Rick Martin

Senior Graphic + Visual Designer

For more than 18 years, I’ve worked as a hands-on graphic and visual designer across agency, startup, corporate, and contract environments. My experience spans brand identity systems, digital and responsive web design, print and packaging, presentations, campaign work, and custom visual assets.

I’m grounded in traditional design principles, but I’m not precious about the rules. I’m comfortable pushing, bending, or breaking conventions when it makes the work stronger, while still building clear systems and using modern tools to keep projects moving without sacrificing craft or consistency.

Whether I’m developing a new identity, extending an established brand, collaborating with developers and marketers, or creating custom illustration and typography in-house, I try to make the work clear, distinctive, and useful. I’m at my best in hands-on roles where thoughtful design, reliable execution, and uncomplicated collaboration all matter.

Experience

Senior Designer + Creative Lead

Enābl Creative

Cleveland, OH | Remote | 2008 – Present

Led hands-on brand identity, responsive web, UI, and multi-channel design work for a diverse portfolio of corporate and commercial clients across digital, print, presentation, and campaign touchpoints.
Partnered with developers, marketers, writers, and business owners to guide 170+ creative campaigns from discovery through final sign-off and deployment.
Designed website updates and high-volume digital marketing assets that generated consistent 15–25% increases in audience engagement.
Built reusable design templates, asset libraries, and structured file systems that improved production efficiency by 20%.
Managed 5–10 concurrent client accounts, reducing revision timelines by 30–35% while maintaining a 95% on-time delivery rate.

Brand Designer

Next Dimension Studios

San Diego, CA | Remote | 2021 – 2025

Extended a complex entertainment and technology brand across digital campaigns, web UI, presentations, product launches, packaging, and community communications for an active 15k+ member audience.
Created presentation systems and campaign assets supporting funding initiatives, including a Kickstarter campaign that reached 152% of its goal.
Collaborated with multidisciplinary creative teams on launch collateral, web UI systems, and integrated social assets associated with 15–20% improvements in campaign performance.
Developed custom vector illustration, iconography, typography, and reusable design components to maintain a distinctive and consistent visual system across channels.

Graphic Designer

Shinto Japanese Steakhouse

Strongsville, OH | Remote | 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 | Remote | 2014 – 2020

Created original apparel artwork inspired by regional sports culture, pop references, and community pride, developing concepts from initial sketches through production-ready vector separations.
Designed 50+ original graphics and adapted master artwork across garment types, printing methods, and product colorways.
Built organic visibility for the brand, with artwork shared by thousands online and featured by local news outlets.
Maintained visual consistency across social channels and e-commerce assets while supporting continued online audience growth.
Partnered with a local food bank initiative on merchandise campaigns that helped provide meals for hundreds of children.

Freelance Illustrator

Cleveland, OH | Remote | 2008 – Present

Create custom vector and raster illustration for digital campaigns, social media, apparel, and other branded applications.
Develop character designs, custom typography, and original visual assets tailored to individual brand identities and creative needs.
Produce distinctive illustration that has supported stronger brand recognition and organic social engagement for independent clients.
Manage client communication, project scopes, budgets, and remote timelines independently from initial inquiry through final delivery.

Core Expertise

Brand Identity Systems, Brand Stewardship, Responsive Web & UI Design, Typography, Multi-Channel Campaign Design, Print & Prepress Execution, Packaging Design,
Template Systems & Asset Libraries, Presentation Architecture, Custom Illustration

Technical Toolkit

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

Illustration: Procreate, Hand-Drawing

Presentations: Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, Google Slides

AI & Web: Adobe Firefly, Midjourney, WordPress, Elementor, Project Management Tools

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

Developed practical skills in generative AI, prompt engineering, workflow automation, research, and content development to support faster, more efficient creative production.

Generative AI for Visual Design Series

Adobe | June 2026

Applied Adobe Firefly across commercially safe text-to-image, text-to-vector,compositing, and asset-adaptation workflows for brand and campaign production.

Enterprise Presentation Architecture

Microsoft & Google | June 2026

Built advanced PowerPoint and Google Slides skills focused on reusable templates, visual hierarchy, cross-platform consistency, and clear presentation of complex information.

Technical Skills

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