Ari Solomon
Ari Solomon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 7, 1999 Teaneck, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States of America |
| Occupation |
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| Organization | Ari Solomon Design and Marketing |
| Website | arisolomondesign |
Ari Solomon (Born October 7, 1999) is an American professional graphic designer. He is best known for sports branding, sneaker & cleat design, logo design, and graphic arts. Solomon is the founder of Ari Solomon Design and Marketing, a graphic design company that specializes in sports branding.[1]
Solomon has gained recognition in the sports and entertainment industry for his shoe designs. He works with hundreds of high-profile clients including Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Christian Yelich, Steve Aoki, Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Jazz Chisholm, Pete Alonso, Salvador Perez, and many more.[2] Solomon’s shoe designs have been featured in many media outlets including ESPN, FOX Sports, MLB Network,[3] TMZ,[4] The Wall Street Journal, the Athletic, YES Network, Forbes,[5] and CNBC.
Early Life & Education
Ari Solomon was born Jewish in New York City to Moshie and Sonya Solomon and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey. He is the elder brother to Natan Solomon. Solomon attended Torah Academy in Bergen County, New Jersey, for high school. While studying, Solomon was active in sports and was instinctively creative — a trait that propelled him to be what he is today. Through the suggestion of his parents, Solomon pursued graphic design in high school. By the time he graduated in 2018, he had already started a business. After graduating from high school, he spent a year abroad studying Torah and religion at Yeshivat Sha'arei Mevaseret Tzion located in Mevaseret Zion, Israel just outside of Jerusalem. Later, he attended the Sy Syms School of Business at Yeshiva University to pursue a degree in marketing and graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2022 with a B.A. in Marketing. While pursuing his degree in marketing, he simultaneously ran multiple businesses and got married to Gabrielle (Gabbi) Solomon in March 2021.[6]
Career
Since childhood, Solomon was determined and passionate about design, specifically related to sports. He could draw comic pictures, sports uniforms and even came up with his own product ideas. When he became a 5 sport athlete in high school, it catapulted his abilities and ambitions of becoming a sports branding graphic designer. Through online platforms like YouTube, Solomon, with the help of his parents, started learning graphic design by mastering industry-standard tools like Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. In 2018, Solomon established his business and named it Ari Solomon Design and Marketing. In the infancy stages of his business, Solomon did local design work such as Bar/Bat Mitzvah logos,[7] invitations, flyers, business logos, etc.[8]
From 2018 to 2019, Solomon went to study abroad in Israel at Yeshivat Sha'arei Mevaseret Tzion while running his business. While in Israel, Solomon lost his files due to a computer glitch that had him start his business from scratch—a situation that he described as the best thing that ever happened to him because it prompted him to discover better opportunities.[9]
In an attempt to build his business in 2019, he began offering free custom designs to professional athletes whom he met on social media apps like Instagram. He offered the designs under the condition of having the athletes post his work on their social media pages. This helped his business gain recognition quickly.[10]
Throughout 2020, Solomon leveraged the power of social media by creating Instagram “challenges” and running live series on which he hosted high-profile celebrities. His overall engagements with celebrities via social media in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic not only helped raise awareness, but also strengthened his business that was still struggling to lay a good foundation. Some of the notable people Solomon engaged with include Nascar driver Noah Gragson, Atlanta Falcons receiver Russell Gage, Atlanta Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek, and Nick Suzuki.
Alex Katz, a professional baseball player and founder of Stadium Custom Kicks, worked with Solomon by bringing him to his company to work as a cleat/sneaker concept designer after meeting with Solomon in his show. The cleats went viral on social media and the design received recognition from Bleacher Report, SNY, the Athletic, and more.
In 2022, Solomon became the Head of Design with baseball glove company Aria Gloves.
Personal Life
Solomon currently lives in Teaneck, New Jersey with his wife Gabbi. Solomon is a practicing Orthodox Jew and spends much of his day learning Torah and religion in a nearby study hall.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Sussman, Ely (5 February 2021). "Offishial news: Trevor Bauer buzz; veteran player interviews". Fish Stripes. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ Leichman, Abigail Klein. "How much did you say those shoes cost?". jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Kelenic's custom cleats: 'Best gift ever'". MLB.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Dodgers' Max Muncy Has Awesome Tribute to Tommy Lasorda for WS Ring Ceremony". TMZ. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ Newcomb, Tim. "Minor League Pitcher Alex Katz's Artistic Footwear Customization Business Is Spreading Beyond Baseball". Forbes. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ Leichman, Abigail Klein. "Yeshiva University student makes custom cleats for pro athletes — on Instagram". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Ari Solomon's Journey from Designing Bar Mitzvah Logos to Jacob DeGrom's Cleats". thriveglobal.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ Wagenheim, Mike. "21-Year-Old YU Student Designs Shoes For Professional Athletes". jewishpress.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ "Cohen in the City: Episode 14 -Red Wings prospect Veleno and friends lead mental health challenge". The Suburban Newspaper. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
- ↑ Gindi, Josh. "'Celly Forward Challenge' Puts a Spotlight on Mental Health". jewishlinknj.com. Retrieved 4 April 2022.