Arash Giani

Designer / Art Director

MISSION: I don’t design to decorate. I design to detonate. Every pixel, every word, every motion, every silence is calculated to trigger emotion, movement, or memory. I build brands that don’t ask for attention, they command it. SIGNA is my laboratory and the world is my test subject.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Brand strategy, creative direction, typography, storytelling, user experience design, motion, and copywriting. Fluent in Adobe CC, Cinema 4D, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and social engineering.

PHILOSOPHY: Design isn’t a service. It’s a weapon. I’ve spent over 15 years learning how to aim it. From print houses reeking of ink to boardrooms reeking of fear. Every brand has a weak spot; I find it and make it powerful.

EXPERIENCE

FOUNDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

SIGNA / JUNE 2025 - PRESENT / TORONTO, CANADA

SIGNA is my brainchild — a design studio born out of years of experience, ambition, and a love for doing things the way I believe they should be done. I launched it to serve clients who want more than cookie-cutter sites or bland branding — they want bold statements, intentional strategy, and craftsmanship. What I lead / deliver there:

SIGNA isn’t just a company — it’s my vision for what creative work should feel like: smart, polished, meaningful, and personal.

DESIGN & MARKETING COORDINATOR

HOSPICE NIAGARA / FEBRUARY 2025 - PRESENT / ST. CATHARINES, CANADA

Hospice Niagara is a nonprofit providing palliative and hospice care throughout the Niagara region. They offer in-home supports, grief programs, day-hospice services, and run a 10-bed residential hospice (the Stabler Centre) for those in their final weeks. Their offerings are free to clients and are funded in large part through donations, grants, and community support. As the Design & Marketing Coordinator:

FOUNDER, CREATIVE DIRECTOR

DIGILAB / SEPTEMBER 2020 - JANUARY 2025 / TORONTO, CANADA

Digilab is my passion project and digital atelier — a web shop I started to serve small and medium-sized businesses that wanted custom, thoughtful WordPress websites. In that role:

Digilab was the place I got to realize my vision — combining technical skill, design sensibility, and entrepreneurship.

DESIGN & COPY LEAD

CSC GENERATION / SEPTEMBER 2017 - SEPTERMBER 2020 / TORONTO, CANADA

CSC Generation (also stylized as CSC / Generation) is a multi-brand, tech-driven retail holding company that acquires, revitalizes, and scales eCommerce / retail brands. Their portfolio includes brands like Sur La Table and Backcountry.

At CSC, I began as an email marketing designer — but soon evolved into the full Design & Copy Lead role. Essentially, I owned the full lifecycle of email campaigns across seven retail brands, sending two emails per brand twice daily (14 sends/day across the portfolio). My responsibilities included:

This role taught me a lot about scale, efficiency, and voice. When you’re sending dozens of emails per week across multiple brands, you have to be nimble, consistent, and strategic.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR – INTERACTIVE

SAM BROWN HEALTHCARE COMMUNICATIONS / JANUARY 2015 - JANUARY 2017 / TORONTO, CANADA

Sam Brown Healthcare Communications is a full-service agency focused on life sciences, biotech, pharma, and healthcare communications. In 2024, the agency was acquired by consulting firm Blue Matter, adding strategic communications depth to their portfolio.

At Sam Brown, I stepped into a leadership role working across disciplines, geographies, and complex industries. Here’s how it went down:

It was a high-stakes, high-reward gig — where I merged creative leadership with technical oversight, in a domain where precision really matters.

SENIOR MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER

ENGINE ADVERTISING / APRIL 2012 - DECEMBER 2014 / TORONTO, CANADA

Engine Advertising is a full-service new media / digital agency based in North York, ON, focused on pushing creative and technical boundaries in digital marketing, ads, and branding.

Joining Engine was my first splash into agency life — it was fast, creative, and challenging. I leveled up my skills across multiple disciplines there:

Working at Engine taught me how to juggle multiple roles at once, sharpen my problem-solving instincts, and deliver under pressure. It was where I began to see design as both art and service.

INTERMEDIATE GRAPHIC DESIGNER

ALLMMAX NUTRITION / FEBRUARY 2011 - DECEMBER 2012 / TORONTO, CANADA

ALLMAX Nutrition is a Canadian supplement and sports-nutrition company known for formulating and testing products right here in Canada.

At ALLMAX, I wore many hats — I was the “jack of all trades” in the design department. Here’s what that looked like:

It was a wild but rewarding period. I got to stretch across print, web, motion, branding — and sharpen my versatility.

PRE-PRESS DESIGNER

ANSTEY CANADA / SEPTEMBER 2007 - FEBRUARY 2011 / TORONTO, CANADA

At Anstey, one of Canada’s storied bookbinding and finishing houses (founded in 1882), I immersed myself in the romance of print — the scent of ink, the crispness of freshly cut paper, the mechanical poetry of the Heidelberg windmill. During my tenure, I:

Working at Anstey was where I truly fell in love with the tactile magic of print. Where design meets machinery, and every sheet feels alive.

EDUCATION

OCAD UNIVERSITY

Bachelor of Design (B.Des.), Graphic Design / JANUARY 2010 - APRIL 2013 / TORONTO, CANADA

I earned my B.Des in Graphic Design at OCAD U, where I immersed myself in the fundamentals of visual communication — typography, color theory, layout, and visual systems — while experimenting with motion, interactivity, and print processes. The curriculum pushed me to think conceptually and execute technically. I worked on projects ranging from editorial design to interactive media, collaborated in crits with peers and faculty, and developed the creative resilience needed for professional design work. That three-year period was a foundational launchpad — where I went from knowing a little about design to thinking like a designer.

CENTENNIAL COLLEGE

Diploma, Graphic Design – Media / SEPTEMBER 2005 - APRIL 2007 / TORONTO, CANADA

Centennial was where I got my hands dirty with design — literally. It was all about learning the craft: layout, typography, color, and production. I explored everything from print and packaging to digital design, animation, and basic coding. The program was very practical and industry-focused, so I spent those years mastering the tools and processes that make good design actually work. It’s also where I started experimenting beyond the brief, which later shaped how I approach creativity — curious, technical, and always pushing the edges.

© 2025 ARASH GIANI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.