+ Creative Director
+ Art Director
+ Photo Stylist
Chris Charles is a creative leader passionate about purposeful design and visual storytelling. His experience spans campaign, print, digital, and environmental design. His work has been awarded by AIGA Houston, featured in HOW magazine, and selected for juried exhibitions. He brings a sharp eye, steady leadership, and a collaborative approach to every project.
CAREER OVERVIEW:
A summa cum laude graduate of the University of Houston, Chris Charles holds a BFA in Graphic Communications.
He has built a diverse career across boutique studios, agencies, and in-house creative teams. He began at PH Design Shop, where he worked across branding, print, and identity design.
At Norton Creative, he served as Art Director, specializing in branding, menu systems, and photography direction within the hospitality industry.
He now leads the brand studio at Drunk Elephant as Executive Director, Creative overseeing a team of designers. His role blends strategic leadership with hands-on art direction across photography, video, photo styling, and set production. He is responsible for shaping brand campaigns, email + e-commerce design, product launch assets for global markets, print collateral, and packaging design.
When Chris isn’t in the studio, you can find him in the kitchen experimenting with new recipes or in a plane flying to his next travel destination.
SELECT CLIENTS:
Beauty & Wellness
Drunk Elephant
Education & Institutions
Rice University
University of Houston,
Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture
Editorial & Media
Cite Magazine
Downtown Magazine, Houston
Hospitality & Food
Buffalo Wild Wings
Sonic Drive-In
Au Bon Pain
Bob Evans
Corner Bakery
Benjy’s
Local Foods
Dish Society
Crave Cupcakes
Romano’s Macaroni Grill
Joe’s Crab Shack