Giacomo Girardi: Modern Applications of a Timeless Artistic Perspective
Italian born and current Los Angeles resident Giacomo Girardi is a Graphic Designer for the modern age. As eclectic as he is talented, Girardi has the academic credentials comparable to other professionals in the industry but it’s his propensity for taking an unorthodox approach that has made him such a hot commodity. It’s nearly impossible to typecast his work because he is constantly in search of unique insight to inject into the brands and companies with whom he works. When queried about his acclaim, he credits his association with colleagues & mentors partnered with an inquisitive spirit for his great success. It’s a modest statement which belies his pursuit of exceptional originality. Girardi has relentlessly sought out international experiences in diverse environments to inform his understanding of the human spirit and what touches it. While that might sound somewhat grandiose, Giacomo will tell you that the human connection is paramount regardless of your vocation.
Giacomo confirms his association with the legendary Mirko Ilic as a tipping point. The Bosnian born artist is famed for his early work on comics for Marvel and others, illustrations for the likes of Time, Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times, as well as films including the Golden Globe Nominated You’ve Got Mail. Ilic’s works appear in The Smithsonian and other historic institutions. Regarding his time with Mr. Ilic at the NYC based Mirko Ilic Corp., Giacomo notes, “He introduced me to other designers. He gave me books as a gift for my personal growth. Above all else, he gave me important life lessons above specific design topics. As a young designer, I was trying to absorb as much as I could while being conscious of the fact that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. All the books, advice and experience that I had from him and [Milton] Glaser, are memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life. They are a continuing daily foundation for my growth as a designer.”
The American West Coast has similarly embraced the use of Giacomo’s skill at companies such as LA’s PXP Media. A large part of the attraction for Girardi was the diversity of projects which this company offered. PXP Media’s clients includes Fortune 500 companies like American Express and iconic brands such as Converse as well as less ubiquitous ones. As creator of more than thirty designs during his PXP Media tenure, Giacomo helped clients as disparate as London based Quintessentially and America’s Evolution Dog Wash define a look and presentation to successfully expand their business. From photography to logo design and an online personality, Giacomo combines his skills as an illustrator with a twenty-first century methodology. He’s used this approach in a sliding scale correlated to those whom he works with. For musician Ghassan Abdelnour’s innovative album “Bad Habits Keep Us Warm”, Giacomo immersed himself in this unorthodox song collection to create the album art, typography, and promotional materials that hearkened back to an era when an artist’s music and the visuals accompanying it were synergistic and inseparable.
In deference to designers who view marketing as the optimal goal, Girardi sees this as an incongruent mindset. Immersing one’s self into the mindset of the client and delivering the best presentation of their vision is the brass ring for him. The improvisational ingredient is where Girardi’s heart lies as he communicates, “If you really want to become a good designer, I think that the key is avoiding the presentation to an audience of the same kind of project, or even more importantly the same kind of style, twice. I do not think that young designers such as myself should be focused on persuading people through their design; they should rather try through their work to make people think. I am constantly looking for new experiences and challenges as an avenue towards personal growth in order to achieve my final goal of eventually opening my own design firm to serve as many international clients I can.”
