John Whittington

John Whittington

 
Architecture & Interiors
Retail Environments
Leveraging 15+ years of experience spanning architecture firms, advertising agencies, experiential marketing, and specialty retail.
My specialization is bridging the gap between conceptual ideas and the built environment.

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Where it began...

My journey began in retail management, where I learned firsthand that a beautiful design is useless if it doesn't work for the team on the ground. That experience defined my career mission: to become the voice that connects the creative studio with the sales floor.

Today...

With 15+ years spanning Architecture, Scenic Production, and Brand Activation, I act as the bridge between abstract concepts and concrete visuals. Whether managing national rollouts for Ulta Beauty or designing immersive events at Upshot Agency, I combine artistic vision with technical precision to deliver environments that are as functional as they are inspiring.

Me at Pier 1 Imports
Me, earlier in my career working hard at Pier 1 Imports

Professional Expertise

01.

Consumer
Experience

Crafting intentional touchpoints and interactive journeys that convert visitors into loyal brand advocates.

02.

3D Modeling
& Visualization

Creating photorealistic renderings and walkthroughs that bring concepts to life before a single brick is laid.

03.

Retail Design
& Visual Merchandising

Designing end-to-end retail environments that prioritize customer flow, merchandising efficiency, and brand storytelling.

04.

Experiential Activation
& Shopper Marketing

Pop-up stores, event spaces, and temporary installations designed for maximum impact and social sharability.

Selected Works

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Shop In Shop Concept

Project Details Client Private Workplace Upshot Agency ...
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Brand Partnership

Project Details Client Scotts Miracle-Gro Workplace Upshot Ag...
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In-Store Marketing

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In-Line Brand Shop

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Professional History

Upshot Agency

Sr. Art Director | 3D Environments
  • Large-Scale Experiential Design: Directed the creative vision and spatial design for high-profile immersive events, including the Gold Network Summit (GNS) for Constellation Brands. Concepted, designed, and detailed environments for flagship brands (Corona, Modelo, Pacifico), translating marketing strategies into 15,000–30,000 sq. ft. of immersive brand storytelling.
  • Technical Documentation: Developed a Design Intent drawing and specification package to guide projects from design development through pricing, scenic fabrication, and final show build. These packages ensure the creative vision is accurately interpreted, streamlining communication and aiding in pricing and value engineering.
  • Strategic Optimization: Designed flexible, modular fixture programs and standardized "kits of parts" for recurring events. This approach maximized budget efficiency and allowed resources to be reallocated toward high-impact custom experiential features.
  • Immersive Consumer Engagement: Engineered interactive environment features—including photo ops and product sampling stations—to drive consumer engagement. Managed aesthetic finishings and integrated scenic lighting to enhance the emotional impact of the space.
  • Shopper Marketing Activation: Continued to serve as the primary 3D resource for retail activations, developing innovative 3D concepts for in-store POP displays and endcaps to maximize product visibility.

Ulta Beauty

Design Manager
  • Strategic Expansion: Directed the interior layout and exterior storefront design for 200+ new locations, adapting prototypes to meet specific site conditions, tenant guidelines, and local codes.
  • Concept presentations: Presented architectural floor plans, merchandising strategies, and proposed storefront visuals to the CEO and executive team for the design and planning phase final sign off.
  • Essential Alignment: Engineered and populated a central database of 100,000+ physical store attributes across 1,000+ locations. This "single source of truth" synchronized the Operations, Marketing, Merchandising, and Construction departments, driving a consistent and successful in-store guest experience.

Gensler

Designer
  • Retail Branding: Executed retail branding and concept development for high-profile clients (Gap, Banana Republic, Bank of America), translating brand identity into tangible consumer environments.
  • Fixture Design: Designed custom fixtures and layouts that enhanced product presentation and customer flow.
  • Project Delivery: Managed the full design lifecycle from design development (DD) through construction documentation (CD) and administration for retail spaces ranging from 1,000 to 18,000 sq. ft.

FREELANCE WORK

Principal Designer
  • Hospitality Design: Executed full-scope design for multiple Baker & Nosh locations and strategic space planning for Candlewood Suites.
  • Residential Projects: Delivered comprehensive design services for private residences (Johnson, Shunick), encompassing space planning, kitchen & bath design, construction documents, and 3D visualization.
  • Scenic Design: Concepts, Visualization, and Fabrication for diverse clients including Dana Hotel & Spa, Chicago Youth Shakespeare, Kankakee High School.
  • Theater Production: Designed, budgeted, procured, and fabricated stage sets for seven Hubris Productions shows as well Prop Master and Set Decoration duties.

Education & Accreditations

Bachelor of Science

Interior and Environmental Design
Illinois State University

Bachelor of Science

Art/Theatre Production
Illinois State University

LEED Accredited Professional

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