SHINO SOMA
Profile
My name is Shino Soma.
I am a Creative Director, Art Director, and Designer with a sharp eye for detail and a passion for storytelling across digital, experiential, and brand platforms. Originally from Japan, I’ve been educated both in Japan and the U.S., and am currently based in New York City.
I bring a multidisciplinary background to every project, drawing from experience in Japanese calligraphy, film, woodblock printmaking, sculpture, and mixed media. My work has been recognized and collected by institutions including the New York Public Library Print Room.
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Selected Clients: Amazon, Microsoft, TikTok, CNN, Ford, NBCUniversal, Sony Pictures, Coca-Cola, MTV, Comedy Central, The Body Shop, WebMD, Global Citizen Festival, Takashi Murakami, Oxygen Network, InStyle Magazine, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Experience
Self Employed/Freelance
New York, NY
Creative Director/Art Director/Designer 2018-Present
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Led creative strategy and execution for clients including Amazon, Microsoft, TikTok, Ford, CNN, The Body Shop, and WebMD, delivering engagement across digital, social, experiential, and print.
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Created high-impact campaigns and branding that strengthened market presence and customer connection.
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Directed and mentored cross-functional teams, ensuring creative innovation and consistent excellence.
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NBC Universal - NBC News & MSNBC
New York, NY
Art Director 2013-2018
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Led the creative direction for award-winning, 360° marketing campaigns across broadcast, digital, social, and experiential channels, contributing to record-breaking ratings.
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Developed comprehensive style guides and visual systems to unify branding across shows and departments.
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Directed freelancers, motion graphic designers, and production artists; managed shoots, retouching, and production workflows.
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Oversaw the interior design of office spaces at 30 Rock, managing installation and creative production of on-site visual environments.
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Alloy Digital
New York, NY
Freelance Art Director 2012-2013
Concept development, art direction and design of the digital marketing
for Sony Pictures films including “White House Down”, “Grown Ups 2”, “One Direction: This Is Us”, digital and social campaigns for Coca-Cola, Teen.com, Garnier, DeVries, Meredith, other Media companies
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
New York, NY/Washington, D.C.
Design Consultant in Visual/Digital/UX/UI Design 2012
Establishing Identity, Style guide, Design Templates, Packaging, Typography
Redesigning of the CFPB homepage (UX and Visual) and establishing Intranet structure by working with various teams
Launching Recruiting Campaigns and redesigning annual reports for congress, Ombudsman’s Office Identity and printing materials
Viacom - MTV Networks/Comedy Central
New York, NY
Designer 2006-2011
Launching the drastic redesign of the ComedyCentral homepage and
the lead designer of CC : Stand-Up package redesign for Web, iPad
and Jokes.com from UI to final design delivery
Brainstorming and designing daily topical promotion of the ComedyCentral homepage and design ALL show sitelets for comedycentral.com, jokes.com and for Mobile + Apps
Managing production designers for overall production work and coordinate with On-Air & Off-Air to share assets to create a consistent branding image
Design concepts and create mock-ups for quarterly marketing initiatives and direct marketing materials promoting on-air/web-exclusive content and illustration for Indecision site promo
Custom design for Emmy-winning web-exclusive video for “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”
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InStyle Magazine
New York, NY
Design Assistant 2006
Development of InStyle Magazine advertisement for various clients including Neutrogena, Nike, Haagen-Dazs, Estee Lauder, Lifetime and Toronto Film Festival, also delivering successful Event promo materials
and stunt prize package design
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Fuel
New York, NY
Freelance Illustrator/Designer/Printer 2004-2005
TV Land “Honkytonk Haiku” spot Illustration and Woodblock Print Fuel Holiday Cards
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Oxygen Media
New York, NY
Freelance Animator
Designing and animating TV show graphics
More work experience is available upon request.
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Education
Pratt Institute : School of Art & Design
Master of Science in Communications Design
New York, NY
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Selected Participant in 2002 Pratt Show
New York University : Tisch School of the Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Television
New York, NY
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Continuing Education:
School of Visual Arts: CSS, Flash, After Effects, and Fine Art
Cooper Union: Typography Design
Tools
Proficient in major design software
Adobe Creative Cloud:
PhotoShop
Illustrator
InDesign
Premier Pro
After Effects
Acrobat
Adobe XD
Encoder
Flash
Avid
Microsoft Word
Excel
PowerPoint
Outlook
Figma
Skills
Art direction
Graphic Design
Brand Development
Typography
Logo Design
Icon Design
Advertising
Digital & Multimedia
Print Design
Digital Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Event Design
TV & Video Production
Digital Strategy
Content Strategy
Usability, UX & UI Design
Interaction Design
Creative problem solving
Concept Design
Storytelling
Project Management
Talent Management
Illustration & Animation
Photography & Retouching
Motion Graphics
Printmaking
Bookmaking
Multimedia Installation
Expert in Calligraphy
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Able to work comfortably in collaborative settings or independently
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Fluent in Japanese
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Numerious Fine Art Exhibitions including “The Armory Show” since 2005 in Greater NY Area and Japan
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Papermaking training at Dieu Donné paper mill
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Wrote, Directed, Produced, Edited numerous student films
Awards
2010
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space Award
Workspace Residency at Governor’s Island
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2008
Kanuma Shiritsu Kawakamisumio Museum Woodblock print award
Jury Selction
Kanuma City, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan
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2006-2007
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Swing Space Award
Workspace Residency and project grant
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2005-2006
Lower East Side Printshop Keyholder Residency
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Anton Abel Cine-Tech Script Competition
Finalist
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NYU Short Video Showcase
Contact
Email : shinosoma@gmail.com
Tel : 914.771.1255