[citation needed] Risko was influenced by the shiny aesthetic of the 1970s and the Art Deco revival taking place in New York City at the time.
"[citation needed] At 25, Risko was chosen by renowned art director Bea Feitler along with Rolling Stone photographer Annie Leibovitz and artist Keith Haring to define the look of the new Vanity Fair when the magazine was relaunched in 1983.
[citation needed] In addition to Vanity Fair, Risko's work is published regularly in many major magazines, including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, Playboy, Esquire, and Interview, and was seen on VH1's Pop 200 Icons Countdown.
His latest book is Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire: 101 Luminaries Ponder Love, Death, Happiness, and the Meaning of Life (Rodale, 2009).
In October 2017, the Kennedy Center held an exhibition of Risko's work that he had created for the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, an activity that he has done since 2002.