Resume
Hi, I’m Nate Ripley.
A creative director and brand strategist with over ten years of experience in direction, strategy, and design. I’m seasoned at turning big ideas into brands people love.
Skills
Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Comprehensive Brand Design
Content Strategy, Planning & Creation
Naming
Digital & Web Design
Print Design
Photography
Tools
Proprietary Brand Strategy Workshop
Adobe Creative Suite
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Indesign
Adobe After Effects
HTML & CSS, Wordpress
Notion
Fujifilm, Canon, Sony cameras
Work Experience
- Led a successful rebranding effort for Bravus Fitness, transforming the company into a more competitive brand and driving progress toward the company’s $300,000 revenue growth target.
- Directed end-to-end branding projects for various clients, encompassing lead generation, sales, strategy, design, project administration, account management, and implementation, leading to Groundwork’s continued growth and success.
- Secured contracts valued up to $40,000 through lead generation and sales efforts, demonstrating strong negotiation and business development skills.
- Created a proprietary brand strategy workshop, guided client leadership through the strategy process to develop successful brands.
- Managed design projects, collaborating with other parties to create assets, implement campaigns, and build brand value and recognition.
- Led the brand design initiative for DDSN’s new Grizzly Supplements product line which reached over $1MM in first-year sales, exceeding its $250K initial sales target by 4x.
- Designed the multimillion-dollar Iron Kingdom Sports Nutrition brand, creating one of GNC Canada’s best-selling product lines.
- Played a central role in the branding and visibility of Beaver Buzz Energy, contributing to the growth and success of a nationally-distributed Canadian brand with a nearly 20-year heritage.
- Collaborated with executives and marketing team members to promote, develop, and update product lines, contributing to the growth and success of multiple nationally-distributed product families.
- Conceptualized and designed comprehensive brand identities, including product packaging, websites, point-of-sale materials, and social media/marketing assets, enhancing product visibility and driving brand growth.
Various Clients
Freelance Senior Designer
January 2015–April 2022
- Expertly integrated into established teams and adapted to existing design systems, multiplying client creative output across a wide range of industries and applications.
- Established and implemented new design systems and marketing campaigns, demonstrating aptitude for comprehensive brand design and contributing to client revenue goals.
- Designed brand identities, marketing campaigns, product packaging, print media, point-of-sale, digital collateral, and more, displaying proficiency in a broad array of design disciplines.
Athletic Alliance, Inc.
Long-term Contract—Senior Designer
January 2015–April 2021
- Headed a successful rebranding effort, collaborating with leadership and marketing stakeholders to redefine the GD4U brand and create Athletic Alliance.
- Played a key role in transforming Athletic Alliance from a startup into a multimillion-dollar brand through the creation of innovative identity systems, product packaging, and marketing materials.
- Led the conceptualization and design of new products and promoted existing ones, contributing to the brand’s evolution in the consumer packaged goods sector.
Zettacap
Front-end Designer & Developer
August 2013–January 2015
- Worked closely with company leadership to conceptualize solutions and meet product and marketing objectives in a high-performance startup environment.
- Developed user interfaces, websites, landing pages, and marketing materials, demonstrating proficiency in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails, and PHP.
- Crafted and managed brand assets, showcasing versatile design and development skills to meet the dynamic needs of a growing startup company.
Education
Carthage College
B.A. Visual Communication
2006–2010
Not Work
Outside of work, you might find me on my bike, in the mountains, or both. I’m a dedicated cyclist and 2023 Triple Bypass finisher. Along with my wife, Courtney, I love to camp, hike, fish, bike, snowboard, and enjoy life in colorful Colorado and sunny Arizona.
I bring a camera with me almost everywhere. Check out my journal for more.
A Cover Letter
Long, black streaks crisscrossed the faded cul-de-sac in front of my childhood home. On most afternoons coming home from grade school, I’d spin my department store single-speed up to maximum warp, then slam the pedals backward and lock up my brakes. My record skid mark was nearly 18 feet—almost as long as I could wheelie. I’ve always loved to ride a bike.
Then, one day, I crashed. A lazy, looping turn to the left, a sharp wobble, and I met the pavement hard enough to bounce. As I slunk out from underneath the wreckage, I saw that my handlebars had a new kink in them. So did my right arm.
Six weeks in a cast is an eternity when you’re trying to learn cursive. Even longer when you can’t ride your bike. A constant frustration set in. I couldn’t do the things I wanted, and I felt stuck that way. But around the time I started to wonder if I’d ever have fun again, I noticed something different about myself. “I can’t” slowly began sounding more like “Why can’t I?”. Day by day, I tried new things in new ways. Momentum built. Before long, there was plenty I could manage to do left-handed. Write in my journal. Pet Cleo the cat. Sew together a stuffed saguaro cactus out of olive-colored felt. I had learned to adapt. I was living again.
As I advance in my professional life, I can’t help but remember my childhood and the snags I once had to overcome. More importantly, the tools it took to overcome them. The nature of being a creative professional is to thrive in a dynamic and changing environment. It’s helpful to know I’ve been through that before. To know I can turn “I can’t” into “Why can’t I?”. To look back and feel the relief of finally riding my bike again, better off for the growth it took to get there.
Keep the rubber side down,
Nate Ripley
