Hi! I’m Allie.

I believe in mission driven, consumer-centric design that is innovative, smart, unexpected and always delivers on it’s brand promise.

During my 12+ year tenure at American Girl I specialized in product art, consumer products, style guides and brand collaborations, managing many projects that simultaneously supported product design, retail, brand marketing and brand creative teams.

I progressed to the role of Design Manager by demonstrating versatility across graphic, product, and apparel design. I consistently translated complex ideas into clear, impactful visuals, effectively presenting them to executive leadership and external partners. I take pride in my strategic, solutions-oriented, and inspiring approach to leadership, problem solving, and cross-functional collaboration.

Key highlights include:

  • Spearheaded the design and launch of a cutting-edge custom design experience across three flagship retail locations within a six-month timeline.

  • Developed compelling pitch decks and innovative design concepts for high-profile partnerships, including collaborations with Disney and other Fortune 500 companies.

  • Collaborated with design teams at leading brands such as GAP, Posh Peanut, and Williams Sonoma to create apparel and lifestyle collections.

  • Designed comprehensive style guides and brand toolkits for numerous American Girl characters and sub-brands, ensuring consistency and creative excellence.

  • Led the expansion of a new consumer product line targeted at nostalgic adult audiences, enhancing brand relevance and market reach.

    I am a…

  • Product Designer

    With specialities in product art, collaborations and consumer products, I excel at blue sky brainstorming, as well as tackling projects with countless parameters and tight timelines. From concept to completion, I love problem solving and delivering big, bold solutions.

  • Graphic Artist

    I have an overflowing toolbox of tricks and skills: illustration, graphics, patterns, concept renderings, moodboards, pitch decks, templates, style guides, image editing, logos, production ready files, packaging dielines, and typography, to name a few.

  • Brand & Experience Designer

    I have a knack for storytelling, authenticity and style guide creation. I believe a brand is every consumer touch point and interaction, the feelings evoked, the promises made, the promises delivered, and each unique and memorable detail along the way.

  • Collaborator & Leader

    I work seamlessly on cross-functional teams, design teams and with external partners. I genuinely love to mentor, listen, facilitate, lead and inspire others. I am here to accomplish big tasks, get things done, and find clarity amid ambiguity. With a big smile on my face.

When not performing design wizardry…

You can find me doing art with my 7 year old daughter, riding the ferry, hiking Mt. Rainier, baking, or doing crossword puzzles .

Recommendations

Christina Schick

Vice President Brand,
Product & Content
American Girl

“I had the absolute pleasure of working with Allie at American Girl, and she quickly became one of those rare talents you hope to work with again.

Allie’s design instincts are spot-on. She brought a fresh, thoughtful approach to product design—always grounded in a deep understanding of our brand and audience. Her work was not only beautiful but purposeful, helping bring new life to core product lines and licensed extensions.

She also has an incredible knack for visual storytelling. Her presentations were consistently best-in-class—clear, compelling, and visually stunning. Whether presenting internally or externally, Allie knew how to make ideas resonate.

One of her biggest contributions was developing our first-ever licensing guides—something we’d talked about for years but never executed until Allie stepped in. She built them from scratch, and they quickly became a vital resource for partners and teams across the organization.

On top of all that, Allie is just a joy to work with—collaborative, proactive, and always positive. I can’t recommend her highly enough.”

Steve DeSpirito

Principal Designer
American Girl

“I had the pleasure of working with Allie for over a decade at American Girl, and she’s hands-down one of the most creative and inspiring people I’ve worked with. Allie brings a rare combination of design talent, strategic thinking, and an endlessly positive attitude - even in the most high-pressure situations.

She has a true gift for expressing ideas in visual form - always finding fresh, on-brand ways to bring color, materials, and finishes to life. Her mood boards alone are legendary: beautifully curated, full of insight, and always capturing the exact essence of a project before anyone else could articulate it. Whether she was leading collaborations with partners like Williams Sonoma, or creating toolkits and style guides that brought new character worlds to life, Allie always brought both vision and precision.

