Blair Van Nort

Harry’s is the “Razor With a First Name,” because it was designed for people, people like you.

We partnered with Mythology & Buck to develop these modular multi-platform commercial spots that speak to 3 different razor RTB’s — comfort, value and durability. We developed the 360 omni channel campaign in house and continued testing, learning and iterating the ads.

We created alternate edits of the script, we iterated on the musical cues, we added alternate branding components and we tested different versions of the voice over to optimize the performance of the commercial.

Our brand team wanted to blow out Holiday 21 with a maximalist approach to celebration - so we brought the illustrated party that you see on the front of our packaging to life IRL. We worked with the illustrator Josh Cochran to create wild and colorful 3D sets that would transport the audience from the world that you see on the outside of the box into the party happening at the Harry’s Hotel.

Videos Directed by: Max Basch • Still Photography by: Heami Lee

Harry’s photo art direction was in a spiral when I arrived at the brand in 2021. Every new category launch had been executed with a different Art Direction style which meant that there was no consistent approach to photography and brand identity being utilized across the product assortment.

I developed a comprehensive new art direction system for evergreen product photography to create a more cohesive and own-able look-and-feel that would cascade across all categories.

During this period I also helped build out an internal photo studio that we used to capture this new aesthetic as well as our other pressing needs for content on organic and paid social (more on this at the end).

This deck was populated to all of our partners and key stakeholders to explain “the why” behind the new approach to photography.

Harry’s creates a custom handle every year for Pride and donates all proceeds to the Trevor Project. For Pride 2022, the Harry’s design team developed a custom non-gendered razor that could be used for Face & Body. It utilized cartridges from both Harry’s and Flamingo and was the first time both brands showed up in retail as a joint product.

This campaign sought to normalize the binary space of shaving because everyone grows hair, regardless of how we identify.

As the Creative Director on this project I saw this concept through from package design to campaign execution.

Photographer: Lia Clay Miller ~ Illustrator: Ohni Lisle

Harry’s created a limited edition glow in the dark razor in collaboration with the renown electronic record label Ghostly International. So to bring this campaign to life the creative direction took inspiration from 90s underground raves and neon light installations by Dan Flavin.

Photos by Heidi’s Bridge.

We developed tis standalone content series to show how guys from different walks of life use Harry’s wide array products to get ready for their day. The informal and whimsical aesthetic was inspired by French New Wave Cinema.

Promoting travel during Covid times didn’t seem like something we could stand behind in good conscience - so we devised a fun and surreal holiday gifting campaign that spoke to the anxiety of the moment and the fantastical ways that future travel might evolve.

We tapped legendary artist Robert Beatty to help us bring these scenes to life.

Just because we can’t travel right now doesn’t mean we can’t dream about getting away. This concept transports Serena from her home to some of her favorite cities.

Lifestyle photos by Myles Loftin • Still Photos by Vanessa Grande • Sets by Mat Cullen

This was a visual rebrand for Away. We created a new visual approach that leans into authenticity and storytelling with more depth and texture than previous campaigns. We wanted to develop a stronger and more visceral connection with the core product through diversity of character, place and the travels that we go on with our luggage.

Lifestyle Photos by Paolo Zerbini • Still Life Photos by Timmy Shivers

This series of growth ads was conceptualized in house by my team and then developed and produced w/ Barcelona based agency Soon In Tokyo.

Serena Williams is an icon like no other, but when we travel there’s a common ground that connects us all. This campaign takes inspiration from the airport carpets at some of Serena’s favorite destinations (Portland, Miami & Tokyo) and uses that as the starting point for an editorial photo shoot that celebrates the places we go.

Photos by Camila Falquez / Videos by Max Basch

Sometimes little trips can take you far out places and this concept plays with the zen of travel. This is a campaign we developed with Barcelona based agency Soon In Tokyo.

This design collaboration was inspired by Rashida Jone’s connection with Ojai, California so we used the magical elements of nature in the valley as a backdrop for this campaign.

