Joanne Deitz Thompson
Project Manager | Visual Merchandising Manager | Visual Merchandising Project Manager | Color Design Expert | Retail Strategist | Product Creation · IKEA
Portland, Oregon
In My Own Words
Driven by a passion for creating impactful visual narratives, I excel at bridging strategy and creativity to deliver outstanding results in project management and retail merchandising.
As the Visual Merchandiser Lead and Project Lead at IKEA, I specialize in optimizing product presentation to captivate audiences and boost sales. With over 21 years of expertise spanning color design, material innovation, product creation, and retail merchandising, I bring a multifaceted approach to every challenge.
I thrive in managing complex, cross-functional projects from concept to execution, ensuring alignment with brand identity and strategic goals. By seamlessly integrating global display solutions with local market insights, I consistently deliver on deadlines, exceed expectations, and enhance profitability. Collaborations with esteemed brands like Keen and Oboz have honed my ability to craft innovative color stories and strategic brand directions that resonate with consumers.
Beyond the technicalities, I am fueled by a belief in the power of immersive customer experiences. My work is anchored in fostering authentic consumer-brand connections through thoughtful design and a deep understanding of market dynamics.
If you're seeking a professional who combines strategic thinking with creative execution—and thrives on turning ambitious ideas into reality—let’s connect!
Work Experience
Visual Merchandiser Lead, Project Lead
IKEA2021 – Present
Responsible for optimizing the presentation of products to better highlight their features, engage the consumer, and steer sales. Plan, create, and implement visual appealing strategies within store layout plan in order to best present IKEA product range. Manage storewide project implementation, utilizing global display solutions tailored to local market relevance.
Color Designer
Studio Zola, Color and Trending Services2000 – 2021
Strengthening brand identity and consumer connections through consistent color stories across all product lines. Create and deliver proprietary seasonal color palettes. Evaluate and update existing seasonal and category palettes, manage carry-over colors and their lifecycle. Research and evaluate materials for color compatibility and viability. Utilize Adobe Creative Suites to create and update color CAD’s, providing product creation teams with digital assets to aid in the design and manufacturing process. Select Projects: Keen-Brand color direction and overall strategy, defining new brand. Palettes, color lifecycle management, category color stories. Footwear: hike, water, lifestyle, urban. Kids, women’s, men’s product. Oboz-Brand color direction and overall strategy, defining new brand. Palettes, color lifecycle management, webbing, and logo colorwork. Footwear: hike, fashion, lifestyle, water. Women’s, men’s product. Vasque-Color direction on women’s product for REI. Danner/LaCrosse- Palettes, color direction and lifecycle management. Footwear: work, hunt, hike, outdoor, rubber, lifestyle. Footwear: men’s, women’s, kids, US and European markets. Apparel: men’s workwear. Teva-Palette redesign, color lifecycle management, palette updates. Footwear: lifestyle, trail running, boots, sandals. Footwear: infants, kids, women’s, men’s product. The North Face- Palettes, color lifecycle management. Footwear: hike, trail running, lifestyle. Footwear: men’s, women’s product. Royal Robbins-Trend and color reports on travel, art, architecture, and sustainability tailored to market. Color palettes, category color stories, seasonal merchandising and delivery plans. Apparel: Men’s, Women’s. Simms-Color direction, palettes, lifecycle management. Webbing and logo work. Footwear: freshwater fishing. Other clients: Sorel, Five Ten, La Sportiva, Bogs, Pearl Izumi, Weinbrenner, Olukai, Cabela’s, Fizik, Passion Footwear, and Ellington.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Pashion Footwear2016 – 2020
Designed and set original strategic brand color direction for brand launch. Over the years as color driver, created seasonal and category palettes, brand color standards, presentation tools, color blocking recommendations, palette rings, and working company palette posters.
Event Coordinator, Wine Club Manager
Helioterra Wines2018 – 2020
Organize and execute all sales and tasting events, both in-house and off-site. Provide food, visual design, printed materials, and location set up, to maximize an ideal consumer experience. Create and maintain budgets and financial goals. Hire and organize service and rental providers. Research, negotiate, and purchase branded product. Manage all event set-up, tear down and post event processes. Built event space policies and rental pricing menu based on costs, competition, team input, and potential customer expectations. Developed SOP for handling all off site events.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Vasque Footwear2018 – 2018
Evaluated underselling categories of woman’s hiking boot SMU’s for presentation to REI. Recolored and presented new colorway designs for multiple styles and price points, which were successfully received and added to REI’s assortment.
