Nordstrom Pride

Art Director – Motion & Brand | DEPT × Nordstrom
 

Role & Context

As Art Director (Motion & Brand), I led the design strategy and motion direction for Nordstrom Pride, a social-first campaign centered on authentic LGBTQ+ representation and community celebration. The campaign focused on partnering with queer ballroom families and performers to connect meaningfully with a Gen Z audience that values cultural fluency, credibility, and values-driven brands.
 

Overview

Social-first Pride campaign centered on authentic LGBTQ+ representation, partnering with queer ballroom families and performers to meaningfully connect with Gen Z.
 

The Challenge

Gen Z audiences are highly attuned to performative Pride campaigns. Nordstrom needed to show up credibly and respectfully within queer culture while creating content that felt native to social platforms.
 

Design Strategy

• Culture-first collaboration: Ballroom families and performers led the tone, energy, and expression

• Motion as identity: Sharp hits, fluid transitions, and confident pacing mirrored ballroom performance

• Social-native formats: Short-form, loopable content optimized for Gen Z viewing behavior
   

Impact

• Elevated visibility for queer ballroom communities

• Strong cultural resonance with Gen Z audiences

• Reinforced Nordstrom’s commitment to authentic representation — not surface-level allyship
   

Why This Matters

This project shows how design strategy can serve as a form of cultural responsibility, using motion and collaboration to amplify real voices while building brand trust with younger audiences.