Ian Schumacher — Senior Designer & Brand Strategist

02 — ABOUT

The full picture.

I'm a senior graphic designer and brand strategist with 12+ years of experience across the full design spectrum — from hands-on print production and screen printing, to running my own creative studio, to managing a multi-brand design system for one of the largest automotive franchise networks in the country.

At FullSpeed Automotive, I'm the sole creative responsible for 7 brands across 475+ franchise locations. That means I don't just make things look good — I build systems, manage brand integrity across dozens of stakeholders, and use modern tools (including AI-assisted workflows) to improve creative output at scale.

Before that, I founded and operated Printability LLC, a full-service creative studio in Bozeman, MT offering branded merchandise, screen printing, and graphic design. Running a business taught me things most designers never learn: how to own a project end-to-end, how to manage client relationships, and how to make decisions when there's no one above you to ask.

I'm based in Denver, CO and open to senior in-house and brand management roles — in Denver, Bozeman, Duluth, Spokane, or remote.

Multi-brand at scale

7 brands / 2 franchise groups simultaneously. Most designers manage one brand at a time.

End-to-end ownership

Concept → production → print/digital delivery. No handoffs, no gaps.

Business operator

Ran a company. Most designers haven't. That changes how you think about work.

Modern toolkit

Figma, AI-assisted workflows, After Effects, Mailchimp. Not just Adobe CC.

01 — SELECTED WORK

Case studies.

Full gallery at inksandicons.com →

01 — BRAND SYSTEM

FullSpeed Automotive Brand System

Building and maintaining a unified design system across 7 brands and 2 franchise groups — 475+ locations, zero inconsistency.

Brand Strategy Guidelines Multi-Brand Print + Digital

View Case +

↳ The Challenge

FullSpeed Automotive operates 7 distinct consumer brands under one parent company. Each brand has its own identity, customer base, and franchise network — but needed to coexist within a coherent system. As the sole designer, I was responsible for making that happen across every touchpoint.

↳ My Role

Sole designer and brand manager. I owned the brand guidelines development, template creation, franchise rollout communication, and ongoing asset production across all 7 brands. Everything from in-store signage to digital campaigns to convention identity.

↳ The Work

Developed comprehensive brand guidelines for each brand. Built a scalable template library for print and digital. Created franchise marketing toolkits adopted across all channels. Managed brand reviews, approvals, and updates on an ongoing basis.

Brand guidelines — typography, color, usage rules

FullSpeed environmental application across franchise locations

Environmental / in-store application across franchise locations

Brand system across print and digital channels

↳ The Result

Brand system deployed across 475+ franchise locations. Consistent visual identity maintained across print, digital, in-store, and environmental channels for all 7 brands simultaneously. Franchise marketing adoption rate improved through standardized template library.

02 — EVENT IDENTITY

Annual Convention Branding

Designing the complete visual identity for FullSpeed Automotive's annual brand conventions — including a fully digital event.

Event Identity Environmental Design Digital Event Print Production

View Case +

↳ The Challenge

Design a full event identity system for FullSpeed Automotive's annual conventions from scratch — covering signage, stage, print, digital screens, badges, programs, and attendee materials. One of those events pivoted to a fully digital format, requiring a complete rethink of the design approach.

↳ My Role

Led all visual identity work for 3 annual conventions. Owned concept development, production design, and delivery across print and digital. For the digital event, designed all screen templates, virtual backgrounds, motion graphics, and digital attendee materials.

↳ The Work

Created a bespoke event identity for each convention that worked within the parent brand system while standing on its own. Delivered hundreds of production-ready assets for physical and digital deployment across multiple vendor partners.

Convention print materials — badges, programs, signage

Print materials — badges, programs, signage, environmental

Digital event — screen templates and virtual backgrounds

Digital event — screen templates, virtual backgrounds, presentations

↳ The Result

3 annual conventions fully designed and delivered. Complete event identity systems — from concept to production-ready files — for in-person and digital formats. Each convention had a distinct visual identity that reinforced the parent brand while creating its own memorable moment.

03 — REBRAND

Grease Monkey Rebrand

A full visual identity overhaul for Grease Monkey International — rolled out across 200+ franchise locations nationwide.

Rebrand Franchise Rollout Print + Digital 153% CTR Lift

View Case +

↳ The Challenge

Grease Monkey's visual identity had grown inconsistent across hundreds of independently-operated franchise locations. The brand needed a cohesive refresh that could be adopted at scale — across signage, print, digital, in-store, and marketing materials — without disrupting franchise operations.

↳ My Role

Led the full rebrand as sole designer. Responsible for identity development, brand guidelines, franchise communication, template library creation, and rollout coordination. Also owned ongoing multichannel campaign creative, including email and digital advertising.

↳ The Work

Redesigned the full visual system — color, typography, photography style, iconography, and tone. Produced the complete franchise rollout kit: signage specs, print templates, digital asset libraries, and brand guidelines. Managed the creative for all outbound marketing campaigns.

Before — existing brand materials pre-rebrand

After — new brand system applied across touchpoints

↳ The Result

Brand rolled out across 200+ franchise locations. Digital and email campaign creative improved click-through rate by 153% year-over-year through creative strategy and A/B testing. Franchise brand compliance improved significantly through standardized toolkits.

04 — PROCESS INNOVATION

AI Workflow Implementation

How I integrated AI tools into the design process to improve output quality and reduce production time — as the sole creative for 7 brands.

AI Tools Workflow Design Process Innovation Creative Ops

View Case +

↳ The Challenge

As the sole designer for 7 brands, volume and speed are constant constraints. I needed to find ways to maintain quality across an expanding workload without adding headcount. AI tools offered a path — but only if integrated thoughtfully into an existing production workflow.

↳ My Role

Identified, tested, and implemented AI tools across the creative workflow. Built prompt systems and production templates that allowed consistent, brand-accurate output at speed. Documented the workflow for future reference and potential team adoption.

↳ The Work

Integrated AI tools for asset generation, copy drafting, image preparation, and creative review cycles. Built brand-specific prompt libraries for each of the 7 brands. Streamlined the review-and-revision loop with AI-assisted iterations before sending to stakeholders.

↳ The Result

Meaningfully reduced production time on repeatable asset types. Improved output quality through faster iteration cycles. Created a documented, repeatable AI workflow that scales with the brand portfolio — a model that translates directly to any in-house design team looking to work smarter.

12 years building
brand systems
that scale.

The full picture.

The portfolio of brands.