Joel Gaurano

• Associate Designer for Indoor and Outdoor Furniture, Back-to-School and Outdoor Pillows, Storage and Pet categories for Kohl's private label brands (Sonoma, Big One, and St. Nicholas Square).
• Associate Designer for Hard Tabletop, for Kohl's privately owned brands (Food Network, Celebrate Together, Jumping Beans, and Big One).
• Partner with Product Development teams to develop go-to-market strategies based on sales, competitor analysis, and current trend information.
• Conceptualize, design, and work directly with vendors to develop product. Create style guides and design pages for vendors that establish product parameters, including color palette, desired materials and finishes, and product types.
• Mentor for several Assistant level designers, providing professional guidance and support through this stage of their careers.
• Served as coach for Art/Design intern, providing training and support by clarifying daily responsibilities, answering questions, giving timely feedback, and organizing shadowing opportunities.

• Responsible for development of key item drivers from concept to completion, including trend analysis, style guide creation (encompassing color palette, material and finishes), design and sample review and approval
• Direct contact for vendor community regarding all stages of product development for assigned categories, as well as overall product category management, including overseas experience to finalize product assortments
• Collaborate with merchant teams to develop go-to-market strategies through the analysis of sales, competition and current trend data
• Manage packaging artwork creation for in-house and national brands, including Jaclyn Smith, Ty Pennington, Color Switch Plus, Die Hard, & Craftsman
• Develop and communicate overall creative direction for all facets of marketing, including catalogue, circular photography, digital assets, and in-store signage to the marketing and photography studio teams

• Co-manager of flagship product line, responsible for managing production timelines, quality control and safety, and trend development
• Developed customer-specific products and programs through the analysis of sales, margin, target retail, and trend information, including the creation of new flavor profiles of nation brands such as Hershey, Nestle, and Peeps
• Designed category relevant seasonal products – Easter baskets, candy novelties, popcorn tins, and other food-gifting items – for several mass and drugstore retailers, including Target, Walmart, and Kmart
• Managed artwork design for seasonal licensed novelty and food gifts, working on the top licenses of DC Comics, Disney, Marvel, and Warner Bros., and served as a comprehensive trend resources for customers and licensors

• Designed licensed artwork for Children’s Apparel categories, working on the top licenses of DC Comics, Disney, Marvel, and Warner Bros.
• Developed product and designed artwork for privately branded children’s sleepwear of top retailers, including Target, Walmart, and JC Penney
• Responsible for creation of vendor technical packs, including the collaboration with cross-functional teams to ensure pack completion

• Responsible for the development of key item drivers for the Home Décor, Stationary, and Fashion Accessories team, including trend analysis, style guide creation, design, and sample review and approval
• Developed product and designed artwork for celebrity brands of Nicky Hilton and Bethany Hamilton