Meet Nikolai
I'm a creative director turned solopreneur, YouTuber, and digital product creator.
I help creatives, creators, and entrepreneurs turn their knowledge into income by teaching them systems to launch their online business and personal brand.
Quick Facts About Me:
Quick Facts About Me:
• I'm a passionate history nerd who weaves elements from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and mythology into my work as easter eggs for the observant viewers to discover.
• I'm a champion of AI design and no-code tools, embracing these technologies to rapidly transform ideas into exceptional results.
• I'm obsessed with packaging design, I believe beautiful branding makes life more enjoyable—so you should work with me to create more of it.
• I fuel my creative process with heavy metal and rock, working to the sounds of Bring Me The Horizon, Sleep Token, and other intense metalcore bands.
Meet Nikolai
I'm a creative director turned solopreneur, YouTuber, and digital product creator.
I help creatives, creators, and entrepreneurs turn their knowledge into income by teaching them systems to launch their online business and personal brand.
Quick Facts About Me:
• I'm a passionate history nerd who weaves elements from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and mythology into my work as easter eggs for the observant viewers to discover.
• I'm a champion of AI design and no-code tools, embracing these technologies to rapidly transform ideas into exceptional results.
• I'm obsessed with packaging design, I believe beautiful branding makes life more enjoyable—so you should work with me to create more of it.
• I fuel my creative process with heavy metal and rock, working to the sounds of Bring Me The Horizon, Sleep Token, and other intense metalcore bands.
$50,000,000+
$50,000,000+
In Client Revenue Generated
In Client Revenue Generated
$50,000,000+
In Client Revenue Generated
300% AVG
300% AVG
Growth Achieved For Clients
Growth Achieved For Clients
300% AVG
Growth Achieved For Clients
300+ Clients
300+ Clients
Whose Brands I've Transformed
Whose Brands I've Transformed
300+ Clients
Whose Brands I've Transformed
10+ Years
10+ Years
Of Design Experience
Of Design Experience
10+ Years
Of Design Experience
My client work has been featured in:
My client work has been featured in:
Designer. Educator. Brand Builder
My journey started in 2015 when I founded NP Design Co., working with over 300+ food, beverage, and lifestyle businesses. Along the way, I launched side projects like Folk Fable Studio, experimenting with AI for creative eCommerce solutions.
After a decade as a freelancer building brands for businesses of all sizes, I hit burnout in 2025. I closed my agency to focus on what really lit me up: teaching everything I've learned about building successful online businesses.
This hands-on experience with hundreds of brands means I know exactly what works—and what doesn't—so you can skip the expensive mistakes I've already made and build faster.
Skills
Web Design
Figma
Copywriting
Illustration
Video Editing
UI/UX Design
Brand Design
Packaging design
Shopify
Webflow
AI Design
Designer. Educator. Brand Builder
My journey started in 2015 when I founded NP Design Co., working with over 300+ food, beverage, and lifestyle businesses. Along the way, I launched side projects like Folk Fable Studio, experimenting with AI for creative eCommerce solutions.
After a decade as a freelancer building brands for businesses of all sizes, I hit burnout in 2025. I closed my agency to focus on what really lit me up: teaching everything I've learned about building successful online businesses.
This hands-on experience with hundreds of brands means I know exactly what works—and what doesn't—so you can skip the expensive mistakes I've already made and build faster.
Skills
Web Design
Figma
Copywriting
Illustration
Video Editing
UI/UX Design
Brand Design
Packaging design
Shopify
Webflow
AI Design
The Tools I Use
The Tools I Use
The Tools I Use
Experience
Experience
Experience
Nikolai Paquin Design Co.
Founder
2015 - Present
Creative Director and Founder of NP Design Co., collaborating with online brands to address design and digital marketing needs including art direction, branding, and digital strategy.
My portfolio includes notable clients such as Amazon, BET, CNN, Subaru of America, AMC Networks, and several celebrity brands.
Nikolai Paquin Design Co.
Founder
2015 - Present
Creative Director and Founder of NP Design Co., collaborating with online brands to address design and digital marketing needs including art direction, branding, and digital strategy.
