Creative direction is being repositioned as an ecosystem role
Kate Spade appointed Jonathan Saunders as executive creative director across product design and visual identity.
A reminder that creative direction increasingly spans product, identity, and experience.
The Story
Kate Spade New York has appointed Jonathan Saunders as executive creative director, with responsibility spanning product design and visual identity. The role reports to and partners with the brand’s president and CEO.
That structure reflects a wider change: creative direction is no longer only about campaigns or seasonal imagery. It is increasingly responsible for how a brand behaves across objects, interfaces, retail, content, and culture.
For a small studio, the practical takeaway is to define direction as a set of connected decisions. A strong creative concept should be able to guide a logo, a landing page, a motion cue, a product detail, and the tone of a launch email. ([tapestry.gcs-web.com](https://tapestry.gcs-web.com/news-releases/news-release-details/kate-spade-new-york-names-jonathan-saunders-executive-creative?utm_source=openai))
Studio Wensday Angle
The most resilient creative direction travels well across touchpoints.