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Hi, I’m Valerie Schwarz, a creative designer with 10+ years of experience shaping visual development, branding, and design across entertainment, product, and digital media. I thrive at the intersection of craft and strategy, guiding teams to deliver cohesive brand identities and high-quality design assets under tight deadlines. My work blends detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinking. I love building efficient design pipelines, collaborating across disciplines, and creating accessible, visually engaging solutions. In 2024 I founded Friendly Folk to bring folk-art inspired jewelry and home goods to life, and before that I led art direction for We Baby Bears and contributed to DuckTales, always aiming to elevate storytelling through strong visuals.…Hi, I’m Valerie Schwarz, a creative designer with 10+ years of experience shaping visual development, branding, and design across entertainment, product, and digital media. I thrive at the intersection of craft and strategy, guiding teams to deliver cohesive brand identities and high-quality design assets under tight deadlines. My work blends detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinking. I love building efficient design pipelines, collaborating across disciplines, and creating accessible, visually engaging solutions. In 2024 I founded Friendly Folk to bring folk-art inspired jewelry and home goods to life, and before that I led art direction for We Baby Bears and contributed to DuckTales, always aiming to elevate storytelling through strong visuals.

Valerie Schwarz

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Hi, I’m Valerie Schwarz, a creative designer with 10+ years of experience shaping visual development, branding, and design across entertainment, product, and digital media. I thrive at the intersection of craft and strategy, guiding teams to deliver cohesive brand identities and high-quality design assets under tight deadlines. My work blends detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinking. I love building efficient design pipelines, collaborating across disciplines, and creating accessible, visually engaging solutions. In 2024 I founded Friendly Folk to bring folk-art inspired jewelry and home goods to life, and before that I led art direction for We Baby Bears and contributed to DuckTales, always aiming to elevate storytelling through strong visuals.…Hi, I’m Valerie Schwarz, a creative designer with 10+ years of experience shaping visual development, branding, and design across entertainment, product, and digital media. I thrive at the intersection of craft and strategy, guiding teams to deliver cohesive brand identities and high-quality design assets under tight deadlines. My work blends detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinking. I love building efficient design pipelines, collaborating across disciplines, and creating accessible, visually engaging solutions. In 2024 I founded Friendly Folk to bring folk-art inspired jewelry and home goods to life, and before that I led art direction for We Baby Bears and contributed to DuckTales, always aiming to elevate storytelling through strong visuals.

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Valerie Schwarz, a creative designer with 10+ years of experience shaping visual development, branding, and design across entertainment, product, and digital media. I thrive at the intersection of craft and strategy, guiding teams to deliver cohesive brand identities and high-quality design assets under tight deadlines.

My work blends detail-oriented execution with big-picture thinking. I love building efficient design pipelines, collaborating across disciplines, and creating accessible, visually engaging solutions. In 2024 I founded Friendly Folk to bring folk-art inspired jewelry and home goods to life, and before that I led art direction for We Baby Bears and contributed to DuckTales, always aiming to elevate storytelling through strong visuals.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Expert

Work Experience

Location Designer at Disney Television Animation

January 1, 2025 - Present

Designed a high-volume set of backgrounds for a Disney YouTube animated series; tracked camera movements and shot hookups; fleshed out worlds from storyboards with minimal information; communicated proactively with production and art departments to improve efficiency and time management; developed an Excel-based asset tracker used across the art department.

Art Director at We Baby Bears

January 1, 2024 - September 12, 2025

Art Director on We Bare Bears spin-off We Baby Bears (Cartoon Network), a 90’s anime-inspired traveling series with multiple locations and characters. Hired and managed a team of 11 artists, 3 supervisors, plus freelancers. Collaborated with Showrunner(s), Producer, Supervising Director, Directors, Production staff, and art department Supervisors to plan episode feasibility and execution; established efficient pipelines while preserving premium visual direction; oversaw VFX in post-production. Joined mid-production after a previous Art Director's departure and steered production back on schedule and budget while reshaping the show’s style with minimal turnover; introduced novel visual techniques and alterations; partnered with overseas vendor studios to strategize in-house art; created color scripts; internally promoted and trained new supervisors.

Assistant Art Director at DuckTales

January 1, 2020 - September 12, 2025

Art directed the final season after the previous Art Director’s departure. Created visual development based on scripts. Managed a team of 15 artists. Designed and painted retake backgrounds. Worked closely with Episode Directors to achieve their envisioned look.

Founder & CCO at Friendly Folk

January 1, 2024 - Present

Founded a jewelry and home goods brand inspired by folk art and nature, creating all branding, product design, and marketing visuals. Designed and produced products and packaging from concept to manufacturing, ensuring quality through prototyping, vendor communication, and tech sheet creation. Built a cohesive brand style guide used for packaging, marketing, and e-commerce. Created all creative assets including digital ads, photography, social media, and website design. Managed budgets, bookkeeping, and inventory, integrating design with business strategy.

Art Director at We Baby Bears

January 1, 2020 - December 31, 2024

Directed visual design for an animated series, collaborating with producers, directors, and cross-disciplinary teams to maintain a strong visual identity. Hired and managed a team of 15+ artists, fostering creative growth and efficient production pipelines. Implemented process improvements that reduced inefficiencies and improved visual consistency. Partnered with international studios to align branding and design across markets. Oversaw color scripts, marketing assets, and visual reference materials.

Assistant Art Director at DuckTales

January 1, 2018 - December 31, 2020

Developed visual design concepts and production-ready art assets. Managed a team of 15 artists, ensuring alignment with creative direction. Collaborated closely with directors to achieve cohesive visual storytelling. Designed and painted retake backgrounds, adapting to evolving project needs. Designed fonts used in credits, main titles, and publishing.