My portfolio includes notable clients such as Amazon, BET, CNN, Subaru of America, AMC Networks, and several celebrity brands.
Seven Barrels Balsamics
Fractional CMO
2021 - 2025
Served as Fractional CMO, independently managing all marketing operations including paid advertising, graphic design, website maintenance, content creation, and social media management.
Drove substantial business growth, dramatically scaling e-commerce revenue through strategic digital marketing initiatives over a five-year partnership.
Seven Barrels Balsamics
Fractional CMO
2021 - 2025
Served as Fractional CMO, independently managing all marketing operations including paid advertising, graphic design, website maintenance, content creation, and social media management.
Drove substantial business growth, dramatically scaling e-commerce revenue through strategic digital marketing initiatives over a five-year partnership.
Banza
Freelance Designer
2022 - 2024
Developed comprehensive visual branding assets including merchandise, promotional items, and trade show materials as an integrated part of their creative team for over two years.
Collaborated closely with the marketing department on a consistent basis to create illustrations for apparel, social media campaigns, and packaging design elements across multiple product launches including their waffle line
Banza
Freelance Designer
2022 - 2024
Developed comprehensive visual branding assets including merchandise, promotional items, and trade show materials as an integrated part of their creative team for over two years.
Collaborated closely with the marketing department on a consistent basis to create illustrations for apparel, social media campaigns, and packaging design elements across multiple product launches including their waffle line
Kirgan Consulting
Freelance Art Director
2020 - 2024
Led comprehensive Amazon FBA store development for numerous clients, managing all visual branding, graphics, layouts, and store design while directing a team of junior designers throughout the entire launch process.
Served as a pivotal consultant, working directly with clients to establish their Amazon presence and implement strategic paid advertising campaigns that generated substantial marketplace revenue across dozens of successful product launches.
Kirgan Consulting
Freelance Art Director
2020 - 2024
Led comprehensive Amazon FBA store development for numerous clients, managing all visual branding, graphics, layouts, and store design while directing a team of junior designers throughout the entire launch process.
Served as a pivotal consultant, working directly with clients to establish their Amazon presence and implement strategic paid advertising campaigns that generated substantial marketplace revenue across dozens of successful product launches.
Sweet & Boozy Ice Cream
Freelance Designer
2022 - 2024
Designed comprehensive visual branding for concession stands and promotional displays across major MLB and NFL stadiums, including menus, game day promotions, advertisements, and branded kiosks.
Created high-impact visual assets with exceptional visibility, reaching an audience of over 10 million annual viewers through stadium placements at venues like Allegiance Stadium while contributing to packaging design and core brand identity elements.
Sweet & Boozy Ice Cream
Freelance Designer
2022 - 2024
Designed comprehensive visual branding for concession stands and promotional displays across major MLB and NFL stadiums, including menus, game day promotions, advertisements, and branded kiosks.
Created high-impact visual assets with exceptional visibility, reaching an audience of over 10 million annual viewers through stadium placements at venues like Allegiance Stadium while contributing to packaging design and core brand identity elements.
Gas Monkey Garage
Freelance Illustrator
2022 - 2023
Created distinctive merchandise designs and branding assets for the renowned custom car shop featured on Discovery Channel’s “Fast N’ Loud” television series, including special edition apparel for their world record-breaking street legal car achievement.
Developed a collection of 15 signature designs that were integrated into their official merchandise line, selling to thousands of fans while also contributing branding elements for their restaurant concept and related ventures.
Gas Monkey Garage
Freelance Illustrator
2022 - 2023
Created distinctive merchandise designs and branding assets for the renowned custom car shop featured on Discovery Channel’s “Fast N’ Loud” television series, including special edition apparel for their world record-breaking street legal car achievement.
Developed a collection of 15 signature designs that were integrated into their official merchandise line, selling to thousands of fans while also contributing branding elements for their restaurant concept and related ventures.
Bartley & Dick
Freelance Designer
2021 - 2023
Created diverse design assets including show posters, subscription advertisements, pharmaceutical branding, and social media content for Fortune 500 clients at a premier New York City advertising agency.
