ELLIOT SALAZAR ☺︎





Designer, Illustrator & Art Director
+ elliot.e.salazar{at]gmail.com +

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

→ Portrait by Simone Noronha

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 – 2025

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.

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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.

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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. 

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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]

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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.

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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]





Instagram
TLDR: 
Instagram Sans Social Content, Cultural Stickers, Brand Swag [Internal],
#BlackDesignVisionaires, That’s A Job?! Series, and Spark Award Sticker [Internal].

↓


Instagram Brand Refresh Social Content

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+ Instagram Sans designed by Colophon Foundry
Learn more about Instagram Sans on @design
 In conjunction of the launch of the Instagram brand refresh, @design produced content around different design elements, giving design lovers a behind-the-scenes look at the new Instagram Sans typeface, including design process and inspiration from Colophon Foundry.

Creative AND Design: Kerri Macdonald, elliot salazar, christy silva.

Instagram Cultural Stickers

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Instagram cultural moments were celebrated by collaborating with artists, illustrators, and designers from around the world for a set of stickers. The @design account would create content around the stickers and the artists behind them with a series of social posts when designs were available in Instagram Stories.

[1] LatinX Heritage Month Stickers by Sol Cotti (@solcotti)
 Follow Sol on Instagram

[2] Asian American and Pacific Islander Month Stickers by Rose Wong (@ohrosewong)
Follow Rose on Instagram

[3] Lunar New Year Stickers by Ophelia Pang (@opheliapangg)
 Follow Ophelia on Instagram

[4] Native American Heritage Month Stickers by Alanah Jewell (@morning.star.designs)
Follow Alanah on Instagram


Creative AND Design: KJ Watts, Elliot Salazar


Instagram Brand Swag [Internal]

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Instagram Brand Design helped create fresh new ideas for internal swag – from concept to completion for special company-wide projects and smaller team items. I was the lead designer for these projects, overseeing the implementation of the newly launch brand ID refresh.

[1] Instagram Holiday Charcuterie Board

[2] Instagram All Hands Summer Swag Concepts

[3] Instagram Brand ID Launch Swag: Candle,
postcard design.

Creative AND Design: Ben King, Elliot Salazar

Black Design Visionaires

⎯
+ Press: It’s Nice That, Elle Decor, Teen Vogue, Forbes.
Instagram’s @design, the official account dedicated to celebrating the craft and creativity of the design community, is announcing the five recipients of the inaugural #BlackDesignVisionaries grant program. Presented in partnership with the Brooklyn Museum, #BlackDesignVisionaries aims to uplift, center and invest in rising Black designers and Black-led design businesses who offer experimental expressions of Black culture and have a powerful vision for the future.

I expanded the visual identity into editorial
content and design for the @design account – including announcements, artist features, IG Lives, and events.

Creative AND Design: Kerri MacDonald, Elliot Salazar, Frances Smith, KJ Watts.


That’s A Job?! Series

⎯
 That’s A Job?! is a new and fresh editorial series designed to spark curiosity, inspire students, and make design lovers pause mid-scroll. 

Each installment highlighted the weird, wonderful, and totally surprising careers out there – from handcrafting artisanal ice cubes to digitally perfecting color gradients. This series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the stories and creative processes of extraordinary individuals from around the world!


[🧊] Leslie Kirchhoff (@discocubes) designs artisanal ice cubes.
Follow Leslie on Instagram

Creative AND Design: Kerri Macdonald, Brett itaya, and Elliot Salazar



Instagram Spark Award Sticker [Internal]

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The Spark Award was an internal recognition for Instagram Design employees, who demostrated extraordinary achievements.

Each week, designers could nominate fellow peers – the sticker could only be utilized by employees via internal accounts. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, would later announce the winners during an all-hands broadcast, which could only be seen through an employee only Instagram Live.

I created the sticker design, employing the style and direction of the Instagram Iconagraphy design system and brand colors at the time.

Creative AND Design: Cynthia Pratomo, Elliot Salazar

© Elliot Salazar 2024-2025