Heather Gray
Creative Director
I lead award-winning creative for global beauty portfolios. Positioning, copy, design, and the people who make it. Work that travels, scales and converts.
About me
I'm Heather Gray, a still-in-the-file type of global creative director. I build brands, most of them in beauty, four at a time these days. A midwesterner at heart, currently in Boston.
20+
Years of experience
20
Largest Team Led
35
Brands Led
4
Creative Orgs Rebuilt
Expertise
Positioning — The argument, and the words for it.
· Positioning and brand architecture
· Naming
· Voice and messaging
· Copy direction
Platforms — Built for other people to scale.
· Identity systems and brand guidelines
· Global toolkits and market guardrails
· Packaging systems and retail architecture
· Campaign platforms and asset libraries
· Briefing, workflow and review systems
· Design systems for digital and ecommerce
Applied Innovation — New tools that actually ship.
· Generative AI in concepting and prototyping
· Data visualization and market analysis
· TouchDesigner and experiential
· Python, R, Tableau
Experience
Creative Director
Helen of Troy
2025 - Present
Leading a four-brand beauty portfolio, from packaging to ecommerce. Rebuilt the team to 12 across copy and design. Rebranding/refreshing three of the four and taking them global, with one creative system holding across EMEA, Canada and LatAm.
Global Creative Director
Congo Brands
2023 — 2023
Led the creative transformation of a high-growth CPG portfolio with a team of 8. Built the brand playbooks, asset libraries and workflows the organization still runs on.
Founder + Creative Director
…duh
2009 — Present
My own practice. Brand building and rebrands across beauty, CPG and DTC: Benefit, Dr. Dennis Gross, Hampton Sun, Wild Elements, Honey Mama's, Oakshire Beer, Alec's Ice Cream.
Creative Director
Fred Meyer Jewelers, Kroger
2018 — 2019
Brought in to modernize the brand and its e-commerce experience, working directly with the CEO and CMO. Rebuilt the in-house creative.
Creative Director
MyNorth Media
2015 — 2016
Art direction across three media divisions and multiple monthly titles. Built and ran a network of 30+ freelance photographers and restructured the workflows that got every issue out on time.
Senior Art Director
Sephora
2006 — 2009
Launched the brand identity for Beauty Insider, still running twenty years later. Environmental graphics and monthly merchandising turnovers across 350+ stores. Packaging, photo shoots, special projects, and the design team behind all of it.
Testimonials
Donna H
Director - Innovation & Design
"Heather is exceptional in every sense of the word. I've worked with many creatives, but she's absolutely brilliant—bold, strategic, and creates work that's visually stunning. She sees the big picture and just gets it in a way that will transform how you think about your brand. Her ideas will take you beyond what you thought possible."
Leyla S
Photographer
"Working with her is always such a great experience. She’s incredibly easy to collaborate with, communicates clearly, and has an amazing ability to paint the full creative picture so everyone on the team understands the vision and feels aligned from the start. She gives direction in a way that feels thoughtful, clear, and collaborative, which makes the entire creative process flow so naturally. On top of being an incredibly talented Creative Director, she’s genuinely such a cool person to work with — the kind of client who makes you excited for the next project together."
