About

Senior Designer with five years of experience translating complex marketing challenges into compelling creative campaigns for one of the most iconic franchises in the NHL.
Ryan giving direction to Sergei Murashov on creative day
Ryan Sutton wearing a blue suit, holding a microphone, talking to a crowd of students at the ice level of PPG Paints Arena.
Ryan holding a playoff towel above his head, in front of a large format decal at the EQT gate of PPG Paints Arena.

Education

2017 - 2021
University of North Florida
Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and Digital Media

Experience

2025 - Present
Senior Graphic Designer, Pittsburgh Penguins
Work in lock-step with the VP of Marketing and the Creative Director to brainstorm and execute unified creative approaches for all major ticketing campaigns and promotions. Communicate regularly with the Partnership Marketing team to pitch, plan, and execute strategic designs that generate perceived value to existing partnerships and potential value to prospective businesses. Supervise a team of interns, providing constructive criticism, teaching new design techniques, and ensuring the timely delivery of all creative assets.
2021 - 2025
Graphic Designer, Pittsburgh Penguins
Collaborated with the Digital Media team to strategically design and optimize various graphic templates across all social media platforms. Designed and oversaw the implementation of all creative materials across key marketing platforms. Maintained consistency of the Pittsburgh Penguins brand, ensuring that all forward-facing creative from both internal departments and third-party partners aligned with the organization’s current brand standards.
2021 - 2022
OPS Graphic Designer, UNF Alumni Association
Collaborated with various department directors and members of the marketing team to develop promotional identities for various fundraising campaigns, leading to an increase of alumni donations by over 400% during the 2021.22 fiscal year. Brainstormed and designed logos, infographics, and other creative assets to communicate the fundraising efforts of the Athletic department to alumni, fans, and donors. Utilized principles and elements of design to translate the fundraising goals of the university into strategic, deliverables across all platforms.
2019 - 2021
Student Graphic Design Assistant, UNF Alumni Association
Led the marketing team in the re-design of the UNF Homecoming and oversaw the implementation of the identity across all university marketing and digital media platforms. Established an official style guide for future use by the university. Designed various creative collateral for alumni fundraisers by updating logos and typographic layouts, to better comply with the established university style guide. Independently facilitated the creation and production of various graphics for the Alumni Association website, social media, print mailers, and other marketing platforms.

Recognition

2021
American Advertising Federation, District 4
Student Silver Addy

American Advertising Federation, Jacksonville
Student Gold Addy
Awarded for the submission of my student packaging design project, titled Cottonmouth Moonshine. Please reach out directly to view project.
2021
American Advertising Federation, Jacksonville
Student Silver Addy
Awarded for the submission of my student ticketing campaign concept for the Florida Panthers 2021-22 season, titled "Bring It." Please reach out directly to view project.