Hello,
I’m Nicky.
I’m a Brand & Marketing Strategist with a passion for building brands that resonate.
My work lives at the intersection of strategy and visual communication—where creativity, storytelling, and commercial thinking meet.
With a background in food & beverage strategy, digital marketing, graphic design, and photography, I help brands across the hospitality, wellness, and lifestyle industries create deeper connections with their audiences and drive meaningful growth.
Born and raised in Southern California, I was immersed in the world of design from an early age. With a mother who was an interior designer and a father who was an architect, creativity was a cornerstone of my upbringing—sparking a lifelong passion for aesthetics, art, and design. This creative foundation, combined with my studies in Business Entrepreneurship & Innovation, continues to shape how I approach brand-building today.
Now based in Byron Bay, I work with clients locally and globally to create, evolve, and grow impactful brands.
For work enquiries, please get in touch at nicky@nickykruse.com.
Resume
Experience
Independent Consultant
Nicky Kruse Creative
Partnering with agencies and independent clients to develop brand identities, creative strategies, and marketing solutions across food, lifestyle, and surf industries. Notable projects & clients:
Bay Pizza Lab
Developed the brand from inception, crafting the brand strategy and designing the visual identity, website, and packaging to position it as a standout leader in the market. Currently leading and executing key marketing initiatives, including partnerships, content strategy, promotional campaigns, paid advertising, and events, driving brand awareness and sales growth while ensuring consistency across all touchpoints.
K-FORMA
Strategic marketing partner, working closely with the founder to develop and execute brand, marketing, email, and advertising solutions that strengthen brand positioning and drive sales growth.
Willow Surf
Led brand strategy and creative direction for the visual identity, while supporting product strategy and design. Designed cohesive web, social, print, and packaging visuals to create a strong and consistent brand presence.
Senior Marketing Strategist
Fucking Great Marketing
FGM is a full-service digital marketing agency that drives brand growth through innovative, data-driven strategies. Our clients span the beauty, cosmetics, and tech industries.
Developed and executed multi-channel paid advertising campaigns across Meta, Google, LinkedIn, and print, successfully driving lead generation and increasing sales
Designed and implemented targeted email marketing campaigns and nurture sequences, boosting customer engagement and guiding leads through the sales funnel
Led content strategy and creative direction, overseeing the production of social media, photography, video, websites, and blogs to craft cohesive brand narratives and strengthen audience connection
Managed a small team and built strong client relationships, overseeing campaign execution, ensuring clear communication, and aligning marketing strategies with business goals
Senior Strategist
The Culinary Edge
The Culinary Edge is the USA’s leading food & beverage innovation consultancy, combining culinary excellence with human-centered design to shape the future of how we eat and drink. Clients ranged from multi-national restaurant groups to entrepreneurial food startups.
Developed and executed multi-channel paid advertising campaigns across Meta, Google, LinkedIn, and print, successfully driving lead generation and increasing sales
Designed and implemented targeted email marketing campaigns and nurture sequences, boosting customer engagement and guiding leads through the sales funnel
Led content strategy and creative direction, overseeing the production of social media, photography, video, websites, and blogs to craft cohesive brand narratives and strengthen audience connection
Managed a small team and built strong client relationships, overseeing campaign execution, ensuring clear communication, and aligning marketing strategies with business goals
Education
Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design
Entrepreneur Education
2022-2023
Diploma in Graphic Design
Entrepreneur Education
2021-2022
B.S. Business, Entrepreneurship & Innovation
University of San Francisco
2012-2016
Skills
Brand Strategy
Marketing Strategy
Branding & Visual Identity
Graphic Design
Digital Marketing & Paid Media
Content Creation & Social Media
Client Management & Communication
Leadership
Software
Adobe Illustrator
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Photoshop
Meta, Google & LinkedIn Ads
Web: Shopify, Squarespace
Email: Klaviyo, Mailchimp
Hubspot