About me
I am a pragmatic dreamer. I like to turn vision into tangible success.
I hyperfocus on branding and digital experiences.
Originally from Ecuador and Italy, I grew up as a tiny globetrotter, living and travelling with my parents across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. My nomadic upbringing was like a crash course in diversity, storytelling, and the power of creativity.
I began my career in Milan in the 2000s, working as an editorial designer for fashion magazines. In 2008 I relocated to London. I joined Liz Earle Beauty in 2010, then became Head of Design at NetJets in 2013, where I led a post-merger rebranding and global advertising campaigns. From 2016 for six years, I was Art Director at the Financial Times' in-house content agency. There I led branded content campaigns for global clients such as AWS, BlackRock, BMW, Google Cloud, Piaget Watches, Richard Mille + Ferrari, Singapore Tourism Board, and The Macallan, among others.
Since 2023, I have been working as a freelance consultant both independently and through agencies, leading brand development projects for a diverse range of clients, including startups, in the aviation, hospitality, and, more recently, healthy beverage sectors.
I am also a mentor at the University of Westminster, helping graduates with their initial steps in the creative industries.
This particular website serves as my Personal Index showcasing also unexplored territories beyond commercial design work. Serving as a catalogue of my other passions, the content spans across illustration and music.
Have an idea? Complete the brief and let us create something special together!
Selected brands I have worked with
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In-house experience
Financial Times
I was part of an in-house agency dedicated to creating branded content campaigns for a wide range of clients in the luxury, finance, and technology sectors:
Ahlem Eyewear / Amazon Web Services / American Express / Auriens / Baker Hughes / BlackRock / Boston Consulting Group / BMW / Brunello Cucinelli / Coutts / Credit Suisse / DBS Bank / EDP / Fabergé / Google Cloud / GSK / Iberdrola / Invest Qatar / Kaspersky / Krug / La Prairie / Laurent-Perrier / Lombard Odier / Michael Kors / Mitsubishi Heavy Industries / Morgan Stanley / NTT / Patek Philippe / Philip Morris International / Piaget Watches / Ping An Group / PWC / Rabobank / Richard Mille + Ferrari / Saint Laurent / Saudi Tourism Authority / Seiko / Singapore Tourism Board / Smurfit Kappa / Switzerland Tourism / Turkey Tourism / The Macallan / UBS / Xinhua / Zenith Watches.
Kult magazine / Liz Earle Beauty / Muse magazine / Made magazine / NetJets / RCS Rizzoli Corriere della Sera.
Freelance experience
IM
Birchwood Park Golf & Country Club / British European Aviation, Cathay Pacific / Enness Global Finance Brokers / Elegant Resorts / Global Airlines / InMotion Food Co. / International SOS / Land Union Hotels / Luisen Residenz am Zeuthener See / Metropolitan Gaming Group / Searcys / Strategia Data Science / The Hollies / Wyck Hill House.
Private Clients
ANASAEA / Babilonia / Graff Diamonds / FigLeaves.com / GHD / InsiJets / Graff / Lovat Parks / My Deco / Prestige Magazine / Ralph&Russo / The Body Shop / Webbing / Xerjoff Perfumes.
Highlights
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2024, UK — Creativepool.com
'The Creative Odyssey', #MemberSpotlight's Interview
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2023, USA — ArtBoxy @ Red Dot Miami
Digital artwork featured in the exhibition of curated gallery-only contemporary art fair during Miami Art Week
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2023, Switzerland — Prestige magazin
"Die Künstliche Revolution" — September Issue
Digital artwork featured on the magazine's cover and Internal Pages
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2018, USA — 15th Annual Gramercy Institute Financial
Marketing Strategy Awards
Financial Times X UBS
Transact.ft.com won ‘Best Global Creative Strategy’ award in the Corporate category as well as overall ‘Best in Class’ award -
2018, UK — DigiDay Awards
Financial Times X Auriens
'Later Life Stories', (Series I-III), received two nominations for “Best Use of Native Advertising” and “Best Branded Content Series” -
2016, USA — Appleton U360 Design Competition
Winning project for 'excellence in communication, design, and execution of projects'.
