VISUAL ARTIST & STORYTELLER

A word about me

Hello, I am Vinay Giridhar. I was born and brought up in Kerala, a beautiful south-western state in India. I have been drawing and painting since I was little. So after finishing my secondary schooling, I knew, I wanted to do something art-related in my life. After completing my Bachelor’s in Animation and Graphic Design I started my career as a visual artist and designer.

My love for storytelling and animation films drew me to Canada where I pursued the Classical Animation Diploma program at Vancouver Film School. My grad film Love’s Age was selected as “Best Class Film,” and I received the Paul Boyd Award and the Vancouver Film School festival scholarship. The film screened at festivals worldwide including the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) in Seattle, USA and HollyShorts Film Festival in California (Academy Award Qualifying).

I then returned to school to study Digital Graphic Design at Vancouver Community College where I found a new love for visual design and digital illustration.

Besides doing freelance work for various individual clients and organizations, I am the art director and graphic and web designer for a leading South Asian publication in Metro Vancouver. I also do extensive social media work and video editing as part of my current role.

Since 2019, I have been working on my first-ever feature film produced by Sher Vancouver. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to direct and edit my debut documentary feature film, Emergence: Out of the Shadows. Emergence tells the story of gay and lesbian people of Sikh background and their parents who live in the Metro Vancouver area. The objective of the film is to bring into light unheard stories of love, loss, rejection, and acceptance. Emergence: Out of the Shadows is receiving excellent feedback from film critics and is currently making waves in film festivals around the world. The film has also been recommended as mandatory viewing in BC high schools.

I value the necessity of constant learning, and I feel the need to push my limits. As an artist I strive to refine my craft, to bring out the subtle essence of my ideas while keeping it true to my vision.

I consider it’s very important to have authenticity and integrity in my work by always standing for what I believe is good with ethical design.”

Vinay Giridhar

A pledge for ethical design

Being a designer brings power. The power to influence people’s minds and actions. The power to change what one thinks, manipulate one’s beliefs, ideas, dreams, and aspirations. The power to change entire generations and thus human history. With such immense power,  it is important to show empathy and respect for our fellow humans, animals, and the environment.

Right Choice

I will try my best to choose the projects, companies and clients that share my values. 

Right Concept

I will try my best to choose the right materials for my projects, right from the concept, all the way to the production stage. I will make sure the initial concept or material meets my ethical standards, presenting an idea in a client and community-focused manner.

Right Materials

I will try my best to use eco-friendly materials for production by cutting down wastage of resources, and promoting the use of recycled materials.