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Rick

Rick Barnes

Problems in. Learning out.

Give me the notes, the SMEs, and the deadline. I map outcomes, draft scripts, design the flow, and build real interactivity. Need video, icons, or a quick prototype? Done. I package it clean for your LMS, test SCORM, and squash the glitches before learners see them. Reviews are tight, brand stays intact, and handoff is simple. Fast. Steady. Reliable.

Let’s talk!

Signature
Cisco Logo
NetApp
Pony Logo
HowStuffWorks
Carolina Hurricanes
Playstation
Nordstrom
Hal Riney and Partners (Publicis)

How I can help (fast starts)

Onboarding Rescue (7–10 days). I audit your current flow, remove friction, rewrite confusing steps, and leave you with a clean sequence plus a simple metrics plan.

Sales Enablement Sprint (2–3 weeks). Scattered decks and tribal knowledge become a tight, modular playbook—short scenario videos, job aids, and a searchable home.

Microlearning Library (2–4 weeks). A set of focused, SCORM-ready lessons with quick quizzes and manager checklists—built to expand later without breaking.

Also available: SCORM cleanup, LMS setup, video capture/VO, brand polish.

How can I help you?.

| check out my black&white photography site here |
Cisco Logo
Odd Jobs Cisco

Instructional Design/Special Projects

Cisco’s training group had a big problem: their global sales teams needed to sell complex products, but training relied on a pile of dense white papers. Training was boring, hard to digest, and not being used.

That’s where I came in.

What I did:

  • Catalyst for gamification – Transformed static white papers into a gamified, interactive training tool that salespeople actually wanted to use.

  • Content refiner & storyteller – Took highly technical concepts and distilled them into clear, memorable narratives that matched Cisco’s brand voice.

  • Creative producer – Wrote, illustrated, photographed, and built learning materials that went beyond “slides” to create a full learner experience.

  • Team leader – Directed the creative team through the build, managed timelines, and aligned the project with Cisco’s strategic goals.

Impact:

Helped Cisco’s sales force learn complex security tools faster, improved adoption, and created a training solution that was used globally for years.

NetApp
Brian Madden Project

Special Projects & Marketing Innovation

When NetApp needed something big just weeks before a major VMware trade show, I turned a stack of white papers into a full-fledged book: Notes on Virtualization, co-branded with tech influencer Brian Madden.

  • Conceived the idea, designed the content, and produced the entire book end-to-end, from narrative flow to Easter eggs hidden throughout (including the coffee ring).

  • Managed the full production pipeline: design, illustration, print, and bindery – delivering on time for launch.

  • What started as “one more asset” became a flagship project, celebrated by NetApp’s top leadership and used widely in the field.

  • Beyond this, I created sales tools, infographics, and go-to-market decks that armed teams to talk about complex virtualization in plain English.

Pony Logo
Pony Shoes

Creative Director/Designer

Pony, the global footwear and apparel brand, needed fresh creative to stand out in a brutally competitive market. Their campaigns weren’t connecting, and their sales teams lacked the engaging training materials needed to carry the brand’s story forward.

What I did:

  • Brand revitalizer – Developed campaigns that updated Pony’s voice and visuals, making the brand relevant again for both internal teams and customers.

  • Creative producer – Delivered a mix of copy, design, and photography materials that supported both marketing and learning needs.

  • Cross-functional leader – Worked directly with marketing, sales, and leadership to keep projects sharp, aligned, and impactful.

Impact:

Helped reinvigorate Pony’s presence in the market, gave sales teams a story worth telling, and produced creative work that blended marketing impact with a fresh clarity.

howstuffworks logo
HowStuffWorks Book

Founding Team / Creative Director

In its early days, HowStuffWorks was a scrappy start-up with a big ambition: to make complex science and technology easy – even fun – for everyone. But like any new digital venture, it needed credibility and staying power. Articles online could draw clicks, but to really establish trust, the brand needed something more permanent: books.

What I did:

  • Founding team builder – As part of the original crew, I helped shape the visual voice that carried from the website through the rest of the brand.

  • Brought digital voice to print – Translated the site’s approachable, curious style into long-form books that could sit on library shelves and coffee tables, while still carrying the humor and clarity people loved online.

  • Architect & author – re-Conceived, outlined, and designed book-length works that broke sprawling subjects (from car engines to space travel) into clear, engaging chapters.

  • Hands-on creator – Produced spreads that felt alive and accessible, not dry textbooks.

  • Brand legitimizer – Turned a start-up’s online curiosity into tangible, durable works that parents bought for their kids, schools adopted, and readers collected.

Impact:

The books gave HowStuffWorks a legitimacy that digital-only startups rarely achieved in that era. They opened new revenue streams, expanded the audience, and proved the brand could live beyond the browser. For the founding team, they weren’t just books – they were proof that the start-up’s voice had a place in the larger cultural conversation.

Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes

Innovation & Product Development (Side Project)

On the side, I teamed up with legendary NHL equipment manager and inventor Wally Tatomir and Hurricanes players to bring hockey tech ideas to life. Helped develop a blade curvature meter that became part of Wally’s “Pro-Skate Balance” line, and consulted on other product concepts. A fun, hands-on gig that combined design thinking with pro sports innovation.

Playstation

Game Tester & Early Evaluator

At Sony, I started as a tester – digging through pre-release titles to find bugs and make sure the gameplay held up. But the role grew into something more unusual: I was part of a small group trusted to evaluate early-stage games and help decide whether Sony would support development or publishing.

It meant getting a front-row seat to the creative process, and in some cases, being among the very first people in the U.S. to play certain titles. (One standout: I got to demo builds of Gran Turismo before launch, a game that went on to redefine racing sims.)

What I took away:

  • A sharp eye for detail and testing under pressure.

  • Firsthand experience with how business and creativity collide in game development.

  • The value of balancing user experience with market potential.

Nordstrom

Sales/Department Customer Service Rep

This was one of my earliest jobs, but it left a mark. Working in the Brass Rail department taught me lessons that stuck: listen carefully, take care of people, and never settle for “good enough.”

I picked up the ability to read customers quickly and anticipate what they needed before they asked. That approach paid off. I was recognized for outstanding customer service and even awarded a one-on-one lunch with one of the Nordstrom brothers, a tradition reserved for top performers.

What I carried forward:

  • Put the customer (or learner, or client) first.

  • Make every interaction an experience, not just a transaction.

  • Keep standards high. Excellence is the baseline.

  • Stay adaptable – meet people where they are.

That foundation shaped how I work to this day.

Hal Riney and Partners (Publicis)

Creative Associate / Studio Manager

At Publicis & Hal Riney – one of the legendary “Mad Men” agencies – I cut my teeth in the ad world.

 

  • Studio management: Ran the creative studio, making sure campaigns were mounted, prepped, and client-ready.

  • Creative support: Contributed ideas and execution on accounts like First Union, Sprint, GM, and several dot-com clients.

  • Hands-on production: Worked across design, layout, and storyboarding, helping translate concepts into finished materials.

  • Learning by immersion: Sat inside the real ad machine, watching how strategy, copy, design, and pitching all came together.

 

This wasn’t glamorous “creative director” work, it was gopher-meets-producer – but it was where I learned the rhythms of advertising, what “client-ready” really means, and how a legendary creative leader like Riney drove vision into execution