Briana is a multi-disciplinary creative professional currently residing in Minneapolis, MN
Art Director. Creative Director. Designer. Artist.
Briana has been working as an independent art director + creative director for over a decade curating a distinctly unique career path as a self-taught designer with a business school background. Briana has had the inimitable opportunity to collaborate with a number of high-profile personal clients in music, film, fashion and the action sports industry in tandem to her ongoing freelance/project-based work as an art director within traditional and digital advertising/design agencies.
Briana’s professional work spans interactive and traditional advertising, web design, packaging design, branding & identity, illustration, textile & apparel design, spatial design, social media content development, conceptual brand building and tangible product development.
Briana is also a self-taught artist who found her way into fine art through her works painted on paper salvaged from NYC food delivery bags while living in Brooklyn NY. Frightened by the blank white canvas and the limits of perfectionism, this substrate offered freedom to create without concern of commitment.
*PS. No one else knows how to pronounce Briana Auel’s last name either. Pro tip: Auel = All. As in “Briana is all that and a bag of chips.”
WORK EXPERIENCE //
Gamut Gallery | Exhibitionist, Volunteer | MPLS | 2022-present
Briana Auel Creative Studio, LLC | Consultant, Creative Director | NYC + MPLS | 2010-present
Briana Auel, LLC | Fine Artist | NYC + MPLS | 2016-present
Steven Soderbergh // Singani 63 // Extension765 | Creative Director | NYC | 2013-2015
Grenade Gloves | Consulting Creative + Design Director | NYC | 2012-2017
Hunt Adkins | Interactive Associate Creative Director | Minneapolis | 2007-2009
Gabriel DeGrood Bendt | Art Director | Minneapolis | 2005-2007
DDB | Art Director Intern | Chicago | 2004-2005
Select Freelance Agency List:
Horizontal, BBDO NY, Redscout, HUGE, Y&R NY, Draft FCB, 360i, Tribal DDB, McCann/MRM NY, Publicis NY, DDB NY, Dentsu, Atmosphere BBDO, Publicis NY, Colle McVoy, Carmichael Lynch, Gyro, Razorfish, Brew, Mother, Hub Strategy & Communications, Wunderman NY, Gluttony, Captain Worldwide, ICF Next, Beyond.
Select Full Time + Freelance Agency Brand & Client Experience:
Odwalla Juice, Coca-cola, Google, MTV, Activision Video Games, Nikon, Goodwill, Northern Tool & Equipment, Starbucks, Citi Bank, Oreo, Axe, Hasbro, Purina, Fisher-Price, Advil, Canon, Redbull, Bard’s Beer, Anheuser Busch, Phillips Vodka, Diageo, Bacardi, Pepsi, &Pizza, Samsung, Blume Honey Water.
Select Personal Clients:
Film Director Steven Soderbergh(Extension765, Singani 63,), Vans, US Olympic Snowboarder Danny Kass (Grenade Gloves, Dover Snowboarding), Mimi Chengs Dumplings NYC, Carvalho Park New York (art gallery), Breathe Pilates, Kikkerland, Photographer Anna Webber, The Prelude Projects Fund (arts non-profit), Heartless Bastards (ATX indie rock band), Coyote Ventures (Femtech VC).
INSTRUCTOR//
Miami Ad School | Interactive Concepting | 2007-2009
EDUCATION//
Miami Ad School | Art Direction | 2003-2005
The University of Minnesota, Curtis L. Carlson School of Management | B.S.B. in Business, Marketing | 1999-2003
Long-term personal clients/collaborations:
Director Steven Soderbergh | Design & Creative Direction | NYC
"Let's just make some stuff together and see how it goes" is exactly how this gig started out. First with a few t-shirts for Extension765, a unique marketplace curated by film director Steven Soderbergh which morphed into leading conceptual design, strategy and creative direction on the launch of Soderbergh's Bolivian liquor brand Singani 63. Our work together got a lot of press, including this Fast Company article about the project and this write-up on Artnet.
Photographer Anna Webber | Creative Direction | NYC
Working and sharing a Studio with Lifestyle, Fashion and Music portrait photographer Anna Webber lead to combining forces to create Volition Creative Collective, a photographer/creative director duo. Leading Creative Direction, my partner and I both co-share roles ranging from client negations, set design, staffing assistants, lighting and styling. Most recently shooting a Social Influencer campaign for Coach in conjunction with Live Nation and Ticketmaster for the Gary Basemen designed “Wild Beast” line launch. Another recent highlight was art directing a shoot with world-renowned music producer Mark Ronson at the famed Electric Lady Studios.
Olympic Snowboarder Danny Kass | Grenade & Dover | Design Direction | NYC
Grenade Gloves is an action sports outerwear company founded by by two-time Olympian SIlver medalist winner and pro snowboarder Danny Kass. Besides being an icon as an Olympian, he is also the face of Nike SB snowboard division, serving as their Celebrity Athlete. I provide design and creative direction on apparel and textiles along with traveling to China, Taiwan and Japan to meet with manufacturers, distributors and photo document a mission that included Pro Skateboarders Braydon Szafranski, TomTom Ryen and Pro Snowboarders Scotty Blum and Danny Kass.
ADDITIONAL FUN FACTS:
Briana is also a writer, vocalist, shitty guitar player, ambidextrous, a certified Reiki energy healer, and a volunteer with Art Buddies and Gamut Gallery. Briana spent almost a decade in NYC where she once fell backward off the top of a 10 ft ladder—the great news is that she’s still alive to tell you this less fun fact.