NetJets 50th Anniversary book (Limited Edition) -
2012, UK —
CoverJunkie.com
Covers of 'Spell Magazine' France featured on the website -
2007 + 2009, Luxembourg — Colophon Magazine Symposium
Work selected for the ‘Layouts’ category -
2005, Lebanon — International Typo-Graphic Conference
Work selected for the ‘Graphic Design’ section of the exhibition -
2005, Italy — DHD Magazine, Design Diffusion Edizioni
Why not? Neverland Hotel Architecture and interior design project, Sens-O-room, Bubble of wellness, a hotel room with no budget restrictions (p. 135)
Shop my art
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I sell my original illustrations and photos on:
ANASAEA
EyeEM
Pixels
Fine Art America
the Saatchi Art Gallery
Personal Projects
- I have a section on my website dedicated to my Personal projects. it's called Personal Index. I believe they are a cornerstone of creative growth, discovery and an excellent way to put something out in the world that is entirely your own.
Fun facts
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I have had the
privilege of living in more than 10 countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Each
country, each experience, each community taught me something valuable.
I am an unassuming music lover with great curiosity and appreciation for different types of genres and technology. I believe music gives a soul to the Universe and is also a superkraft! Listen to my tunes on SoundCloud
Languages
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Italian
Spanish
English
French
German (currently A2 level)
Interests
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AI
Art
Design
Languages
Luxury and Craftsmanship
Music
Philosophy
Photography
Science
Technology
Tennis and basketball junkie
I build meaningful experiences through the synergy of art, design, and tech.
01
“Gian has impressed clients with his classy design and
also with his consistent and timely communication skills.
He pays very close attention to detail until he achieves
the desired effect. Working as part of a team, it was
essential for Gian to be capable of interacting with
different people, and using different software packages on
a regular basis.”
“For the past six months, Gian and I worked closely
together on a number of pitches for luxury clients. He
brought his art direction skills to a range of pre-sale
materials, whether that was a moodboard that outlined the
visual identity of a campaign, or mock-ups to help
illustrate our idea. I always enjoyed his cool, calm
demeanour and the evident interest and experience he has
in the lux sector. He's a great collaborator that I'd
highly recommend.”
“Gianfranco is a smart, proactive designer, art director
and colleague with a good sense of how to manage the needs
of creative and the commercial clients. From commissioning
world-class photographers to developing a strong sense of
a project's visual identity and art directing, he always
pushes to achieve the best results.”
“Gian and I have worked closely over numerous projects for
the last two years. A creative genius in his field who
likes to push boundaries with each project. We have worked
with a majority of luxury clients who have praised him for
his eye-catching designs. He pays a lot of attention to
detail and has a very good understanding of UX.”
“I have had the privilege to collaborate with Gian for the
past six years on a variety of projects and can
confidently say that Gian is an exemplary Art Director who
is always willing to go the extra mile and get fully
involved from start to finish. Whether it is Luxury or
FinTech, Gian’s creativity results in unique immersive
experiences with excellent data to back it up and very
happy stakeholders.”
“When the FT introduced branded content to their range of commercial
opportunities, six years ago, Gian was hired to oversee the development
of its identity. Since then, he has been responsible for the ideation
of countless campaigns, winning praise from stakeholders and clients alike.
I've always admired Gian's attention to detail, and his ability to capture
the essence of our advertisers' brands. His innate good taste reflects in
his particular predisposition towards luxury campaigns. I wish Gian all
the best in his career, and I look forward to seeing more of his work in the future."
“As the head of copy at NetJets, I was Gian’s counterpart
on the Brand & Creative team for 2.5 years, and we
worked very closely and productively together on numerous
large-scale projects. He was a pleasure to work with,
always promoting open communication to attain the best
result. And although the bulk of NetJets’ business lies in
the US, Gian worked effectively with team members in all
different cities, including managing direct reports in New
York.”
“Certainly when you consider design you want a great eye
for detail, the ability to extend a unique imprint of
beauty and functionality to each project. Gian brings all
of this but also a good understanding of the purpose and
end result that design needs to accomplish as a key
compliment of good customer messaging and experience. Gian
is also a gifted team member with a strong sense of
relationship building and in managing other creatives.”
“I was fortunate to work with Gian when I was a copywriter
and he was a designer at Liz Earle. It was quickly clear
that he was a talented, experienced creative with plenty
of ideas and great attention to detail. I found him
approachable, positive and very easy to work with. I
consider him to be a lateral thinker, and one who will
always go above and beyond to get the job done to a high
standard.”
“Gian is a dedicated and passionate designer, and I've had
the pleasure of collaborating with him on a number of
digital campaigns over the last three years at the FT. He
gives very clear art direction and is one of those people
everyone wants to work with. Gian is commercially driven
and brings bucket loads of creative ingenuity to campaigns
with innovative concepts and beautiful design solutions. I
look forward to hopefully working together again very
soon.”
