
- Creative Development
- Marketing Strategy
- Team Management
Branding
- 10+ years experience
- Over 50 logos and brand identities created
- 3 years experience with brand teams
- Brand guidelines workshop and implementation
Creative Development
- 9 years experience as creative in advertising
- 20+ international clients
- 90+ new business pitches
- Creative ideation and production
- Delivering presentations
Marketing strategy
- Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
-
Experience with contemporary digital tools, platforms, and channels
- Digital advertising experience
Team Management
- Managed design teams of 15+ members
- Oversee of external contractors
- Train internal and external teams on design
- Experience with hiring and team building
Awards & Education
— Awards
NC Digital Award
Bronze in Public Interest Services
Wind Italia – St.Valentine Experiment (film web / activation)
2016
A’Desing Award
Iron Award in Graphics and Visual Communication
David Quotes – Typography Project
2015
DMA Echo Awards Italia
Bronze
Ceci n’est pas un Lion – Print Ad
2015
— Education
IED – Instituto Europeo di Design
Master’s Degree
Visual communication: CSP – Art Direction
2008 – 2009
Arte & Messaggio
Associate’s Degree
Graphic Design
2005 – 2007
IPSC Caterina da Siena
Foundation Degree
Graphic Design & Communications
2000 – 2005
I’ve worked with





