Fractional Art Direction & Creative Strategy for
Food & CPG Brands
Whatcha cooking up?
You need senior creative leadership but you don’t need another full-time hire.
I work as an embedded fractional Creative Director or Art Director for food and CPG brands that want sharper brand identity, stronger campaigns, and a creative point of view they can trust, without the overhead of a permanent role.
You're a growing food or CPG brand, or an agency serving one,
and you've hit a point where:
-
Your creative output needs direction, not just execution.
-
You don't have the budget (or the need) for a full-time Creative Director.
-
You want someone who understands food and CPG specifically, not a generalist learning on your dime.
-
You need a partner who can move fast and plug into your team without a long ramp-up.
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Ongoing, embedded support, typically a few days a month.
-
I work inside your team as your creative lead, guiding brand identity, campaign direction, and content systems over time.
-
This is the right fit if you need consistent creative oversight without hiring in-house.
Fractional Creative Direction / Art Direction
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A defined scope and timeline for a specific need: a brand refresh, a campaign launch, a packaging system, a photo and content library.
-
I lead the creative vision from concept through final delivery.
Project-Based Creative Direction/Art Direction
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A shorter engagement built around an audit and a roadmap.
-
I look at where your brand's creative is falling short, whether that's visual consistency, content strategy, or photography direction, and hand you a clear plan to fix it, with or without me executing it.
Creative Strategy Consulting
Peruse my cookbook collection, featuring
some of my most recent client
and spec projects.
COMING
SOON
COMING
SOON
If your brand needs creative direction that understands food and CPG, let's talk about what that could look like.
READY TO DIG IN?
Fractional Art Direction & Creative Strategy
for Food & CPG Brands
Fractional Art Direction & Creative Strategy
for Food & CPG Brands
You need senior creative leadership but you don’t need another full-time hire.
I work as an embedded fractional Creative Director or Art Director for food and CPG brands that want sharper brand identity, stronger campaigns, and a creative point of view they can trust, without the overhead of a permanent role.
You're a growing food or CPG brand, or an agency serving one,
and you've hit a point where:
Your creative output needs direction, not just execution.
You don't have the budget (or the need) for a full-time Creative Director.
You want someone who understands food and CPG specifically, not a generalist learning on your dime.
You need a partner who can move fast and plug into your team without a long ramp-up.
Ongoing, embedded support, typically a few days a month.
I work inside your team as your creative lead, guiding brand identity, campaign direction, and content systems over time.
This is the right fit if you need consistent creative oversight without hiring in-house.
Fractional Creative Direction / Art Direction
A defined scope and timeline for a specific need: a brand refresh, a campaign launch, a packaging system, a photo and content library.
I lead the creative vision from concept through final delivery.
Project-Based Creative Direction/Art Direction
A shorter engagement built around an audit and a roadmap.
I look at where your brand's creative is falling short, whether that's visual consistency, content strategy, or photography direction, and hand you a clear plan to fix it, with or without me executing it.
Creative Strategy Consulting
SELECTED WORKS
As co-founder and sole creative lead, built the brand identity, packaging, photography, and marketing strategy from the ground up for a Chicago breakfast and CPG brand.
Morning Jay’s
Built a full brand identity from the ground up for a bold CPG dip line, including logo, color system, product naming, tagline, and packaging design across four SKUs, giving a crowded condiment category a genuine point of view.
Disco Dips
View Project
Led the creative direction behind a full menu photography refresh, aligning visual strategy with brand positioning across a high-volume production pipeline.
Home Chef Menu Refresh
View All Projects
View Project
View Project
RECOGNITION
RECOGNITION
Trusted by brands including:
HOW IT WORKS
INTRO CALL:
A 20-minute conversation to understand your brand, your gaps, and what kind of support makes sense.
INTRO CALL:
A 20-minute conversation to understand your brand, your gaps, and what kind of support makes sense.
PROPOSAL & SCOPE
I put together a clear scope, timeline, and engagement structure based on what we discussed.
PROPOSAL & SCOPE
I put together a clear scope, timeline, and engagement structure based on what we discussed.
KICKOFF
We align on goals, access, and cadence, then get to work.
KICKOFF
We align on goals, access, and cadence, then get to work.
ONGOING CHECK-INS
Regular touchpoints to keep creative direction sharp and aligned with your brand's growth.
ONGOING CHECK-INS
Regular touchpoints to keep creative direction sharp and aligned with your brand's growth.
RECOGNITION
Trusted by brands including:
HOW IT WORKS
INTRO CALL:
A 20-minute conversation to understand your brand, your gaps, and what kind of support makes sense.
PROPOSAL & SCOPE
I put together a clear scope, timeline, and engagement structure based on what we discussed.
KICKOFF
We align on goals, access, and cadence, then get to work.
ONGOING CHECK-INS
Regular touchpoints to keep creative direction sharp and aligned with your brand's growth.
Let’s Work Together
Available for creative direction, brand work, and content projects.
Chicago and beyond
© 2026 Nate Crawford Creative. All Rights Reserved.
LET’S WORK TOGETHER
Available for creative direction, brand work, and content projects.
Email: nate@crawfordcaptures.com