I’m Justin — a creative director and designer who believes in structure by day and chaos by night. I build clear, consistent design systems for brands, then trade pixels for fur and foam to bring puppets, masks, and monsters to life.

Graphic Design

My design career started in high school around 2004, when I was teaching myself on MySpace and MS Paint — experimenting with layouts, colors, and type just to make things look good. That early curiosity grew into a lifelong love for design.

Since then, I’ve worked across a range of creative environments — from global agencies like Leo Burnett to small studios like Firebelly — and eventually ran my own studio for over a decade. Along the way, I’ve learned to move fluidly between design, illustration, animation, and editing, always chasing the best way to tell a story visually.

What I love most is being part of the full creative process — helping shape how a brand looks, feels, sounds, and moves in the world.

Fabrication

I started Gilly Goons as a small brand during lockdown, building handmade monster puppets and creating videos around them. Over time, it grew into something more personal — less about products and more about exploring monsters as art through performance, video, and installation.

My background in music and filmmaking naturally led me here. I’ve been making videos since high school, and through my years touring with Diamond Youth, I began collaborating with musicians on puppets, masks, and costume fabrication for their projects.

Now, my fabrication work focuses on creating expressive characters and performing with them — blending design, sculpture, and storytelling into something playful and alive.