About
I am a pragmatic dreamer. I like to turn vision into tangible success.
I hyperfocus on branding and digital experiences.
I’m a Brand & Digital Designer with Creative Director-level experience, creating
intelligent, emotionally driven design systems for global brands.
Originally from Ecuador and Italy, I grew up as a tiny globetrotter, travelling with my parents across Latin America, Africa, and Asia. As a third culture kid, I learned to find home in diversity — that nomadic upbringing became a crash course in storytelling, empathy, and creativity, lessons that continue to shape how I think and design.
Over the years, I’ve led projects across finance, luxury, and lifestyle. I began my career in Milan,
designing for fashion, art, and design magazines — an experience that shaped
my eye for composition, typography, and visual storytelling.
Later, I moved to London, where I’ve since worked across luxury beauty, aviation, and global media —
including leading the post-merger rebrand at NetJets, the pioneer of private aviation and a Berkshire
Hathaway company, and directing integrated campaigns at the Financial Times’ in-house content agency,
creating branded content and cross-channel storytelling for world-class clients in finance, technology,
and luxury.
I now work independently and through select agencies as a freelance consultant,
helping brands articulate their voice and elevate their visual systems across platforms.
Let's move your project forward
Highlights
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Future of Humanity Experience: Redefining Boundaries Through Art, Technology, and Dialogue
2025 — Switzerland
Artwork featured in the exhibition during Art Basel
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Arts & Culture Network
2024 — UK
The fantasy cultural year — Interview
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Creativepool.com
2024 — UK
The Creative Odyssey — #MemberSpotlight interview
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ArtBoxy @ Red Dot Miami
2023 — USA
Digital artwork featured during Miami Art Week
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Prestige magazine
2023 — Switzerland
“Die Künstliche Revolution” — September issue, cover + internal pages
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World Media Creative Vault
Financial Times × Zenith Watches
2020 — UK
A Forgotten Treasure shortlisted finalist (‘Lifestyle, Luxury & Fashion’)
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15th Annual Gramercy Institute
Financial Marketing Strategy Awards — Financial Times × UBS
2018 — USA
Transact.ft.com won ‘Best Global Creative Strategy’ + overall ‘Best in Class’
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DigiDay Awards
Financial Times × Auriens
2018 — UK
Later Life Stories (Series I–III) nominated: “Best Use of Native Advertising” + “Best Branded Content Series”
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Appleton U360 Design Competition
2016 — USA
Winning project — NetJets 50th Anniversary book (Limited Edition)
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CoverJunkie.com
2012 — UK
Covers for Spell Magazine (France), featured
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Colophon Magazine Symposium
2007 & 2009 — Luxembourg
Layouts selected (Muse Magazine + Made Magazine)
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International Typo-Graphic Conference
2005 — Lebanon
Work selected — ‘Graphic Design’ exhibition section
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Magazine, DDE Edizioni
2005 — Milan
“Sens-O-room, a bubble of wellness” published in “Why not? Neverland Hotel” dossier (p.135).
Co-creator: Cristina Rasi
Experience
-
Freelance Creative Director · Designer
Gianfranco Fagotto Studio
London & Remote
JAN 2023 — Present
Art Director — In-house Content Agency
Financial Times
London & Remote
DEC 2016 — DEC 2022
Head of Design
NetJets — A Berkshire Hathaway Company
London & New York
AUG 2013 — JAN 2016
For a detailed resumé, please see my LinkedIn or contact me via email
Selected Clients & Collaborations
- I’ve worked with international organisations across finance, technology, luxury, aviation, and culture — environments where clarity, trust, and execution matter.
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Finance & Professional Services
BlackRock · Morgan Stanley · UBS · Credit Suisse · Lombard Odier · Rabobank · PwC · Boston Consulting Group · Pictet -
Technology & Innovation
Amazon Web Services · Google Cloud · Huawei · NTT · Strategia Data Science -
Luxury, Fashion & Lifestyle
Patek Philippe · Richard Mille × Ferrari · Graff · Brunello Cucinelli · Piaget Watches · La Prairie · Xerjoff Perfumes · Laurent-Perrier · Seiko · The Macallan · Zenith Watches -
Aviation & Mobility
BMW · NetJets (Berkshire Hathaway) · Global Airlines · InsiJets -
Media, Culture & Publishing
Financial Times · RCS Corriere della Sera · Prestige Magazine · Kult Magazine · Muse Magazine -
Travel, Tourism & Institutions
Saudi Tourism Authority · Singapore Tourism Board · Switzerland Tourism · Turkey Tourism · Invest Qatar
Personal Projects
- CREATIVE R&D — 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.
- MUSIC — 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
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VISUAL ART — I sell my original illustrations and photos on:
ANASAEA
EyeEM
Fine Art America
the Saatchi Art Gallery
Languages
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Italian
Spanish
English
French
German (currently A2 level)
What Informs my Work
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Culture & Meaning
Art · Design · Philosophy · Music · Photography -
Systems & Technology
Artificial Intelligence · Technology · Science -
Craft & Language
Luxury & Craftsmanship · Languages -
Discipline & Performance
Sport (Tennis & Basketball)
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.”
