An Inspired Chat with Victor Ruano of Henrico, VA

We’re looking forward to introducing you to Victor Ruano. Check out our conversation below.

Victor, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day for me right now is a mix of design work, creative play, and real life in between—I usually start my mornings with coffee and catching up on messages, then I dive into projects. My projects on any given day range from motion graphics and client design work, to experimenting with generative AI visuals, just to see what comes out of the model. I like to balance the practical with the experimental because they feed each other. Some days I’m deep into After Effects or Cinema4D, other days I’m testing prompts or building surreal images for my own site, Santasombra. I keep my cats nearby—they’re usually “helping” by walking across my keyboard—and I like to step away for breaks to reset my eyes; maybe go for a walk or sketch ideas by hand. Evenings are often involve reviewing what I created, organizing visuals, or just taking a moment to enjoy movies, art books, or music that fuels me. It’s not glamorous, but it’s creative, and I like having that rhythm of design, discovery, and personal time all mixed together.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Victor Ruano, though most people call me Sombra. I’m a graphic designer, motion designer, and Gen AI artist; originally from El Salvador, now based in Virginia, via LA & NYC. I’ve spent years working across the design, film, and broadcast industries, blending analog and digital tools to tell stories in a way that feels personal and visually engaging. Recently, I was honored to win a Sports Emmy, (my sixth Emmy award), for my design work with NBC during the Paris Olympics, which was a huge milestone. My own brand, Santasombra, is where I experiment more freely; it’s a space where I mix design, collage, and generative AI to explore surreal, playful, and sometimes unexpected visuals. What makes my work unique is that it sits at the intersection of traditional craft and emerging technology; I’m just as comfortable sketching on paper as I am building prompts or animating in 3D. Right now, I’m focused on expanding my Gen AI practice, collaborating with leading Gen AI companies, and creating work that sparks curiosity while staying rooted in my background and experiences.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
One moment that really shaped how I see the world goes back to my childhood in El Salvador, spending time on my family’s coffee plantation where the days were filled with nature, colors, and stories from my relatives. Those early experiences taught me to see beauty in contrasts: the quiet of the mountains against the noise of the city, tradition alongside change. Later, moving to NYC and then Los Angeles for two decades, opened me up even more—I was surrounded by film, design, and culture overlapping everywhere, which gave me both discipline and freedom to experiment. That mix of roots in El Salvador and years of hustle in NYC & LA really defined my perspective. I approach design as storytelling, always pulling from memory, culture, and curiosity, whether I’m working with motion graphics or exploring new possibilities with generative AI.

What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
One of the hardest things for me was leaving El Salvador at a young age, knowing I was stepping away from family, culture, and a familiar way of life, to start over somewhere completely different. That sense of distance and loss stuck with me, and in the USA I had to learn how to rebuild from scratch, often feeling like an outsider. Another challenge has been the ups and downs of a creative career—dealing with rejections, instability, and those moments of doubt when you wonder if you should keep going. What helped me heal was turning those wounds into fuel for my work; I put my nostalgia, my questions about identity, and my need for belonging into the visuals I make. Over time I’ve realized resilience isn’t about erasing the scars, but about letting them live in your work as texture and honesty. My six Emmy wins remind me I’ve built something real out of those struggles, but the deeper healing comes from knowing my work connects with others and carries pieces of my story forward.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies in the design and creative industry is that you have to constantly be “on” and producing at a breakneck pace to stay relevant—like if you slow down or step back, you’ll disappear. Another is the idea that tools or trends define your value, when in reality what lasts is your voice and your point of view, not the latest software or AI model. There’s also this myth that success is all about individual genius, when most great work comes from collaboration, community, and a lot of unseen trial and error. I’ve learned that the industry often glamorizes the grind and the gloss, but the truth is that balance, curiosity, and being honest about your process are key ingredients.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What are you doing today that won’t pay off for 7–10 years?
Right now I’m investing time in building a body of personal work through Santasombra—projects that aren’t tied to clients or quick results, but are about exploring ideas, experimenting with Gen AI, and documenting my perspective as a designer and artist. I see it as planting seeds: the images, films, and concepts I’m shaping today might not fully make sense or find their audience until years down the line, but they’ll form a long-term archive of my voice and creative evolution. I’m also putting energy into community and mentorship—sharing knowledge, collaborating, and staying open—because I believe those relationships and contributions will matter even more a decade from now than any single project. It’s not about immediate payoff; it’s about creating something lasting that can keep growing with me.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
NBC Olympics:
001-Caeleb-Dressel-paris-olympics-2024,
001-Caeleb-Dressel-paris-olympics-2024,
004-Simone-Biles-paris-olympics-2024.

Aspen Snowmass X Games:
Buttermilk-Interactive-Wall-scaled

Santasombra:
Contact-Sheet-About-The-History-of-Skeuomorphism-in-AI-photography-01
glitching_around_00031
Petals and Porcelain
PPMM2018-ode-to-la-sombra-1

 

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