Christopher Armstrong

Freelance Industrial design consulting - working with a wide variety of domestic and international clients in the outdoor/performance/tactical/action sports industries. pecializations include hard goods design (industrial design), soft goods design (cut & sew), footwear design / technical apparel & accessories design and development, technical knit performance socks, graphic design, logo design, brand design, art direction, 3D modeling & rendering, CAD design (tech packs), website design, exhibit / POP display design and trade show design, retail store / interior design, prototype design & engineering, and concept design for film and video games. Clients include Gridiron Labs (Future NFL Helmet), Sony Playstation, Microsoft, LPK, Soulcake Creative, Inhance Digital, Traveler’s Choice Luggage, Scribble Pad Studios, Castex Hollywood Rentals, DEVO BMX Training Academy, and others.

Lead Product Designer for partner companies EVS Sports and LIFT Aviation:
LIFT AVIATION: Full design and development of highly technical performance footwear design at the factory level - including Patented technology and Fire Resistant tesing / ratings, delivered 5 footwear styles with three colorways each (15 models) in under 1 1/2 years, including all fitting Last development, and CMF (colors/materials/finishes) sourcing. Development work including full BOM’S (Build of Materials), patent documents, outsole injection molding & tooling, Rhino 3D CAD modelers, working with athletes, full QC of inventory recieved, customer service calls. Worked directly with the CEO and VP of Design to set new direction for this startup brand, positioning within aviation marketplace and maximizing tooling investments with minimum footwear parts. Technical Koroyd impact Aviation helmet shell design / surfacing. Technical cut & sew soft goods with emphasis on advanced functionality and style from the worlds of racing, high fashion, and outdoors. Provided full development calendars, Excel schedule spreadsheets, and factory communications to ensure most successful end results. Worked to cooridnate supply chain with team product develpors & product managers, worked with executive teams to deliver design solutions that fit within cost & margin & timeline requirements. Trade show booth designs, high-impact POP display & exhibit designs, involvement with packaging and catalogs, ads, copywriting, Brand Standards (DNA) & graphic style guides, marketing & brand management.

Lead Product Designer for partner companies EVS Sports and LIFT Aviation:
EVS: Technical snow apparel / outerwear, CE rated impact motocross protective gear (chest protection, hard shell elbow part, hard shell knee), work with advanced injection molded tooling and carbon fiber layups, packaging including hang tags and CE booklets, work with overseas vendors. Soft impact knee pads (TP199 LITE), technical knee braces, work with in-house material library including impact materials, foams, biofoam, carbon fiber composites, fire resistant materials, leather goods and synthetics, Rhino 3D CAD modelers, full technical packages & highly detailed revision specs communicated with factory production partners in Asia. Contributed to office layout designs and special team projects that helped to improve team morale. Innovative problem solving through hands-on building of functional test prototypes in the in-house shop facilities, and through 3D printing/prototyping partners - which were tested out of office and in the field (mountain bike, Moto). Actively lead team initiatives to champion and support a culture of product excellence and innovation through collaborative teamwork with Senior Designers, Junior Designers, and VP of Design. Worked with athletes, internal & external sales & marketing teams to gain product insights and feedback.

Industrial Designer responsible for all aspects of the full design/product cycle, from design sketching and rapid concept generation, to presentation renderings, followed by generating full design specs for development and overseeing multiple rounds of revisions directly with the manufacturing suppliers. Also responsible for graphic design of POP retail displays, product packaging/hang tags, catalogs, email blasts, and other marketing collateral as well as providing a brand roadmap through visionary marketing campaign to set the products apart from the competition in the military/tactical marketplace.

Contract product design and graphic/branding design. Product design includes developing a brand DNA through military soft goods products such as backpacks, apparel, gloves, soft goods and protective gear. Graphic design and branding work includes developing a visual identity and new branding campaign for the 2014 revamp of Condor’s 20 years in the military industry. Worked with domestic and overseas vendors and suppliers to develop prototypes and salesman samples through multiple rounds of revisions.

Lead designer responsible for providing performance/lifestyle footwear for clients including Piloti, O’neill, Diadora, Hot Wheels, Puma, Vespa, Firefly, Mckinley, Airwalk and others. Sketching and conceptual design development, trend and market research, colors and materials design and development, photo-realistic presentation renderings and development tech packs. Strongle involved with communication with clients and overseas suppliers and building relationships. Also tasked with the marketing and branding strategies for a small design consultancy as well as pitch presentations to prospective clients. During my time with the company I aided in securing numerous new contracts with multiple major brands in the footwear industry, and sourced, trained and managed a small team of designers including two interns.

Contract designer for Black and Decker home housewares division. Primarily responsible for revitalizing the brand and designs of Pfister faucets. Involved in sketching and research development, presentation rendering, prototyping/CAD, and graphic design. Worked directly with marketing, engineering and overseas development teams to ensure successful design solutions.