Former Reel FX Designer Joins Republic Design as Creative Director
Republic, a premiere production, editorial, and design collective headquartered in Uptown Dallas, announces the signing of Creative Director Jackson Armstrong to its Republic Design roster. A digital design specialist, Armstrong brings with him a seasoned track record of finding creative artistic solutions to complex motion campaigns, including emotive award winning work for clients such as AT&T, Frito Lay, and The Atlantic.
With a reputation for seamlessly blending beauty and complexity in his scenes, Armstrong views his projects as opportunities to push the creative limits of both the software he’s utilizing and his capabilities as an artist. His ability to combine his skills as both a traditional illustrator and a contemporary digital creator allows him to attack projects from multiple angles through various platforms. This is very evident in his most recent collaboration with Republic – a large multi-tiered campaign for financial services leader Charles Schwab with Dallas-based agency TRG.
“Jackson has been a vital creative force of the Dallas motion community for years, “ says Amy Aitken, Executive Producer of Republic Design. “We’ve had the opportunity to team up with him on multiple high-end design projects over the last several months, and throughout every level of the process I’ve been impressed by not only his artistic instincts but also his technical skill set. He’s a very intentional creator who levels up everything he touches – I am beyond excited to add him to our growing team.”
The son of an architect and studio artist, Armstrong grew up in Dallas, studying illustration in high school while attending the prestigious Booker T. Washington creative arts magnet. He began his undergraduate studies at Pratt in New York before returning to Dallas in 2008 to join leading architecture firm Corgan as an assistant in their in-house video department. Always exploring the landscape of what was possible at the intersection of illustration and design, he quickly rose through the ranks of their MediaLab division. In 2011, he followed a coworker across town to Reel FX, working in their growing commercial division and delving deeper into 3D. In addition to collaborating on complex CG projects for brands such as Frito Lay, Cinemark, Gold Bond, MADD, The Atlantic, Charles Schwab and quick turnarounds for the Cleveland Cavaliers during Lebron’s heyday, taught him how to cleverly build projects with strategic efficiencies in mind. After the company’s transition to more experiential work under the name Flight School, he gained deeper 3D knowledge working on interactive campaigns for Oculus, US Air Force, Samsung, and Lionsgate’s ‘Pacific Rim.’
“I’m thrilled to be joining such a strong creative powerhouse as Republic,” says Armstrong. ”The talent they’ve amassed in recent years along all layers of their production pipeline is just unparalleled in our market. On the design front, I’m pumped to team up again with Barrett Lewis and Patton Tunstall whom I worked with at Reel FX. I can’t wait to see what amazing work we’re all able to do together under Republic’s banner.”
Armstrong joins Republic’s curated roster of creative directors that includes Jesse James Jones Jr., Barrett Lewis, Patton Tunstall and Elijah Sheffield. “Jackson perfectly rounds out our creative offerings,“ says Aitken. “Having an illustrator adept at both complex motion graphics and traditional illustration is invaluable to any team.”
