Trent Lawson

Guided by curiosity. Grounded in strategy.

Project Management

I manage large-scale retail launches by coordinating cross-functional teams, vendors, and schedules so projects land on time and within scope. My approach balances creative ambition with operational discipline, ensuring the work is both efficient and impactful.I’ve built and run workflows in Asana and OpenProject, and I’m just as comfortable adapting to other platforms like Microsoft Project, Confluence, or Jira when needed.

Case Studies

Samsung — Strategic Programs

Role: Program/StrategyScope: North America • Multi-teamYears: 2023–2024

Challenge

Unify fragmented go-to-market execution across hardware, services, and channels while protecting sensitive IP and partner agreements.

The goal: give leadership a clear, decision-ready view while reducing noise.

My Approach

  • Built a single operating picture mapping milestones, owners, and stage gates.
  • Shifted planning to a structured WBS model with weekly risk reviews and readiness checkpoints.
  • Introduced concise executive 1-pagers that tied inputs to decisions and outcomes, removing blockers early.
  • Designed and implemented a RACI matrix to clarify ownership and decision rights across teams.

Impact (Representative)

  • Cut cycle time from decision to action from ~6 weeks to ~2–3 weeks in pilot groups.
  • Reduced cross-team dependency slippage by ~30–40% after RACI and stage-gate adoption.
  • Surfaced launch runway risks at least 4 weeks earlier on average, giving leaders stronger confidence in delivery and fewer late-stage surprises.
  • These changes gave executives clearer visibility, greater confidence in launch readiness, and a stronger ability to make timely decisions.

Work performed under NDA; assets, data, and figures have been modified or omitted for confidentiality.

GameStop — Collectibles Expansion

Role: Strategy + Fixture DesignScope: 100+ stores • Test & ControlYear: 2019

Challenge

Grow beyond core games/hardware and prove that collectibles can drive incremental revenue (not cannibalization) before scaling into remodels and a new store standard.

My Approach

  • Designed modular collectibles fixtures and planograms that fit legacy and remodeled footprints.
  • Ran a matched test-vs-control program in a third-party causal platform (APT by Mastercard) with site matching and blackout rules.
  • Defined success metrics, reporting cadence, and decision gates to green-light national rollout.

Impact (Representative)

  • +12.9% lift in Collectibles — statistically significant (≈99%).
  • Category growth without measurable cannibalization of core business (games and hardware).
  • Fixtures and merchandising approach adopted as the chainwide standard in remodels.

Project Management — No-Tool Workflow Demo

Discipline: Project ManagementScope: Launch orchestrationYear: 2025

Context

For strategic launches at Samsung, modern project management platforms were prohibited for security reasons. To keep work moving, I created custom workflows and portable artifacts that gave teams clear ownership, accountability, and momentum—ensuring execution stayed seamless despite the constraints.

What’s Inside

  • Custom Gantt with dependency logic (finish-to-start, start-to-start, finish-to-finish).
  • Linked work products (PDF/SVG) as source-of-truth deliverables.
  • Fully readable without licensed tools; easy to share with stakeholders.

Impact

  • Demonstrated structured PM thinking — showed I could systemize and present my own process as a product.
  • Showcased cross-discipline skill — blended project management, design systems, and lightweight engineering into one deliverable.
  • Created a reusable framework — the “no-tool” workflow can scale to client projects, proving adaptability under constraints.
  • Accelerated publishing — cut iteration time by hosting self-contained artifacts with no reliance on third-party licenses.
  • Improved storytelling — gave recruiters and hiring managers an interactive, evidence-based way to see my process.

Work performed under NDA; assets and figures have been modified or omitted for confidentiality.

Workflow Demo — Inline Preview

Artifact: Custom Gantt & linked docsFormat: HTML • PDF • SVG

Portable artifact; readable without licensed tools.

Visual Merchandising

I led a cross-functional visual team—mentoring designers, setting standards, and managing workflows that kept large-scale deliverables consistent and on schedule.In addition to team leadership, I directed store remodels and new openings, designed fixtures and displays, and developed concept stores and new business initiatives—aligning stakeholders and processes to deliver execution that was efficient, scalable, and strategically aligned.

