MIDNIGHT UMBRELLA is the workshop of Ryan Arruda, a Rhode Island BORN DESIGNER WHO’s designing, illustratinG, writing, and building community AROUND Worcester, MA.
INFO
THE MIDNIGHT UMBRELLA WHEELHOUSE IS:
Graphic Design.
ILLUSTRATION.
ArtWORKS.
Writing.
Community.
-
I’m a designer by trade, friends. Letterforms to logos to layouts, and all the collateral in between—there’s something special about cooking up creative communication when you have something to say. Type’s my weapon of choice (give me a tall grotesque an artboard to steer it by), but I’ve been known to illustrate if duty calls.
-
Next best thing to designing? Excitedly sharing design know-how with others. In addition to teaching design classes, I’ve authored articles on typography & creative practice. I’ve also had the chance to hone communications and provide affable, approachable, and down-to-earth public-facing voices for the brands I’ve worked alongside.
-
I’ve been lucky to manage and host numerous design-related events in the last few years—from designer meetups and 300-person sold-out BSDS events in Boston, emceeing the main stage of Dribbble’s 700-attendee Hang Time conference at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom, and moderating virtual workshops and livestreaming sessions.
-
Oh goodness, I love rallying design-loving folks, helping creative communities come together to talk shop & support one another. I’m the co-founder of Bay State Design Shop (BSDS), and my work at both Monotype & Dribbble focused on the hand-shaking & baby-kissing necessary to build meaningful rapport with their creative communities.
FULL STORY
“GOOD design means bupkis if it ain’t done with a good heart.”
PRESENTED IN THE “THIRD PERSON”
MIDNIGHT UMBRELLA is the workshop of Ryan Arruda, a Rhode Islander who’s designing, illustrating, writing, and building community in Worcester, MA.
—
PRESENTED IN THE “FIRST PERSON”
Howdy, friend. I’ll lay it right out for you: I’ve got a love for art directing, burly typography, writing words, design communities, making cool s̷h̷i̷t̷ with cool people, and talking shop with fellow appreciators of design minutiae.
As for my story, I’m originally from the great state of Rhode Island. If we’re talking book learnin’, I graduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts with an undergraduate degree in film studies, and went on to score an MFA in graphic design from back home at the Rhode Island School of Design. Now I stake my claim in central Massachusetts, where I grill up projects large and small. I co-founded Bay State Design Shop (“BSDS”), a growing community that’s for New England-area designers, by New England-area designers, with my buddy Erik Weikert. Professionally, over the years I wrangled art direction, design, writing and community for MyFonts/Monotype, Dribbble, and Tree House Brewing Company.
My design horse hockey and/or commentary has been featured in Eye, Graphic Design: Now in Production; Type Trends; Communication Arts, Quipsologies, Green Patriot Posters: Images for a New Activism, Dribbble, Creative Bloq, The Drum, Branding Magazine, and on my parents’ refrigerator.
❤️
