[3] An illustrator of more than twenty children's books,[4] Ruffins is known for his "stylistic versatility, vibrant colors, and penchant for fanciful creatures.

While still a student at Cooper Union he, Seymour Chwast, Milton Glaser, and Edward Sorel, formed Design Plus, a short-lived studio.

[11] In 1963, after leaving Push Pin, Ruffins founded another design studio with Simms Taback,[12] a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years.

[2] In 1991, Ruffins teamed with Whoopi Goldberg and Herbie Hancock to produce "Koi and the Kola Nuts," a highly praised video for children which was part of Rabbit Ears Productions' We All Have Tales series.

Ruffins won the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award in 1997 for the book Running the Road to ABC (written by Denize Lauture).