ELLIOT SALAZAR ☺︎





Designer, Illustrator & Art Director
A quiet yet witty, perfectionist originally from West Texas. He now lives and works in New York City where he is helping shape design, branding, and creative strategy at TikTok. He also doesn’t drink coffee or eat avocados – weird, right?.

⎯

+ elliot.e.salazar{at]gmail.com +
CV ↘︎





Education
 School of Visual Arts
MFA – Designer as Author and Entrepreneur Program
New York, New York

Texas Tech University
BFA – Communication Design 
Lubbock, Texas



Experience 

TikTok
Senior Creative Lead
↘︎ 2023 – Present

Currently focused on design, creative strategy and art direction for marketing projects, events, social content and in-app e-commerce campaigns for the launch of TikTok Shop in the US.

⎯



Instagram
Brand Designer [2021-2022]

On the Brand Design team, I helped shape a variety of brand touch-points across product, editorial, and experiential. I was the lead designer for @design, including the #BlackDesignVisionaires grant program and art directed Instagram cultural moment stickers.

⎯



Virtue Worldwide
Senior Designer [2019-2021]

Virtue is the creative agency born from VICE, and I worked on some exciting projects with clients like Urban Decay, Beats by Dre and Cholula Hot Sauce, new business pitches, and internal projects for the agency. 

⎯



Refinery29
Senior Designer 
Social Media [2014-2018]

Sitting on both the Design and Social Media teams, I oversaw editorial and branded content for all social media channels. If you’ve liked, double tapped, or retweeted an @R29 social post then you’ve probably seen some of my work!

• Designer [2015-2017]
• Freelance Designer [2014-2015]
• Editorial Design Intern
  [2014-2015]

⎯



Warby Parker
Graphic Design Intern [2013-2014]

As a bespectacled intern by day and graduate student by night (I was pretty busy then)I worked on design assets for collectionsand other special collabs.

⎯



Texas Tech University
Graphic Designer [2011-2012]

Worked with faculty, staff, and students in developing new projects for the School of Art and Landmark Arts Galleries – brochures, exhibitions designs, and recruitment materials.

• La Ventana Managing Editor
  [2008-2011]
• Rec Sports Marketing Designer
  [2009-2010]



Organizations

AIGA NY Board of Directors 
Communications and Social Media
[2017-2020]



Awards & Honors
Society of Illustrators 66th Annual: Advertising & Institutional Jury [2023]

AICP Next Awards Judge, 
Category: Influencer [2023]

#ArtOnLink World Pride Featured Artist [2019]

Chandelier Creative – Mermaid Ranch Artist In Residence [2018]

The Young Ones: Advertising & Design Student Competition Juror [2017]

Print Magazine Regional Design Award [2017]

Ace Hotel: New York Artist in Residency Program (#AceAIR)

AIGA Command X Competition [2016]



Speaking Engagements
SVA MFA Design Guest Lecturer
New York, NY

Laguna College of Art + Design
Guest Lecturer 
Laguna Beach, CA

Shillington School Of Design 
Guest Lecturer 
New York, NY



Press AIGA Eye on Design
Planoly
Newspaper Club
Brand Therapy Podcast








Last Updated 25.02.13
SELECTED WORK [WIP]





Refinery29
Table of Contents

Editorial Illustrations .................[1]
Refinery29 x Papyrus Greeting Cards .....[2]
R29Design Calendar ......................[3]
29Rooms Value Stand .....................[4]
#R29Collabs Social Content ..............[5]
@Refinery29 x Keurig ....................[6]
@Refinery29 “Sharables” Social Content ..[7]
↓


Refinery29 Editorial Illustrations

⎯
A collection of original illustrations for editorial content on Refinery29.

[1] How To Take A Sabbatical Without Ruining Your Career by Judith Ohikuare. 

[2]  Sleep Like A Baby — Yes, Even In This Brutal Heat With No AC

[3] 6 Tricks To Get Upgraded To First Class
by Julie Bogen.

[4] The Meaning Behind Your Zodiac Birthstone
by Ellen Hoffman.