Collaborated with art directors to deliver high-quality design work under tight deadlines for major brands including Amazon, AMC Networks, BET, and Ingredion, developing exceptional production skills and versatility across multiple industries.
(Under NDA for all work related to Bartley & Dick and its clients)
Bartley & Dick
Freelance Designer
2021 - 2023
Created diverse design assets including show posters, subscription advertisements, pharmaceutical branding, and social media content for Fortune 500 clients at a premier New York City advertising agency.
Collaborated with art directors to deliver high-quality design work under tight deadlines for major brands including Amazon, AMC Networks, BET, and Ingredion, developing exceptional production skills and versatility across multiple industries.
(Under NDA for all work related to Bartley & Dick and its clients)
Big Loud
Freelance Illustrator
2022 - 2023
Designed concert posters and merchandise illustrations for the Morgan Wallen Dangerous Tour that were sold to thousands of fans across multiple venues in 2022.
Created custom illustration work for country music artists including Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and ERNEST, developing visual assets for both concert promotion and official merchandising collections.
Big Loud
Freelance Illustrator
2022 - 2023
Designed concert posters and merchandise illustrations for the Morgan Wallen Dangerous Tour that were sold to thousands of fans across multiple venues in 2022.
Created custom illustration work for country music artists including Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, and ERNEST, developing visual assets for both concert promotion and official merchandising collections.
Curtis Print & Design
Graphic Designer
2019 - 2020
Managed comprehensive prepress workflows and production design for a variety of commercial print projects including newspapers, brochures, business cards, and mass-printed materials.
Served small business clients while developing technical expertise in preparing design files for high-volume printing runs, ensuring quality control and press-ready specifications across diverse print formats.
Curtis Print & Design
Graphic Designer
2019 - 2020
Managed comprehensive prepress workflows and production design for a variety of commercial print projects including newspapers, brochures, business cards, and mass-printed materials.
Served small business clients while developing technical expertise in preparing design files for high-volume printing runs, ensuring quality control and press-ready specifications across diverse print formats.
What My Clients Have To Say…
What My Clients Have To Say…
What My Clients Have To Say…
Mark Moss
Co-Owner, Seven Barrels Balsamics
"Nikolai has been a great help for Seven Barrels Balsamics to date and has truly made a difference for our e-commerce through all platforms that he handles for us. Managing our paid advertising and social media marketing, increasing brand exposure and online sales 3X what we use to sell."
5.0
Mike Trevino
Founder, One-Ton Barbell Club
"Nikolai has brought my dream to life! Walking us through how to start a lifestyle brand, and how to market our products effectively online. He has been core to our founding and guiding us on the right path to launch our gym lifestyle brand. I would recommend him to everyone!”
5.0
Bani Bahari
Owner, Offcourt
"Nikolai has been an instrumental part of our team for digital video asset creation and he has done a fantastic job of retouching our product photography and brand videos. He is fast, professional, and dedicated to producing the highest quality work. I cannot recommend him enough to anyone I know.”
5.0
Daisey Seymour
Tour Manager, Big Loud
"Nikolai is a rockstar, and helped us out when we were in a pinch saving us during our 2022 Morgan Wallen, Dangerous Tour. He was able to create 3 amazing tour posters when we could not find anyone else in NY State. If it was not for him we would not have had any posters for this tour in NY."
5.0
Kendall Conroy
Marketing Lead, Banza
"Working with Nikolai was a great experience. He is quick, a great communicator, and offers great customer service! We look forward to working together with him on future projects."
5.0
Elizabeth T.
Marketing Director, Cedar Grove
“We worked with Nikolai to launch our business in 2019, and since then, he has been a major player in expanding our marketing and branding efforts. Without him, we would not be where we are today.”
5.0
Melanie Kirgan
Founder, Kirgan Consulting
“Nikolai is a great design partner. We use him for projects we cannot do in-house, and every time, he hits the mark. We recommend him to all the other businesses we work with.”
5.0
Sam Olin
Creative Director, Cameo
“We started working with Nikolai when we acquired Represent® to expand our creator merch platform. He has been great to work with, helping us create merch designs for celebrities such as Lainey Wilson, Ernest, and Flo. We look forward to working with him more in the future.”
