Ciara Petruna
Creative / Art Director
Los Angeles, CA
ciarapetruna.com / welladvisedstudio.com
instagram @nalani_ / @welladvisedstudio
Q What do you do?
“As a seasoned Creative, Brand, and Art Director, I conceptualize and produce work for story-driven businesses, using market research, KPIs, and strategic thinking to inform creative choices.”
With an education in Film and Cultural Studios, I shape compelling stories, blending artistic POVs with marketing acumen to cultivate and grow authentic communities (and sales!). In layman's terms: I ideate and execute creative guidelines [not limited to direction for brand identity, product launches, copy, social channels, website, and photography] in order to deliver compelling assets across omnichannel communications with tight deadlines and without loss of brand integrity.
While I am a jack-of-many-trades, my expertise lies in photo direction and I offer end-to-end photography campaigns; from photo guidelines, creative direction for e-com and lifestyle, shot-list creation, and casting to on-set art direction."
Q What steps did you take to get to where you are now?
I was a highly creative, confident, video-obsessed kid in Cleveland who always chased authenticity over norms. This led me to art school where I received a BFA in Film/Video and a minor in Cultural Studies at Columbia College Chicago. After graduation, I spent three years freelancing as a creative on-set before jumping in-house as a Creative Brand Manager. I spent four years honing my skills and growing my responsibilities within marketing teams, eventually owning and directing all campaigns, photography, and overall brand narrative and creative direction. Concurrently, I started receiving direct inquiries from clients, which naturally evolved into freelancing for story-driven brands and within creative studios. Since 2019, I've been consistently freelancing and contracting, expanding my expertise and refining my craft.
Q How do you stand out in your field?
My background in marketing! I feel this is a distinctive feature in a field where many Creative and Art Directors emerge from design backgrounds. This positioning allows me to blend creative expertise with a marketing foundation, and gives me a richer understanding of a client's needs. Furthermore, my extensive background in photography guidelines and direction leads to creating visually compelling content that remains cohesive within a brand's identity.
This combination enables me to offer a holistic approach that enhances a brand story and delivers 360 work.
Q What are you working on right now?
I am currently wrapping up an Art Director contract with a small creative studio here in LA, where I led the direction of campaigns from conception through pre-production to on-shoot Art Direction for clients like Nike and PrAna.
I also run a creative studio with a partner, Well Advised Studio! We have a handful of projects we are working on right now; from building the identity for a yet-to-launch luxury candle brand, running the creative direction for a photo look book for a small leather-goods company, and building a brand identity and website for a bespoke NYC production company.
Q What’s your style?
I am really interested in aesthetics that feel authentic - rooted in something. Most of my experience is with luxury, sustainable and/or ethos-led brands. I think telling a story and building a community is the most important piece of my work and love partnering with like-minded businesses.
I prefer timeless over trends, playful over kitsch, and niche over mass.
Q Out of all your slashies, which one do you wish you could do more often?
Full service campaigns! I love to dream up a story to express across an omnichannel campaigns - from out-of-home to landing page and everything in between.
Q What is frustrating you right now?
I’m terrible at sharing my work, networking to find new clients (almost solely word-of-mouth), and overall marketing myself. Isn’t that ironic!
Q If you could hire someone for $20/hour, what would you have them do to make your day easier?
I’d love to have help with running my studio's social media. It really is a full-time job and always feels like the lowest priority.
Q What do you wish you could have told yourself, when, and why?
I would tell myself to put more energy into personal projects :)
Some of the work I am most proud of are projects I did for myself - I think you learn so much and are less precious when the stakes are low! I’ve been trying to be more thoughtful about bringing this creative playfulness to client jobs.
Q If you could talk to an expert to gain more insight on something, what would it be about?
My taxes, ha! Will they ever get easier?
Q What kind of opportunities/projects are you looking for?
I am looking for freelance/contract opportunities to build out creative campaigns and/or led photo direction. I’m also open to networking and collaborating with other creatives.
Q Describe your ideal job/client/collaboration.
I love working with clients who are passionate about their brand and product!
Q What is your rate?
I typically charge $100-150/hour depending on the project and request.
If I am being hired just for on-set days as an AD, I charge around $1,500/day.
I’m always open to being flexible for the right client/project :)
Q How should someone approach you about working together?
Just shoot me an email outlying what you need support with! From there, we can hop on a call (or meet for coffee if you’re in LA) to talk further about project needs and how I can help.
Q Who is a creative you admire?
Creative & Design Director Jordan Vouga! We run a creative studio together and have worked as partners in-house and freelance since college. He is guided by his own ideals and approaches everything in life through a creative lens. Not only is he an incredible designer, but he is also a talented ceramist and a good friend.
Q Oh! and… how do you stay creative?
Long walks, continued education, diverse friends, good music, and reflection.
This member profile was originally published in August 2023