Nishat
Akhtar
Titles are temporary, artistry is forever
Nishat is an artist and illustrator living and playing in Portland Oregon. She has worked as a designer, illustrator, adjunct professor, creative director, and Chief Creative Officer, always with artistry and making at the center of everything. She has collaborated with many partners and clients over the years, some of which include Nike, Google, The New York Times and Adobe.
Receipts:
Reach out for case studies but why look to the past when we can create something new?
Nike
Over the years I've been lucky enough to work on every kind of project for the swoosh including: traditional ad campaign work at Wieden+Kennedy, World Cup digital experiments at AKQA, and content and in-app designed experiences while at Instrument.
My years at Instrument included many wonderful projects with Google and for other Alphabet companies. These projects included branding for Google Photos and the Moonshot Factory, AI arcade games for Tensor Flow, and interactive puzzles for I/O, Google’s Developer Conference.
NYTimes
I read books, I love books, and I have had the great priveledge to do illustrations for the New York Times Book Review.
Adobe
I was one of eight artists featured in Where I'm From, Adobe's Diverse Voices campaign made with 72andSunny. I've also partnered with Adobe’s creative team to speak at various events on emerging tech and creativity, including New York Design week and Adobe's Design Summit.
Fisk
In 2026 my longtime friend Braulio Amado and I collaborated on an art show for the reopening of Fisk Gallery in Portland Oregon.
Instrument
From Creative Director to CCO, my role at Instrument included a million things from pitches, client projects, design workshops, brand stewardship, org strategy, program development, hiring, management, thought leadership and secrets to die with.
Hi! I’m Nishat, an artist, designer and creative director living in Portland, Oregon.🌲 I’m currently working as Chief Creative Officer at Instrument.
Select Partnerships
Nike, Google, Amazon, The NYTimes Book Review, Adobe, & ACLU. Previous agencies include Wieden+Kennedy and AKQA.
Talks & Workshops