What I’ve always admired most is how she stays so calm and upbeat no matter what’s going on. Deadlines, pivots, pressure - Allie handled it all with a smile and a fresh idea. Her creativity and problem-solving helped move so many projects forward, and her leadership and mentorship were a huge asset to our team.

If you’re looking for a creative partner who brings not just serious design skill, but great energy, fresh thinking, and a collaborative spirit - Allie’s the one you want with you from concept to completion!”

Resume

  • B.F.A. IN GRAPHIC DESIGN
    Iowa State University
    College of Design
    May 2005, Graduated with Honors

    ROME PROGRAM
    Study Abroad, Rome, Italy
    Fall Semester 2004

  • STAFF PRODUCT DESIGNER
    American Girl
    Sept 2023 – March 2025

    • Licensed Partnerships & Collabs (GAP, Disney, Barbie)

    • Consumer Products style guides & product design

    • Retail Events, Experiences & Souvenir product design

    • Lead product art, graphics and toolboxes across brands

    PRODUCT DESIGN MANAGER
    American Girl
    March 2021 – Sept 2023

    • Lead product art & packaging teams

    • Sub-brand & Character style guides and toolboxes

    • New concept visuals and partnership pitch decks

    LEAD PRODUCT DESIGNER
    American Girl
    March 2015 – 2021

    • Lead team of 2-3 product art designers

    • Sub-brand & Character style guides and toolboxes

    • Manage & design Retail Events & Experiences

    SENIOR DESIGNER
    American Girl
    Sept. 2012 – March 2015

    • Design and illustrate product art & graphics across all brands, including print, apparel, toy & packaging

    • Design Retail Events, including crafts and doll product

    • Lead design and development of “Signature Studio” garment printing experience in flagship retail stores

  • DEVELOPMENT & COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR
    EarthCorps, Seattle, WA
    May 2011 – July 2012

    Global center for applied environmental leadership and community based restoration

    • Responsible for all communications, social media, photography, alumni relations, fundraising, event planning, and 2012 rebrand.

    AMERICORPS CORPSMEMBER & CREW LEADER
    EarthCorps, Seattle, WA
    2008 – 2010

    • Trained, mentored and supervised crews of international young adults in environmental restoration & volunteer management

    ART DIRECTOR
    Salem Publishing, Nashville, TN
    May 2005 – Jan. 2008

    • Art direction and design of six monthly magazines, supervision of two associate designers

    • Exhibition and marketing design

  • AMERICAN GIRL SHINING STAR AWARD

    Top honor from leadership to recognize work ethic and innovative project leadership of “Signature Studio” retail experience, 2015

    EVANGELICAL PRESS ASSOCIATION

    Publication Redesign, Second Place
    Preaching Magazine, 2008

  • VOLUNTEER ART DOCENT

    Kenmore Elementary School
    Kenmore, WA
    2023 – Present

    BASE 2 SPACE

    Fred Hutch Cancer Research Fundraiser
    Climbed the 832 open-air stairs of Seattle's space needle
    September 2018

    MATTEL/MICROSOFT INNOVATION BRAINSTORM

    Collaborative tech brainstorm participant and finalist
    El Segundo, CA, Fall 2016

    KRISTA FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

    Grant recipient, colleague and graphic designer
    Seattle, WA, 2008 – 2012

  • SOFTWARE & PROGRAMS

    Adobe Creative Suite
    Microsoft Office Suite
    Workfront
    Midjourney AI
    Keynote
    PLM/Agile

    LEADERSHIP SKILLS

    Product management
    People management
    Volunteer management
    Team building
    Art direction
    Brainstorm sessions
    Mentoring & coaching
    Collaboration & communication

    DESIGN SKILLS

    Product & toy design
    Apparel design
    Prints, patterns & textile design
    Graphic design & branding
    Illustration
    Magazine & book publishing
    Retail events & experiences
    Crafts design
    Photo editing
    Packaging design
    Trend research
    Technology & innovation
    Sublimation printing
    Style guide creation
    Consumer products