Case Studies

GameStop — 1000 Store Remodel

Role: Visual Merchandising / Fixture DesignScope: U.S. Stores • Multi-disciplineYears: 2020–2021

Challenge

Refresh legacy store formats to highlight collectibles, simplify navigation, and modernize fixture sets—while controlling install time and rollout cost across 1000 stores nationwide.

My Approach

  • Designed and refined fixtures (collectibles, hardware, accessories) with modular, repeatable kits.
  • Directed pilot layouts; codified install steps with visual guides and short assembly animations to reduce execution errors.
  • Partnered cross-functionally and with suppliers/vendors to validate feasibility, logistics, and timeline.

Impact

  • Collectibles visibility & yield up — category sales increased double-digits in pilot stores.
  • Faster installs — resets completed measurably quicker with standardized kits & guides.
  • Fewer execution errors — clear instructions & animations reduced errors and rework.
  • Scalable standards — fixtures rolled out consistently across remodels.

Work performed in-house. Select content and data are scrubbed for confidentiality.

Concept:

Open PDF

Remodel Store Renders
(C4D, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator)

Direction:

Remodel Merchandising Overview - Gaming
(C4D, InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator)

Fixture Assembly Animation
(C4D, After Effects)

Fixture Assembly Animation
(C4D)

Execution:

Finished Store Photos

GameStop & ThinkGeek — Environmental Design (Selected Work)

Role: Visual Merchandising / Environmental DesignScope: U.S. retail stores (GameStop & ThinkGeek)Years: 2014–2022

Challenge

Modernize stores and improve product discovery across a fleet where almost every location was unique—acquisitions, one-off buildouts, and no standardized floor plans. The work needed to happen with tight budgets, live-store resets, and short installation windows.

  • Fixtures were outdated, inflexible, and finished in dated materials.
  • Stores had irregular footprints, ceiling heights, and utility constraints.
  • Rollouts required fast, repeatable installs with minimal rework.

My Approach

  • Designed a modular kit-of-parts (gondolas, wall bays, headers, risers, accessory arms) usable across small and XL footprints.
  • Balanced durability, cost, and visual impact with supplier constraints; standardized hardware wherever possible.
  • Piloted layouts and refined components based on field feedback.
  • Produced build sheets, planograms, and short assembly animations to reduce ambiguity for installers.
  • Integrated brand and category cues (collectibles, hardware, accessories) while maintaining ADA compliance and clean sightlines.

Impact

  • Delivered consistent presentation across non-standard “snowflake” stores.
  • Enabled faster installs with fewer on-site questions and less rework.
  • Improved visibility for key categories—especially collectibles—and increased attach opportunities.
  • Lowered lifecycle costs through reusable, modular components.

Work performed in-house. Vendor details and pricing removed.

Design

My work in Cinema4D, Shapr3D, and Adobe Creative Suite has produced compelling assets that secured executive buy-in, guided vendor execution, and shaped how customers experienced the brand across stores, online platforms, and presentations.

Case Studies

Fixture Visualization Pipeline (C4D)

Focus: Environment RenderingStack: Cinema4D, Adobe CCRole: Visualization & Systems

Challenge

Translate store concepts into believable environments that vendors, ops, and leadership can align on—before committing to procurement, fabrication, or CERF-level capex. Accuracy matters: wrong calls drive costly rework, change orders, and delays.

My Approach

  • Built reusable scene kits (materials, lighting, cameras) for speed and consistency.
  • Modeled key fixtures at true scale with hardware details and ADA clearances.
  • Produced views tailored to decisions (plan, shopper POV, install reference, sightlines).
  • Captured constraints early (power/data runs, soffits, window glare, sight blocks).

Impact

  • Faster approvals with fewer “imagine this…” gaps.
  • Tighter vendor bids and fewer change orders from better fit/finish definition.
  • Reduced capital waste by finding issues before POs and fabrication.
  • Higher confidence in what gets built and installed chain-wide.

Work performed in-house; samples shown are scrubbed for confidentiality.

Visual Direction Renders & Communication

Focus: Store CommunicationStack: Cinema4D, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesignRole: Visualization & Comms Design

Challenge

Written, copy-heavy direction often left stores confused about resets and installs. Leaders needed a faster, more accurate way to communicate visual standards across thousands of locations with minimal rework.

