#DopamineDressing
Iteration noteThe sketch explores brand colors and copy such as #OOTD. I rejected the direction once the copy felt like it was trying too hard to belong and the visuals felt too TikTok-branded.
Creative Strategist Intern · 2021
TikTok Dynamic Showcase Ads
The templates needed to appeal to different styles and aesthetics, so I had room to think outside the box.
- Role
- Creative Strategist Intern · Global Creative Lab
- Scope
- I designed three fashion catalog templates inside dimensions and product slots that were fixed before I received the brief.
- Outcome
- Light Academia entered the launch library. I later learned through Global Creative Lab that American Eagle selected it.
- Timeline
- May – August 2021
Key moves
- Review: I showed early sketches in weekly GCL huddles and refined the directions through internal critique.
- Research: market research and burner accounts helped me study how different TikTok subcultures presented themselves.
- Boundary: the work was reviewed internally. I did not receive selection rationale, performance data, or the final fate of the other templates.
What Dynamic Showcase Ads needed
The brief asked for three templates for clients in the fashion vertical. Each one had to hold a fashion product catalog while appealing to a different style or aesthetic, but the dimensions and product slots were set in stone before I received the brief. I could change the type, color, texture, and supporting graphics.
I showed my first sketches to my manager and other Global Creative Lab members during our weekly GCL huddle. I think there was enough variation between them that, even with critiques, the team liked the overall direction.
- Role
- Creative Strategist Intern
- Team
- Global Creative Lab
- Intended use
- Reusable fashion catalog templates for clients
- Deliverable
- Three static template directions as layered Photoshop files
- Fixed parts
- Template dimensions, product slots, and the shared slot map
- Variable parts
- Type, color, texture, and supporting graphics
Why three directions moved forward
One point the team drove home during the internship was that TikTok tailors the feed to what someone engages with. No surprise there. Some subcultures drew a bigger crowd than others. There was no one subculture that wholly represented the site. That pushed me toward looking at several of them.
I did traditional market research. I also made burner accounts and changed what each one engaged with to see what surfaced. Within each aesthetic, I looked at popular posts, how community members talked to each other, and how prominent creators presented themselves. I was looking for things I could mimic in a 2D design, mainly color, type, and texture.
I compared Y2K, Maximalism, Dark Academia, WitchTok, and Cottagecore before narrowing the work to Dopamine Dressing, e-Boy/e-Girl, and Light Academia. The assignment only allowed three templates, so I did have to flatten the aesthetics somewhat.
One slot map, three visual systems
I rejected an early Dopamine Dressing route. The copy felt like it was trying too hard to belong to the subculture, and the visuals felt too TikTok-branded. At the end of the day, a business still had to use the asset, so it needed to adapt to the client's needs.
I built all three as layered Photoshop files around the same product-slot map. I kept the type, color, texture, and supporting graphics on separate layers.
#DopamineDressingThe sketch explores brand colors and copy such as #OOTD. I rejected the direction once the copy felt like it was trying too hard to belong and the visuals felt too TikTok-branded.
Catalog slot
Brands add product imagery and catalog details to the fixed slot shown here.
Source-aligned region overlayMost parts stayed within their own direction because I wanted each theme to hold together. I only proposed sharing a few pieces between Light Academia and e-Boy/e-Girl where the structure already aligned.
View all three sketch-to-template comparisons
I started with loose sketches, then built each direction as a layered Photoshop file. I don't remember the exact critique language, so the notes below paraphrase the feedback visible in the sketches and what I remember from Global Creative Lab.
#e-Boy/#e-Girl
Iteration noteThe notes warned that the direction might stray too far from the guidelines. I was asked to build it out and find a way to make the nearly colorless treatment appealing.
#LightAcademia
Launch libraryIteration noteThe sketch records the internal critique that shaped the final Light Academia direction.
What this showsThe slot map stayed constant. Only a few parts could cross between Light Academia and e-Boy/e-Girl.
BoundaryI proposed sharing a few parts between Light Academia and e-Boy/e-Girl. I don't have evidence that the team used them that way.
From critique to the launch library
Critique
The sketch notes called for smaller type, a subtler Light Academia treatment, reconsidered copy placement, and a calm pastel palette. My response
I scaled down the type, moved the copy, kept the fixed catalog slot, and introduced the calmer palette. Launch-library result
Light Academia entered the launch library.
The work was reviewed internally by Global Creative Lab and people adjacent to the project. As far as I know, it wasn't shown to external brands or audience members during my internship.
I later learned through Global Creative Lab that American Eagle selected it. I wasn't told why American Eagle selected Light Academia. I didn't receive performance data, and I don't know what happened to the other two templates. Internships are very transitory, so I'm left doing work without knowing the full impact.
Now, I check with stakeholders at multiple stages to see if they like the direction of the work. With tools like Claude Code and Figma Make, a low-stakes, convincing mockup takes a lot less investment. I can show the team something concrete before the work feels too finished to change.
What this showsThe final direction records what changed during internal review. It does not show audience response.
BoundaryI learned about the American Eagle selection later through Global Creative Lab. I didn't receive performance data.
