The Elf on the Shelf × Topix Media
Creative Leadership for an Annual Publishing Partnership
2019 - 2024
ROLE
Art Manager of Design
DISCIPLINES
Creative Leadership · Art Direction · Publishing Design · Brand Stewardship
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A Partnership
in Print
Beginning in 2019, I contributed to The Elf on the Shelf annual magazine, a publishing collaboration between The Lumistella Company and Topix Media that brought the brand's characters, stories and activities into a nationally distributed print publication.​
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Over six consecutive editions, my work contributed to the creative development and production of a publication enjoyed by families nationwide.
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Six Issues. An Evolving Role.
My early contributions included original advertising layouts, activity designs and supporting creative assets.
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​In 2022, my responsibilities expanded to leading the creative process on The Lumistella Company's side of the partnership. I directed internal design assignments, reviewed creative submissions and coordinated feedback between internal stakeholders and the Topix Media team.
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The role required balancing hands-on creative contributions with team leadership, production timelines and cross-company collaboration.
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Maintaining
the Magic
Working with an established character brand requires more than visual consistency. Every illustration, character interaction and branded element must align with the world audiences already recognize.​
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​Across the annual publications, I helped maintain brand integrity by reviewing artwork, identifying outdated or unapproved assets, correcting character proportions and ensuring creative applications followed established guidelines.
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This attention to detail carried through design reviews, production proofs and final approvals.
Beyond the Pages
Each edition brought its own creative challenges, decisions and opportunities to refine the final publication.
What made this experience especially rewarding was contributing to something that extended beyond the creative process itself—a finished publication that families could discover, enjoy and return to year after year.​
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Across six editions, it was a chance to help shape a familiar brand experience in a format that reached readers beyond its traditional storytelling platforms.
NEXT PROJECT