Retail Merchandise Manager, Danner Inc
LaCrosse Footwear Incorporated2013 – 2016
• As the Retail Merchandise Manager for Danner, my responsibilities included envisioning, planning, visual merchandising, and purchasing the 3rd party retail assortments the Danner retail stores. Each store required a slightly different assortment of product and approach to visual merchandising due to the varying needs of each location. As a whole, our 3rd party assortment accrued almost $1.5 million in sales in 2015. With each planning decision, my goal was to engage our Danner consumer with the new and ever changing product mix that resonates with them and helps to further convey the boot and heritage story. Additional responsibilities included managing seasonal buys and product life cycles by analyzing the sell-through data and reviewing the performance of all 3rd party items. I researched and attended relevant trade shows and focused on establishing and maintaining strong vendor relationships. I continually monitored and forecasted current and future trends in apparel, footwear, marketing, and visual merchandising. I was also responsible for conducting weekly store visits and visual merchandising refreshes for each store. Working with the marketing calendar, I focused my visual merchandising plans on seasonal looks, marketing promotions, and new product launches. Over a 3 year period, working with our vendor partners, I created, developed, and launched over 50 Danner branded items for our retail stores and website. These enhanced the overall mix of products and resulted in exceeded margin expectations. Specialties: Retail visual merchandising, retail buying and planning, product creation, trend monitoring, long term trend forecasting, palette development, product color-ups, and global color trends. Product experience includes men's, women's, and children's footwear, outdoor, and travel apparel, and accessories.
Consultant, Color and Trending for Danner and LaCrosse Footwear
LaCrosse Footwear Incorporated2001 – 2013
Created palettes, drove color direction, and lifecycle management for both Danner and LaCrosse Footwear. Worked on work, hunt, hike, outdoor, rubber, and lifestyle footwear for the US and European markets. Originated color direction for LaCrosse Work apparel line.
Consultant Color and Trending
Oboz Footwear2007 – 2013
Designed and set original strategic brand color direction. Over the years as color driver for Oboz, created seasonal and category palettes, brand color standards, webbing textile patterns, presentation tools, color blocking recommendations, palette rings, and working company palette posters. Partnered with product development to examine color and footwear samples, ensuring accuracy and brand-right products.
Consultant, Color and Trending
OluKai2004 – 2012
Worked with brand creator to create “brand-right” color, trend, and material direction for footwear. Created and customized proprietary color designs and trend research. Design seasonal color palettes, concept “mood” boards, color CADS, and build digital tools. Advised on design, brand direction, color lifecycle management, merchandising stories, material selection, and line management.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Deckers Brands2008 – 2011
Worked with Teva creative team to redesign color palette, initiate color lifecycle management process, and palette updates. Created specific category palette story for sustainable product category. Was responsible for creating one of the most popular trail running color ways in men's market for Teva.
Consultant, Color and Trending
KEEN2003 – 2011
Designed and set original strategic brand color direction. Over the years as color driver for Keen, created seasonal and category palettes, brand color standards, webbing textile patterns, presentation tools, color blocking recommendations, palette rings, and working company palette posters. Partnered with product development to examine color and footwear samples, ensuring accuracy and brand-right products.
Consultant, Color and Trending
La Sportiva2007 – 2009
Brand seasonal color direction and overall strategy. Provided palettes, initiated color lifecycle management processes, and created category color stories.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Cabela's2009 – 2009
Working with team of product creation specialists, help build a brand right assortment of branded footwear for Cabela's. Provided seasonal color direction and overall strategy, palettes, color lifecycle management processes, and created category color stories.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Royal Robbins2005 – 2007
Researched, compiled, and presented trend and color reports on travel, art, architecture, and sustainability tailored to the RR men's and women's apparel market. Built color palettes, category color stories, seasonal merchandising and delivery plans.
Consultant, Color and Trending
Simms Fishing Products2005 – 2007
Provided color direction, palette development, and lifecycle management for freshwater fishing line. Revamped and recolored webbing and logos.
Consultant, Color and Trending
SOREL2007 – 2007
Worked on-site collaborating with Columbia Sportswear designers to integrate Sorel footwear color stories into the Columbia brand family.
Consultant, Color and Trending
The North Face, a VF Company2004 – 2006
Developed palettes, initiated color lifecycle management processes for hike, trail running, and lifestyle footwear categories.
Education
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
University of Oregon1981 – 1986
Skills: Public Speaking · Communication · Vendor Coordination · Visual Communication
Interests
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