David Forth

Creative Art Director and Illustrator with 20+ years of experience producing high-quality visual storytelling across education, entertainment, and technology organizations. Experienced in leading creative initiatives from concept through execution while collaborating with designers, engineers, product stakeholders, and cross-functional teams. Advanced expertise in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects, and digital illustration with a strong understanding of visual systems, brand consistency, and scalable creative workflows.

Adept at translating complex concepts into clear, engaging illustrations and motion graphics that enhance user understanding and strengthen product experiences.

Illustrator, AI Animation & Creative Technology at Disney Studios (Present)

• Produced visual communications and AI-driven creative initiatives supporting animation, storytelling, and digital production.
• Collaborated with artists, designers, engineers, legal teams, and executive leadership to deliver complex creative projects.
• Created presentations, visual assets, and production materials while maintaining consistent brand standards.
• Helped establish creative workflows that improved production efficiency and organization of shared digital assets.
• Evaluated emerging AI-assisted creative tools to improve illustration, animation, and production workflows.
• Supported multiple concurrent projects while consistently meeting deadlines.
• Define brand pillars: Connect style traits to core brand values.
• Establish visual grammar: Set rules for line weights, perspective, and lighting.
• Build color systems: Define primary, secondary, and functional UI colors.
• Determine motion principles: Specify easing, duration, and physics for animations.
• Audit existing product: Identify all surfaces requiring asset replacement.
• Create hero assets: Illustrate high-visibility anchor pieces for core product screens.
• Develop spot illustrations: Design smaller, contextual graphics for empty states.
• Animate micro-interactions: Build lightweight motion loops for success states and loaders.
• Test in-product scaling: Verify clarity across mobile, desktop, and dark mode.
• Optimize technical output: Export lightweight formats like SVGs and Lottie/DotLottie files.
• Publish component libraries: House all assets in Figma and code repositories.
• Write style documentation: Document do's and don'ts for external vendors and internal teams.
• Host alignment workshops: Educate product designers on when and how to use visuals.
• Set up intake processes: Create a request pipeline for teams needing new custom assets.
• Iterate via feedback: Refine the style based on user testing and performance data.

Creative Director / Production Lead at California College of the Arts (2017-01 – 2020-01)

• Directed creative production for digital media, illustration, and multimedia initiatives from concept through delivery.
• Designed illustrations, graphics, presentations, and promotional materials supporting academic and creative programs.
• Developed visual standards and production workflows that maintained consistency across projects.
• Collaborated with faculty, designers, artists, and technical teams to deliver high-quality creative solutions.
• Mentored artists in illustration, typography, layout, branding, and professional production techniques.
• Managed multiple deadlines while maintaining exceptional quality and attention to detail.

Visual Storytelling & 3D Assets Production Manager at The Art Institute of California (1995-01 – 2000-01)

• Produced digital illustrations, layouts, educational graphics, and promotional materials using Adobe Creative Suite.
• Managed concurrent creative projects from concept through production.
• Organized creative assets and maintained production documentation.
• Worked closely with faculty and production teams to communicate complex concepts through visual storytelling.
• Maintained high standards for design quality, consistency, and production accuracy.

BFA – Academy of Art University

MFA – Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)

– School of Visual Arts (SVA)