Ricky Soto

rickysotodesign.com  |  linkedin.com/in/imrickysoto  |  imrickysoto@gmail.com  |  (973) 650-2143  |  Brooklyn, NY

Brand design leader with 10+ years of experience directing creative vision from concept through final execution. Spent the last six years building a brand design function from the ground up as the sole in-house designer at a fast-paced political strategy firm, owning creative output for accounts spanning McDonald's, LVMH, Coinbase, Scale AI, and The Met. Equally comfortable setting high-level creative strategy and executing hands-on, with a track record of mentoring associates and freelancers and serving as creative lead for clients and internal stakeholders. Fluent in Figma and the Adobe Creative Suite, with hands-on experience integrating AI tools like Claude and Midjourney into the design process, backed by a strong foundation in brand strategy, typography, layout, and visual systems.

Work Experience

Tusk Strategies

VP, Creative Design | December 2022 – Present  ·  Senior Designer | January 2021 – December 2022

  • Built and lead the creative design function from the ground up as the firm's sole in-house designer, directing 1,400+ projects and scaling workflows to support fast, high-volume delivery.
  • Design original brand identities, websites, and logos for 140+ clients, translating strategy into distinct visual expression for each account.
  • Partner with senior stakeholders and account leads to turn complex business objectives into creative strategy across websites, display ads, OOH, social media, and experiential design.
  • Manage print production end-to-end, from file setup through vendor coordination, ensuring quality across digital and physical formats.
  • Lead brand design for DTC, startup, and retail clients including NYU, Instacart, Kalshi, Earnin, National Retail Federation, Coinbase, The Met, Vimergy, Comcast, Walmart, and Scale AI.

Audacy

Senior Designer | March 2019 – December 2020

  • Led design and branding for Audacy's flagship sports stations, including WFAN (NYC), 94WIP (Philadelphia), and 104.3 WQAM (Miami), delivering campaigns across broadcast and digital platforms.
  • Directed 15+ brand redesigns across 200+ local and national radio stations in partnership with the brand marketing team.

Cumulus Media

Digital Producer | August 2016 – March 2019

  • Designed cross-platform brand assets, including email, native ads, and social graphics, that contributed to measurable audience growth.
  • Streamlined creative workflows across 50+ stakeholders, improving turnaround time and consistency in design execution.

Greater Than One

Digital Marketing Coordinator | June 2015 – July 2016

  • Optimized website SEO by writing meta tags, image alt text, and title tags, improving organic search rankings.
  • Built analytics reports for pharma clients, tracking page speed and time on site to identify and prioritize UX improvements.

RSD Studio

Founder & Creative Director | June 2025 – Present

  • Run RSD Studio, an independent design practice spanning brand identity, digital design, and 3D-printed objects.
  • Lead select client engagements end-to-end, from creative strategy through final production, alongside full-time employment.

Education

Virginia Tech — B.A. Communication Studies | May 2015
Minor in Professional Writing

Continuing Education

Pratt Institute — CAD Design Certificate | Jan 2026 – Present
Cooper Union — Perspective Drawing | April 2026 – May 2026
Google UX Design Certificate | March 2024 – Sept 2024

Skills

Hard Skills: Brand Design, UX/UI Design, Prototyping, Package Design, 3D Printing, Video Editing, AI Video Creation, Generative AI Design, Architectural/Mechanical Drawing, Interactive Design

Soft Skills: Design Leadership, Client Relations, Art Direction, Design Operations, Pitching, Visual Storytelling, Vendor Relations

Software: Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Media Encoder), AutoCAD, Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, Microsoft 365, PrusaSlicer

Platforms & Tools: Replit, Lovable, Webflow, Squarespace, WordPress, Wix, GitHub, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Quorum, Axios HQ, Google Analytics, Claude, ChatGPT, Sora, Midjourney, Flow