Lifestyle Photos by Abby Ross • Still Photos by Jamie Chung • Sets by Sonia Rentsch

The concept for this campaign was that our new aluminum suitcase colors reflect your story and the places that you’ve been. Because the bag is made of aluminum it will inevitably get dinged up as you travel - creating a personalized imperfection that’s unique to your travels. Since the suitcases are also reflective (literally), we wanted to create a unique space that allowed the different colors to shine through. So we created a timeless neon world that told colorful stories about the places our characters have been.

Photos by Kenneth Capello

This Pantone collaboration had two parts - a pre-launch announcement and a campaign launch. We wanted both parts to be rooted in a celebration of the 2020 color of the year: classic blue.

For the announcement phase we captured the way that blue manifests itself in the real world and for the launch phase we created a travel world of blue textures made out of graphic design cues.

Lifestyle Photos by Timmy Shivers • Sets & Still Photos by Wade & Leta

The launch of the Stainless Steel Collection created many unique obstacles for Caraway. This was their first set of cookware not made with the ceramic materials which meant that we needed to revisit all touch points of customer product interaction from scratch.

As the Creative Director - I oversaw every aspect of the campaign development from package design to creative conceptualization, copy direction, digital product design and content design for marketing and growth.

Still Photography: Cason Latimer | Lifestyle Photography: Lindsey Swedick | Ecomm Photography Marshall Troy

The launch of the Prep Set and Cutting Boards was Caraway’s first unique set of cooking accessories. The creative campaign needed to communicate versatility and functionality as well as the unique way these pieces all work together in a synchronous and modular way.

As the Creative Director - I oversaw every aspect of the campaign development from package design to creative conceptualization, copy direction, digital product design and content design for marketing and growth.

Still Photography: Alex Lau | Lifestyle Photography: Lindsey Swedick | Ecomm Photography Marshall Troy

The launch of the Squareware Collection was Caraway’s first foray into new pan shapes outside of the traditional circular style. The creative campaign needed to lean into the new versatility and dimensionality that these new pieces would add to the cooking experience.

As the Creative Director - I oversaw every aspect of the campaign development from package design to creative conceptualization, copy direction, digital product design and content design for marketing and growth.

Still Photography: Cody Guilfoyle | Lifestyle Photography: Lindsey Swedick | Ecomm Photography Marshall Troy

• Art Direction

• Web Design

• UI/UX Development

My role at J.Crew focused on creating the most compelling web experiences possible. My responsibilities involved concepting, pitching, photo directing, graphic design and web development. The scope of our projects varied from homepage takeovers to website features, style guides to cheat sheets. We created many innovative & educational shopping journeys to help make it easier for customers to find the right style, fit or trend.

• Art Direction

• Web Design

• Photo Direction

• Content Strategy

In this role I was responsible for the concept, development and execution of all seasonal and promotional digital marketing campaigns. This included producing and art directing the photography and video content, as well as designing most web and email creative. I helped transform the visual look and feel of static monthly product drops into compelling multi-tiered campaigns. My leadership and creative vision promoted better shopping experiences that boosted click-throughs (+34%), conversions (+26%) and sales (+22%).

Below are some examples of the different campaigns that I worked on.

• Creative Direction

• Web Design

• Content Strategy

360 web, social & album packaging created for the rollout of NYC band the Rassle’s new album Roll On. 

 http://www.therassle.com/

• Creative Direction

• Graphic Design

This is a 360 campaign for the ReMastered Netflix Series. I revised the branding and identity to better reflect the social and political undertones that are hallmarks of this musical documentary series.

• Creative Direction

This is a campaign pitch I put together for the Hulu Product Marketing team.

The goal was to find a fun and engaging approach for a campaign that would help make users aware that finding something to watch on Hulu is now faster and easier than ever.

This campaign concept takes inspiration from the idea that bad guys have more fun.

• Creative Direction

• Brand Identity

This is a proof of concept that I was developing for a mouthwash brand. The concept was to shift the perception of mouthwash from an oral hygiene product to a lifestyle brand. The culture shift involved elevating the classic plastic packaging shape, evolving the normal colors associated with dental hygiene as well as developing a new type of voice to communicate with a different type of customer.