5.0
James Luis
Marketing Director, Ingredion®
“We worked with Nikolai briefly when partnered with Bratley & Dick to expand our internal marketing and employee-facing design projects. He was a pleasure to work with and was a great designer to have as a part of our freelance team during our internal rebranding process.”
5.0
Karin Rutten
COO, O2Trainer
“We had a great experience working with Nikolai, we worked with him to update our website and increase the conversion of our online sales. Overall he is a great communicator, on time, and great to bounce ideas off of.”
5.0
Mark Moss
Co-Owner, Seven Barrels Balsamics
"Nikolai has been a great help for Seven Barrels Balsamics to date and has truly made a difference for our e-commerce through all platforms that he handles for us. Managing our paid advertising and social media marketing, increasing brand exposure and online sales 3X what we use to sell."
5.0Mike Trevino
Founder, One-Ton Barbell Club
"Nikolai has brought my dream to life! Walking us through how to start a lifestyle brand, and how to market our products effectively online. He has been core to our founding and guiding us on the right path to launch our gym lifestyle brand. I would recommend him to everyone!”
5.0Bani Bahari
Owner, Offcourt
"Nikolai has been an instrumental part of our team for digital video asset creation and he has done a fantastic job of retouching our product photography and brand videos. He is fast, professional, and dedicated to producing the highest quality work. I cannot recommend him enough to anyone I know.”
5.0Daisey Seymour
Tour Manager, Big Loud
"Nikolai is a rockstar, and helped us out when we were in a pinch saving us during our 2022 Morgan Wallen, Dangerous Tour. He was able to create 3 amazing tour posters when we could not find anyone else in NY State. If it was not for him we would not have had any posters for this tour in NY."
5.0Kendall Conroy
Marketing Lead, Banza
"Working with Nikolai was a great experience. He is quick, a great communicator, and offers great customer service! We look forward to working together with him on future projects."
5.0Elizabeth T.
Marketing Director, Cedar Grove
“We worked with Nikolai to launch our business in 2019, and since then, he has been a major player in expanding our marketing and branding efforts. Without him, we would not be where we are today.”
5.0Melanie Kirgan
Founder, Kirgan Consulting
“Nikolai is a great design partner. We use him for projects we cannot do in-house, and every time, he hits the mark. We recommend him to all the other businesses we work with.”
5.0Sam Olin
Creative Director, Cameo
“We started working with Nikolai when we acquired Represent® to expand our creator merch platform. He has been great to work with, helping us create merch designs for celebrities such as Lainey Wilson, Ernest, and Flo. We look forward to working with him more in the future.”
5.0James Luis
Marketing Director, Ingredion®
“We worked with Nikolai briefly when partnered with Bratley & Dick to expand our internal marketing and employee-facing design projects. He was a pleasure to work with and was a great designer to have as a part of our freelance team during our internal rebranding process.”
5.0Karin Rutten
COO, O2Trainer
“We had a great experience working with Nikolai, we worked with him to update our website and increase the conversion of our online sales. Overall he is a great communicator, on time, and great to bounce ideas off of.”
5.0
Delivered every week to your inbox
The Expert Economics Newsletter
Join 100+ creatives and entrepreneurs learning the exact strategies I use to scale brands from startup to 7-figures.
By signing up to Expert Economics, you'll receive weekly updates along with occasional emails about new products or special offers related to the newsletter. I respect your privacy and will never sell your information to third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Delivered every week to your inbox
The Expert Economics Newsletter
Join 100+ creatives and entrepreneurs learning the exact strategies I use to scale brands from startup to 7-figures.
By signing up to Expert Economics, you'll receive weekly updates along with occasional emails about new products or special offers related to the newsletter. I respect your privacy and will never sell your information to third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Delivered every week to your inbox
The Expert Economics Newsletter
Join 100+ creatives and entrepreneurs learning the exact strategies I use to scale brands from startup to 7-figures.
By signing up to Expert Economics, you'll receive weekly updates along with occasional emails about new products or special offers related to the newsletter. I respect your privacy and will never sell your information to third parties. You can unsubscribe at any time.