I am an award-winning, strategic and hands-on Creative Director with 20+ years of experience leading cross-disciplinary design, branding, and storytelling initiatives for global hospitality, tech, and lifestyle brands such as Travel + Leisure, W Hotels. and Blundstone boots. Adept at building high-performing teams and translating creative vision into commercially successful campaigns. Currently running a multidisciplinary studio specializing in brand development through design, strategy, and storytelling. Built strong client partnerships and assembled tailored creative teams to align brand vision with business goals and ensure project success. Select clients include Travel + Leisure Co, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Echelon Studios, Howard Hughes Holdings, ThirdLove, Caesars Entertainment, Compass Inc, Shopstyle, and Meredith Media Group Previously role was Senior CD partner at an agency in NY leading a multidisciplinary team of Art Directors, Designers, and Copywriters, driving strategic brand development, concept creation, and client presentations. Oversaw visual and communication solutions across digital, social, mobile, and traditional platforms, while strengthening key client relationships globally. Clients included Sony Electronics, Microsoft, Marriott International Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Sonesta Hotels, Ralph Lauren Fragrance, Korg, THX, and MTV. Passionate about arts, travel, culture, and visual innovation.…

NaotoOnoCreative

I am an award-winning, strategic and hands-on Creative Director with 20+ years of experience leading cross-disciplinary design, branding, and storytelling initiatives for global hospitality, tech, and lifestyle brands such as Travel + Leisure, W Hotels. and Blundstone boots. Adept at building high-performing teams and translating creative vision into commercially successful campaigns. Currently running a multidisciplinary studio specializing in brand development through design, strategy, and storytelling. Built strong client partnerships and assembled tailored creative teams to align brand vision with business goals and ensure project success. Select clients include Travel + Leisure Co, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Echelon Studios, Howard Hughes Holdings, ThirdLove, Caesars Entertainment, Compass Inc, Shopstyle, and Meredith Media Group Previously role was Senior CD partner at an agency in NY leading a multidisciplinary team of Art Directors, Designers, and Copywriters, driving strategic brand development, concept creation, and client presentations. Oversaw visual and communication solutions across digital, social, mobile, and traditional platforms, while strengthening key client relationships globally. Clients included Sony Electronics, Microsoft, Marriott International Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Sonesta Hotels, Ralph Lauren Fragrance, Korg, THX, and MTV. Passionate about arts, travel, culture, and visual innovation.…

Available to hire

I am an award-winning, strategic and hands-on Creative Director with 20+ years of experience leading cross-disciplinary design, branding, and storytelling initiatives for global hospitality, tech, and lifestyle brands such as Travel + Leisure, W Hotels. and Blundstone boots.

Adept at building high-performing teams and translating creative vision into commercially successful campaigns.

Currently running a multidisciplinary studio specializing in brand development through design, strategy, and storytelling. Built strong client partnerships and assembled tailored creative teams to align brand vision with business goals and ensure project success. Select clients include Travel + Leisure Co, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Echelon Studios, Howard Hughes Holdings, ThirdLove, Caesars Entertainment, Compass Inc, Shopstyle, and Meredith Media Group

Previously role was Senior CD partner at an agency in NY leading a multidisciplinary team of Art Directors, Designers, and Copywriters, driving strategic brand development, concept creation, and client presentations.

Oversaw visual and communication solutions across digital, social, mobile, and traditional platforms, while strengthening key client relationships globally. Clients included Sony Electronics, Microsoft, Marriott International Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, Sonesta Hotels, Ralph Lauren Fragrance, Korg, THX, and MTV.

Passionate about arts, travel, culture, and visual innovation.

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Language

English
Fluent
Japanese
Fluent

Work Experience

Principal at Naoto Ono Creative Llc
June 1, 2018 - Present
A multidisciplinary studio specializing in brand development through design, strategy, and storytelling. Built strong client partnerships and assembled tailored creative teams to align brand vision with business goals and ensure project success.
Senior Creative Director - Partner at RDA International
October 1, 2000 - August 2, 2020
Led a multidisciplinary team of Art Directors, Designers, and Copywriters, driving strategic brand development, concept creation, and client presentations. Oversaw visual and communication solutions across digital, social, mobile, and traditional platforms, while strengthening key client relationships globally.

Education

BFA in Communication Design at Pratt Institute School of Art, Design, Architecture
October 17, 2025 - October 17, 2025

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Travel & Hospitality, Media & Entertainment, Retail, Gaming, Professional Services, Computers & Electronics
    uniE621 W Hotels Worldwide Global Brand Identity
    Before W Hotels expanded globally, it was a small boutique brand predominantly located in the US. To grow into the worldwide brand that it is today, a significant rethinking and rebranding process was undertaken. Working closely with the W Hotels marketing department, I led a team of creatives to rethink the collateral and identity to suit the worldwide market. At the time of the rebranding, only 20 W Hotels existed. Now there are 67 hotels worldwide, each one offering a unique experience. Many brands have tried to emulate the formula and capture the same excitement as W Hotels, but it continues to define its segment. branding designer graphicdesigner…
    uniE621 Travel + Leisure
    Strategy & Launch Campaign Naoto Ono Creative was offered the chance to launch Travel + Leisure Club, which is a part of the new booking website for Travel + Leisure Go. The 50-year-old travel magazine is expanding its horizons in the travel industry by enabling viewers to make reservations based on its award-winning editorial stories. In addition to the commercial spots, we created an integrated campaign that comprises print ads, web and digital ads, emails and newsletters, social media content strategy, and b2b materials for the launch. branding designer photo webdesigner graphicdesigner…
    uniE621 Blundstone Boots
    Brand Ambassador Photography and Video Naoto Ono Creative partnered with Blundstone Boots as an ambassador for the US market, at a time when they were not a household name here yet, unlike in Australia where their 150-year history spoke for itself. To live up to their line “LIVE IN MY BLUNDSTONES” we traveled to various outdoor destinations around the world to feature Blundstone boots in the wild. Social media is a place to dream of the next adventure, and the images and videos grabbed the attention of the wanderlust audience. The images have been a contributor in tripling Blundstone sales in a few short years, making them a staple boot amongst the outdoor passionate audience, with 20 percent of global sales now coming from the US market. Winner of Graphis Photography Annual 2023 Silver Award photo branding…
    uniE621 W Hotels Global Marketing Campaign
    In conjunction with the redesign and repositioning of W Hotels Worldwide's brand identity for the global audience, the marketing strategy was adapted to emphasize the new direction. Collaborating with the W Hotels brand team, I led the group in conceptualizing and producing multiple award-winning print campaigns over several years as the brand expanded internationally to a global market. Campaigns were shot on location in various countries to showcase new openings and the brand's diverse range of design details for which it is renowned. photo branding designer…
    uniE621 Aloft Hotels Brand Development
    Brand Concept, Identity Design, and Launch After the successful rebranding of W Hotels Worldwide, a new project was initiated based on the same ethos. The project involved working closely with Starwood Hotels & Resorts to create a completely new hotel experience for the select service market. This included naming the brand, conceptualizing the overall direction, and creating comprehensive global style guides for all visual materials. The team was led to develop a fully integrated launch campaign encompassing marketing and promotional materials, social media marketing, brand videos, in-hotel collateral, online identity, and even the Aloft Hotels brand song. There are now +210 Aloft Hotels worldwide.…