SKI GRAPHICS
At the heart of Wagner Custom is the ski itself. Over my time at Wagner, my team and I created more than 3,500 unique graphics for individual skiers, global brands, and collaborating artists around the world.
This included a curated annual collection of “House” graphics, fully custom designs for individual customers, and a rotating Artist Series that showcased guest artists and introduced fresh visual perspectives to the brand.
(To dive into the current selection of ski graphics created by my team and me, visit the gallery at wagnerskis.com.)
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WORKFLOW AND SYSTEMS
I developed and managed Wagner’s in-house graphics programme—aligning design processes with factory schedules, navigating dye sublimation material and production constraints, as well as building efficient workflows for client communication, file prep, and archival systems.
Overseeing the physical production of the ski topsheet, I ensured design integrity at every stage, trained team members, and collaborated closely with factory staff to maintain quality and consistency.
The topsheet creation process is briefly described between 0:57 and 1:31 here,
Video credit: Bloomberg.com
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ENVIRONMENTAL GRAPHICS
After 10 years in the original shop, Wagner moved into a purpose-built factory at the base of Telluride Ski Resort—gaining new visibility within the local community. To mark the transition, I refined the logo to reflect the brand’s evolution.
Despite its prime location along a busy pedestrian route between the resort and its largest hotel, the factory was often overlooked due to shared rental and office spaces. I addressed this by designing exterior interpretive graphics that turned the building into a self-guided tour of the ski-building process.
(To continue, click ‘+ Show More’ below.)
CURRICULUM VITAE | DESIGN
Creative Director and Brand Manager at Wagner Custom Skis
2007 - April 2025 | Telluride, CO, USA
In 2007, during their prototyping days, I started at Wagner Custom as the entire graphics department. Today, they sell over US$1.25m in product, and build 1000+ custom skis a year.
- Designed/managed all visual and communication collateral for the company across all platforms; from physical signage to print/electronic publications.
- Oversaw the marketing team, design team, and UX subcontractors to drive engagement and keep Wagner Custom at the forefront of the custom ski industry.
- Designed the current website and worked with developers to customise the platform migration to Shopify. This resulted in a jump of 203% in on-line sales.
- Personally designed over 2,000 unique graphics for customers around the world, working with everyone from the ski patroller down the street to celebrities and CEOs of global corporations.
- Created and continuously refined the graphics program for Wagner Custom, from communication with customers to the physical production of ski graphics.
- Worked across all factory departments to problem-solve and deliver new product ranges to attract a more diverse audience.
Skilled in Adobe CC, as well as Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and various project-related apps (Shopify, Squarespace, Klaviyo, Active Campaign, Airtable, Asana, etc.)
Graphic Designer at Telluride Film Festival (Seasonal)
Augusts 2014 - Present | Telluride, CO, USA
A team of three to four people design and execute all signage and physical assets across the entire 4-day Telluride Film Festival, including theatre, event, directional, sponsorship, and fundraising purposes. This is an intense experience as we manage an extremely tight design, printing, and production schedule of less than three weeks.
Signage Manager at Telluride Mountainfilm Festival (Seasonal)
2016 - 2020 | Telluride, CO, USA
Solely designed, managed the printing, and oversaw the delivery of all the signage for the in-person Mountainfilm Festival.
Publication Design for Greek 101 and Telluride Magazine
2000 - 2003 | New York City, NY and Telluride, CO, USA
During the summers before Wagner and before my NOLS career (see "Leadership") I worked a few contracts for various publications. They included the 2002 Greek 101 catalog and the 2000 Summer and Winter Visitor Guides for Telluride Magazine.
Graphic Designer at TANK Design
1996 - 1999 | Boston, MA, USA
At TANK I was responsible for every aspect of my accounts: graphic design, art direction, production and account management. My projects for clients such as Lotus (now part of IBM), New England Pottery, and Stride Rite ranged from promotion, sales and trade show materials to identity and brand management. My client, Stride Rite, alone accounted for one-third of our business at TANK.