Artist, It's A Living

Ricardo Gonzalez is a designer and artist who has travelled the world for his art. Originally from Durango, Mexico, Ricardo completed the Graphic Design Production – Creative program in 2010.

“It’s a Living” is Ricardo’s brand, and personal philosophy. The phrase stuck with him from the moment he saw it. It wasn’t until later, when he realized he was doing what he loved and making a living from it, that he decided to adopt the phrase as his own.

Ricardo has travelled the world for his art. He painted a giant wall mural “Amor” in Mexico City in 2023 on the side of a building, and hosted a dozen solo art shows in Tokyo, Mexico City, Paris, Seoul, and New York, between 2016 and 2023. His work has been featured in group shows in Vienna, Osaka and across the U.S.

He has also worked with top brands like Apple, Armani Exchange, Nike, Bentley, Google, Pepsi, Budweiser, Toyota, Monster and many more. 1800 Tequila, included him in its Essential Artist Series, commissioning him for a live mural installation at style, fashion and art festival ComplexCon in 2016.

One of Ricardo’s most recent brand collaborations saw him paint It’s a Living over Google Pixel ads to promote the phone’s new mint green colour. He was then featured in a commercial for the campaign.

After graduating, he worked as a screen printer for two years in Ottawa, where he rediscovered his passion for calligraphy, that he developed as a child from his grandparents, and began to experiment with letterforms. Then he returned to his hometown of Durango, Mexico, to work full-time as an independent designer.

From there, Ricardo moved to New York City in 2014 to enroll in a post-graduate program majoring in typeface design from The Cooper Union Advancement of Science and Art in New York.

He worked as a graphic designer and art director in NYC, and started to display his art in group shows, which helped grow his name in the art world. After about a year, he launched his business.

His awards include a Young Guns 15 from the Art Directors Club in 2017, typography and lettering awards from Print Mag and COMMARTS, and an International Issue Award from HOWDesign.

Ricardo is a member of the American Institute of Graphic Arts, Art Directors Club and Working Not Working.