Illustration: Elliot salazar

Refinery29 x Papyrus

⎯

+ Featured on Refinery29
This unique collaboration is a bold, funny, and honest take on empowering women to share their realest moments with the people who truly get them. I designed and illustrated three different card designs for the themes of Birthday and Friendship. All of the cards are available at Papyrus stores nationwide, select Target retailers, and online at papyrus.com.

Creative Direction: Peira Gelardi. Art Direction: Meg Lazaros. Design: Isabel Castillo-Guijarro, Louisa Cannell, Mallory Heyer, Elliot Salazar, and Abbie Winters.

R29Design Calendar

⎯

+ 2017 Print Magazine Regional Design Award Winner

 + Featured on Newspaper Club, People of Print, 
and For Print Only.
The R29Design Calendar was a surprise to all of the Refinery29 employees. This secret project came to life by enlisting fellow in-house designers to contribute illustrations. As with all things Refinery29, this project aimed to be bigger and better than just a calendar. A traditional newsprint format was transformed by having each month double as a 20x30’ pull-out poster – taking Refinery29’s illustration work from URL to IRL.

Design: Isabel Castillo-Guijarro and Elliot Salazar. Illustration: Paola Delucca, Louisa Cannell, Isabel Castillo Guijarro, Mallory Heyer, Alex Marino, Tristan Offit, Elliot Salazar, and Abbie Winters. Printed by: The Newspaper Club.


29Rooms Values Stand

⎯
29Rooms is Refinery29’s immersive world of culture and creativity. This year, in collaboration with The NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, the R29Design team together created a “value stand” aimed at promoting NYC voter registration. Each member of our team designed an item – poster, newspaper, soda or chip bag – in the newsstand that advocates a different political topic in policy making.

Design: Louisa Cannell, Isabel Castillo Guijarro, Elizabeth Coulbourn, Paola Delucca, Seeta Kanhai, Alex Marino, Hannah Minn, Tristan Offit, Vero Romero, Elliot Salazar, Janet Sung, Paula Volchok, Abbie Winters, Seung Won Chun, and Evelyn Zhang. Photos: Evelyn Zhang.


#R29Collabs Social Content

⎯
This project was Refinery29’s Instagram-first creative collaborations with designers, illustrators, photographers, and other artists from around the world to create unique social content that educates, empowers, and inspires.

[1] #MotivationMonday series, a franchise
that gives life and consistency to our brand's core mission. Through quotes, mantras, and illustrations, we helped our audience start the week off feeling inspired and positive!

[2] For Asian American Pacific Islander History Month, we featured notable Asian American and Pacific Islander American women, like actors Constance Wu and Jenna Ushkowitz, Senator Tammy Duckworth, and Princess Ka'iulani of Hawaii.

Illustrations: Rachel Jo, Decue Wu. Art Direction: Elliot Salazar. Copywriting: Lindsay Arakawa, and Laurise McMillian.


@Refinery29 x Keurig

⎯
#NationalCoffeeDay is an everyday celebration to most, but is celebrated on the 29th of September when you work in social media and are hyper aware of national food holidays (Yes, it's a real thing. You can Google it).

To celebrate, Refinery29 partnered with Keurig's Donut Shop Coffee to create a quirky animated GIF with illustrator Michelle Sherrina – based in Jakarta, Indonesia – that highlights the many (many) cups of coffee we are all guilty of drinking. We are also all guilty of having at least one of these "funny" graphic mugs that helps us show off our personality and/or our love for all things Beyoncé. #IWokeUpLikeThis


Client: Keurig. Illustration: Michelle Sherrina. Art Direction: Elliot Salazar. Copywriting: Lindsay Arakawa, Capri Debiccari.

@Refinery29 “Sharables” Social Content

⎯
A collection of some of Refinery29’s social-first “sharables” or highly relatable and popular content that utilizes design, illustration, pop culture, and timely references, including organic and branded content partnerships.

[1] The Signs as Holiday Treats

[2] The Signs as Hilary Duff Songs & The Signs as Magic Powers

[3] Shopping at Target Be Like…

[4] How I get My Glow & Times a Zit Appears

Design and Illustration: Elliot Salazar
In partnership with CW Charmed

© Elliot Salazar 2024-2025