Susan Alvarez

HOLA!

I’m Susan. Raised by immigrants; Cuban by blood, Puerto Rican by birth, Californian by culture. I’m a Brooklyn-based Art Director who has worked both full-time and freelance with brands, retailers, global and experiential agencies, tech companies, startups, and production companies across San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, and New York.

My work spans print, digital, social, TV, event spaces, virtual experiences, and brand design—with a little comic relief when deadlines get tight. I’m inspired by ’80s jingles, comic books, the smell of eucalyptus,
and #dadjokes.

Experience

Freelance Creative / Art · New York City
2020–Present
LEGO, Apple, Disney, Marvel, Google, YouTube, BarkBox, WeWork

Associate Creative Director · Gyro, New York City
2018–2020
Hiscox, EmblemHealth

Freelance Art Director · The Marketing Arm, New York City
2017–2018
Snickers, Exxon and Mobil, Philips

Freelance Art Director · Toronto
2016–2017
Ogilvy & Mather — Tim Hortons, American Express, Moneris, Dove
Cineplex Digital Media — McDonald’s, Bank of Montreal
Nordest Studio — Canada Day, Royal Bank of Canada
Briteweb — Tides

Freelance Art Director · Chicago
2014–2016
Havas — Moen, Sears, Kmart, Hefty, Reynolds
FCB — Cox Communications
Arc Worldwide / Leo Burnett — McDonald’s
Fathom — Hunter, Optimum, Propel

Senior Art Director · Fathom, New York City
2012–2014
Optimum, Propel, Montenegro

Freelance Senior Art Director · Havas, New York City
Hershey’s, Pearle Vision, Charles Schwab

Freelance Art Director · San Francisco
2011–2012
Doremus — Gorilla Glass
Pearson Foundation — Common Core, Learning Starts
Inferno Ltd. — Nokia
Teak — Sony, Disney
EVB — Zynga

Art Director · Nice Advertising, San Francisco
2009–2011
Jelly Belly, Crystal Geyser, Togo’s, California State Parks

Junior Art Director · Nice Advertising, San Francisco
2007–2009
Sunsweet, Jelly Belly, Crystal Geyser, Andeluna Cellars

Education

Academy of Art University · San Francisco
BFA, Art Direction · 2004–2006

University of California, Davis · Davis, CA
BA, Communication and American Studies · 1999–2004

Skills

Art direction, brand design, layout design, Adobe Creative Cloud, AI-assisted concepting and visual exploration, building IKEA furniture

Bilingual: Fluent in Spanglish
Nimble and committed: I get the job done—fast.

Interests

Cooking, piano, basketball, and dad jokes