I am a Creative Director with 30 years of global experience specializing in brand strategy, corporate identity systems, and integrated visual languages. I've had the privilege to work with blue-chip clients across technology, finance, FMCG, and hospitality sectors, translating business objectives into compelling brand architectures and cross-platform campaigns. My expertise includes Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, and AI-assisted concepting tools, with leadership experience managing creative teams and engaging stakeholders. Outside of client work, I am passionate about design education, having developed curricula and mentored many students internationally. I am driven by a desire to create consistent, impactful brand experiences and am open to on-site, hybrid, or remote leadership and consulting roles worldwide.…

Charl Grabe

I am a Creative Director with 30 years of global experience specializing in brand strategy, corporate identity systems, and integrated visual languages. I've had the privilege to work with blue-chip clients across technology, finance, FMCG, and hospitality sectors, translating business objectives into compelling brand architectures and cross-platform campaigns. My expertise includes Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, and AI-assisted concepting tools, with leadership experience managing creative teams and engaging stakeholders. Outside of client work, I am passionate about design education, having developed curricula and mentored many students internationally. I am driven by a desire to create consistent, impactful brand experiences and am open to on-site, hybrid, or remote leadership and consulting roles worldwide.…

Available to hire

I am a Creative Director with 30 years of global experience specializing in brand strategy, corporate identity systems, and integrated visual languages. I’ve had the privilege to work with blue-chip clients across technology, finance, FMCG, and hospitality sectors, translating business objectives into compelling brand architectures and cross-platform campaigns. My expertise includes Adobe Creative Cloud, Figma, and AI-assisted concepting tools, with leadership experience managing creative teams and engaging stakeholders.

Outside of client work, I am passionate about design education, having developed curricula and mentored many students internationally. I am driven by a desire to create consistent, impactful brand experiences and am open to on-site, hybrid, or remote leadership and consulting roles worldwide.

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Language

Afrikaans
Fluent
English
Fluent
Spanish; Castilian
Beginner

Work Experience

Art & Design Teacher / Creative Consultant at International Schools (China, Malaysia, Colombia) & Sky Bar / Designseed – Malaysia
January 1, 2025 - July 23, 2025
Developed design curricula and mentored over 300 students, with 92% progressing to top design programs. Advised Sky Bar on rebranding and customer experience improvements, increasing footfall by 38% in six months. Delivered corporate-identity workshops emphasizing brand consistency, luxury positioning, and brand architecture.
Creative Director at UltraBlack – Johannesburg
December 31, 2014 - July 23, 2025
Directed a full corporate-identity refresh for Health4Men that secured multi-year US funding for LGBT health services. Guided visual-identity extensions for Samsung and sub-brands, improving compliance scores from 68% to 95%. Managed a 12-person creative team and standardized brand-review processes that reduced rework by 30%.
Senior Designer at Chillibush Communications – Johannesburg
December 31, 2012 - July 23, 2025
Developed a unified visual-identity system for the Industrial Development Corporation covering 20 economic sectors, which was adopted as the official national guideline. Produced corporate collateral, annual reports, and infographics that increased aided brand recognition by 22%.
Senior Designer at Red Rocket Design – Johannesburg
December 31, 2010 - July 23, 2025
Redesigned Seltzer beverage packaging and corporate identity, doubling market share with design remaining effective for over 20 years. Delivered logo updates and packaging refreshes increasing shelf visibility by 30% across three FMCG lines.
Creative Director at Striata Email Marketing – Johannesburg
December 31, 2008 - July 23, 2025
Defined digital brand guidelines for Fujitsu; launched an interactive email campaign which raised brand equity by USD 1 million within 12 months. Standardized a modular email-design system used across six enterprise clients, reducing turnaround times by 40%.
Lecturer, Graphic Design at University of Pretoria & Open Window – Pretoria
December 31, 2007 - July 23, 2025
Taught corporate identity, typography, and brand theory to undergraduate students, with coursework still referenced today. Served as Creative Director for the Disney Channel South Africa launch, achieving a 96% unaided brand awareness in the first week.
Creative Director at Co-lab – Cape Town
December 31, 2005 - July 23, 2025
Led branding and product design programs for Cape Town International Convention Centre and Hyatt Hotel Group, delivering cohesive brand experiences that boosted event bookings by 25%.
Creative Director at Bryan Slingers Partnership & Global Edge Design – Johannesburg
December 31, 2001 - July 23, 2025
Built Old Mutual’s first online corporate-identity and UI framework, doubling cross-border account uptake. Received awards including 2× International Web Page Award Finalist and Loerie Finalist for Interactive Design.
Freelance Senior Designer at Workstation Solutions – London
December 31, 1998 - July 23, 2025
Produced rapid-turn brand assets, adhering to strict corporate identity guidelines for multinational retailers such as Boots, Coca-Cola, Disney, Getty Images, Sainsbury, and Tesco.
Design Assistant at TBWA\Hunt\Lascaris Gavin Reddy – Johannesburg
December 31, 1996 - July 23, 2025
Supported brand-identity development for SAB, MTN, FNB, ANC, and Nando’s, gaining grounding in high-impact storytelling through design.

Education

BA (Honours) Information Design at University of Pretoria
January 1, 1994 - December 31, 1994

Qualifications

Certificate in Higher Education
January 1, 2016 - December 31, 2016

Industry Experience

Consumer Goods, Financial Services, Healthcare, Education, Travel & Hospitality, Media & Entertainment, Non-Profit Organization, Software & Internet
    paper DesignSeed Malaysia

    Rebranding a YouTube Channel brand identity
    Expanding to website and other channels
    Expanding to online homeware merchandise


    paper Seltzer packaging redesign

    Re-skinned Seltzer’s beverage line—market share doubled and the design is still on shelf 20 years later.