Melissa Otis — Design and Product Development Executive
The Low Down
I am a design & product development executive building creative teams and multi-million dollar products in gifting, lifestyle, apparel & licensed IP.
§1Featured Case Studies
Six chapters, 2002–2026Lovepop
Product Development, Built from the Ground Up
Built Lovepop's licensed and non-licensed product divisions — 75+ launches per quarter on a 4-week speed-to-market cycle, from plush to light & sound to suncatchers.
$50M+ company growth
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Life is Good
Spreading Optimism, One Design at a Time
Directed graphics across every category for a ~$100M lifestyle brand, and helped build the direct-to-garment function now printing 14,000 units/day.
Best year in 27 years
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Victoria's Secret PINK
Bringing One Voice to the Brand
Led the apparel graphics team, built PINK's first cohesive hangtag system, and branded the PINK segment of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
$1B+ brand
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Papercut Collective
Still Creating Together
A passion project with the former Lovepop design team — shared prompts, themes, and color palettes, interpreted in our own ways each week.
A weekly art practice
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American Eagle Outfitters
Men's & Women's Graphics
Lead graphic designer across denim, wovens, polos, tees, and fleece — designing to value price points through the 2008–09 downturn.
~$3.1B peak revenue
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Abercrombie & Fitch · Ruehl No.925
Apparel Graphics
Four years of apparel graphics during a period of major growth, including the initial logo tee collection for the premium Ruehl No.925 men's concept.
$2.0B → $2.8B growth
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§2About
A career spent building things that didn't yet exist.
I've spent my career building creative teams and products people actually love — from Abercrombie to Lovepop. What I care about most: building things that don't yet exist, improving what's already there, and inspiring and developing the people who bring them to life.
I came up through the ranks as a graphic designer at Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle, moved into leading creative teams at Victoria's Secret PINK and Life is Good, and at Lovepop took the next step — from leading graphics to fully owning product development, building both the licensed and non-licensed divisions and scaling the business to $50M+. I'm looking for my next chapter leading creative or product development at a consumer brand with real heart behind it.
§3Leadership Impact
Roles & outcomes2018–2026
Lovepop
VP, Design & Product Development
Built the product organization from the ground up — licensed and non-licensed divisions, 75+ launches per quarter, $50M+ in company growth. Managed up to 15 direct reports across the US and Vietnam.
2014–2018
Life is Good
Art Director, Consumer Goods
Directed graphic design across every product category for a ~$100M lifestyle brand, leading partnerships from Dunkin to Aly Raisman, Garth Brooks, and National Geographic.
2011–2014
Victoria's Secret PINK
Senior Graphic Manager
Led the apparel graphics team for a $1B+ brand, built its first cohesive hangtag system, and led branding for the PINK segment of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Early career
Abercrombie & Fitch · American Eagle
Graphic Designer
Came up through the ranks as a graphic designer, building the foundational craft and category storytelling that launched a career in creative leadership.