Rick Martin

Senior Graphic Designer + Illustrator

For nearly two decades, I’ve been living in the space where logic meets imagination. As a multidisciplinary designer and illustrator, I’ve spent my career building cohesive brand identity systems, mapping out clean digital layouts, and creating custom visual assets for teams ranging from scrappy startups to established commercial brands.

I am deeply rooted in traditional design principles, but I am entirely driven by modern execution—meaning I love breaking the “rules” when it beautifully serves a creative brief, and I gladly leverage modern digital tools to design faster and keep projects moving.

I believe that while great design needs solid structure, great brands need a human heartbeat. Whether I’m collaborating with cross-functional teams to launch a new campaign or drawing custom cartoon characters, my goal is always the same: create highly intentional visual stories that make people feel something and actually drive businesses forward.

Experience

Senior Designer + Creative Lead

Enābl Creative

Cleveland, OH | 2008 – Present

Ran the end-to-end visual strategy and identity mechanics for a diverse portfolio of cross-industry commercial accounts, keeping brand continuity locked tight across digital, print, and user interface touchpoints.
Designed and shipped website updates and high-velocity digital marketing assets that modernized client brand presence and generated consistent 15–25% upticks in audience engagement.
Partnered directly with remote developers, product marketers, and business owners to independently guide 170+ creative campaigns from initial discovery through to final sign-off and deployment.
Built centralized design template systems and structured shared directories that streamlined daily hand-offs, eliminated lost-asset downtime, and raised production output efficiency by 20%.
Managed asynchronous feedback loops across 5–10 active client accounts simultaneously, cutting standard revision timelines by 30–35% while maintaining an ironclad 95% on-time delivery rate.

Brand Designer

Next Dimension Studios

San Diego, CA | 2021 – 2025

Enforced strict multi-platform brand guidelines across fast-moving product verticals—including digital collectibles, gaming, and live events—to secure absolute visual alignment for a community of 15k+ members.
Engineered high-stakes investor pitch decks and strategic presentation assets for leadership, directly supporting critical funding initiatives that captured 152% of the benchmark Kickstarter goal.
Collaborated with multi-disciplinary creative teams to execute end-to-end launch collateral, web UI systems, and integrated social assets that boosted campaign performance by 15–20%.

Graphic Designer

Shinto Japanese Steakhouse

Strongsville, OH | 2011 – 2021

Operated as the sole creative lead across a ten-year partnership, directing the visual execution of all menus, localized advertising campaigns, internal promotional materials, and event collateral.
Developed a scalable and cohesive brand language that seamlessly supported the business as it expanded into new restaurant locations.
Delivered 75+ print and digital assets annually, tracking production calendars and meeting strict print house deadlines with zero margin for error.
Executed precision prepress preparation, working directly with commercial vendors and managing mechanical specifications to reduce print errors and costly reruns by 20%.
Designed immersive environmental graphics and in-store customer touchpoints that significantly elevated the guest experience and strengthened localized brand perception.

Apparel Graphic Designer + Illustrator

Enābl Threads

Cleveland, OH | 2014 – 2020

Conceptualized and executed original apparel artwork centered around regional sports culture, pop references, and community pride, translating abstract conceptual sketches into retail-ready vector separations.
Designed and deployed 50+ original apparel graphics, efficiently adapting master artwork layouts across multiple garment types, printing styles, and product colorways.
Drove significant organic brand visibility, resulting in artwork being shared by thousands online and featured across localized news broadcasts.
Maintained visual and digital continuity across all social platforms and e-commerce user interfaces, driving steady online audience growth.
Partnered with a local food bank initiative, helping generate funding to provide meals for hundreds of children through targeted merchandise campaigns.

Freelance Illustrator

Cleveland, OH | 2008 – Present

Built a specialized illustration pipeline, delivering custom vector and raster artwork engineered for seamless integration into digital collateral, social media channels, and physical apparel.
Created custom character designs and bespoke typography tailored precisely to independent business identities and unique brand aesthetic guidelines.
Generated highly distinctive visual assets that elevated client brand recognition and drove measurable growth in organic social media engagement.
Handled the full-cycle business operations autonomously, directing all client onboarding, budget mapping, and remote project timelines.

Core Expertise

Brand Identity Systems, UI/UX & Digital Design Systems, Enterprise Presentation Architecture, Print & Packaging, Bespoke Vector Illustration, Conceptual Sketching, Generative AI Automation

Technical Toolkit

Design: Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Sketch, Affinity Studio

Illustration: Procreate, Hand-Drawing

Presentations: PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides

AI & Web: Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, Gemini, WordPress, Elementor

Education + Professional Development

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA), Graphic Design

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green State University

Google AI Professional Certificate

Coursera | June 2026

Utilized machine learning and advanced prompt engineering for rapid creative prototyping and competitive pitch development.

Generative AI for Visual Design Series

Adobe | June 2026

Leveraged Firefly and text-to-vector workflows to generate high-impact visual concepts for cross-channel campaigns.

Enterprise Presentation Architecture

Microsoft & Google | June 2026

Engineered master presentation template systems for competitive agency pitches and high-stakes client deliverables.

Technical Skills

Proficient in Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo, Affinity Publisher, Figma, Sketch, WordPress, Elementor, Procreate