My Approach

  • Built a rendering pipeline using C4D + Photoshop to produce accurate, branded visuals.
  • Created reusable iconography and overlays in Illustrator for clarity and consistency.
  • Designed communication layouts in InDesign that paired visuals with minimal copy.
  • Packaged direction into visual-first PDFs that were fast to digest and easy to act on.

Impact

  • “See picture, do picture” approach reduced execution errors and store calls for clarification.
  • Accelerated reset speed — store teams spent less time parsing text and more time executing.
  • Created a repeatable comms system that scaled from small tests to nationwide rollouts.
  • Boosted leadership confidence that visual direction would land consistently across the chain.

Representative visuals; store identifiers and proprietary standards omitted.

Open PDF

Bicycle Culture — Web Mini-System

Focus: Identity & UI SystemsStack: Illustrator, Carrd, HTML/CSSRole: Identity, Copy, System Design

Challenge

The community had no digital presence—without a website, there was no credibility with riders, vendors, or partners. The goal was to launch something polished and flexible enough to scale across Discord, events, and vendor relations, while staying lightweight to manage without developer support.

My Approach

  • Created a modular brand kit with logo, palette, type, and iconography.
  • Built a Carrd site using reusable sections (hero, cards, gallery) with consistent design rules.
  • Wrote concise copy to position the community clearly and lower the barrier to entry.
  • Optimized assets for legibility across mobile, desktop, and both dark and light themes.

Impact

  • Shipped fast — credible brand presence in days instead of months.
  • Repeatable system — others can extend/update without code.
  • Cross-audience trust — consistent story/design for vendors, riders, partners.
  • Multi-channel ready — assets scaled to Discord, merch, and event collateral.

Examples shown are edited for portfolio use; trademarks belong to their owners.

Bicycle Culture — Mini Brand Kit

Focus: Identity & UI • Stack: Illustrator, Carrd, HTML/CSS • Role: Identity, Copy, System Design

Palette

  • #000000 Black
  • #FFFFFF Paper White
  • #1A1A1A Charcoal
  • #E5E5E5 Mid-Gray
  • #F5F5F5 Light-Gray
  • #D46679 Accent Red

Typography

BICYCLE CULTURE

Display: League Spartan (Bold) • Body/UI: Source Sans Pro

Clean, legible sans pairing that holds up across mobile hero, labels, and UI.

Logo ring lettering is hand-drawn; League Spartan shown as a practical web substitute.

AaAaAa
League SpartanSource Sans Pro

Visit Site

Examples shown are edited for portfolio use; trademarks belong to their owners.

Boardroom Whiteboard Grid — "Excel, but IRL"

Role: Designer & InstallerScope: 96″ × 240″ multi-year planning wallPlanning: 1 day • Install: 1 day

Challenge

Take a boardroom from blank to briefing-ready in two days: design a multi-year grid that aligns to reality, not vibes—and doesn't fail under markers and magnets.

My Approach

  • Designed a 53-week × 47-row grid with quarterly breakpoints.
  • Specified pro-grade materials (≈32 SKUs) for contrast + longevity.
  • Built a custom calculator to map line positions and tape usage.
  • Laser-aligned installation; steel-rule spacing; labeled color key.

Impact

  • 2,400+ planning cells ready day one; weekly cadence visible at 20ft.
  • Room now functions as a "command center" for roadmaps & KPIs.
  • System is modular: columns extend, colors/key can evolve.
Open the interactive demo →

Photos post-install; client identifiers omitted.

About

I design clarity into complex systems. Over the past decade, I’ve led retail transformation at GameStop, ThinkGeek, Apple, and Samsung; built visualization pipelines that turn concepts into tangible environments; and created lean brand and web systems for fast-moving teams.I work best at the point where business goals, design execution, and operational reality meet. My projects have given executives confidence in major rollouts, helped teams move faster under constraints, and delivered scalable systems that continue to create value long after handoff.Outside client work, I test strategy in competitive trading card games—iterating on decks, analyzing data, and refining decisions the same way I approach professional systems. It’s another way of turning feedback into clarity and complexity into something usable.I’m open to freelance, part-time, or full-time roles where I can keep building systems and experiences that give teams clarity and momentum.