About Me
I’m Arvin, an illustrator, cartoonist, concept artist, and NFT creator. I’ve studied visual arts (MA, Illustration) at the University of Tehran and have been working as an illustrator, editorial cartoonist, comic artist, concept artist, and graphic designer since 2003. I also worked as a content manager, PR expert, event organizer, and translator during my career at several companies. In 2021 I quit my office job in a bank to focus more on arts and design, learn new skills, try working as an NFT creator, and start an MA course in Strategic Design in Berlin.
Working as a Graphic Designer in Hamayesh Afarinan Javid, in early 2009
I was born in Tehran in 1985 in the middle of the Iran-Iraq war. After spending 9 years of school, I chose mathematics for high school and received my high school diploma in mathematics and physics in 2002. A few months before starting my BA in accounting at the university, I was working as a cartoonist and illustrator with several publications. Later, while I was passing my second university semester during a tour-guiding non-degree course, I found an opportunity to start working as a graphic designer, event manager, interpreter, and translator at Hamayesh Afarinan Co. an event organizer company. There I had the chance to work with my lovely colleagues and team members, many of whom are still my best friends.
Working as a graphic designer in Hamayesh Afarinan Co., 2009After graduating in 2009, I started a new career at Bank Pasargad- a large private financial holding company – and based on my past working experience, I was hired as a public relations specialist responsible for routine graphic designs, organizing events, and handling sponsorship proposals.
In addition, I created a series of comic strips and cartoons for the Bank magazine, in addition to translating daily articles. Furthermore, there I was a member of various project teams, such as 5S, C-plan, and some market research.
me, at the end of Editorial Illustration, University of Tehran, 2018
In 2011, after passing an entrance exam and an interview, I was granted by the bank a scholarship for a master’s degree in international banking at the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis in France, which is now called the University of the Cote d’Azur after merging with several French universities. In 2013, I graduated after defending my thesis on marketing banking services and market segmentation using the RFM method.
In 2014, I launched the bank’s pages different social networks – which was a new trend for organizations like banks back then in Iran – at first alone, and then with the help of several people, I managed all the channels and pages of the bank and was responsible for the contents published in all social networks related to Pasargad Bank and communicating with the audience there.
Giving a Presentation at Bank Pasargad on Customer Feedback on Social Media, 2021
In 2015, a friend of mine and I launched Nutzdesign.com and began our graphic design business, which eventually led to the production of the web mini-series Diasporan.
Due to my interest and work experience in the field of graphics and illustration, in 2016 I took an entrance exam for a master’s degree in visual arts, and after passing an audition, started my MA in Illustration at the Faculty of Fine Arts in the University of Tehran. There, I had an amazing experience with top Iranian artists as professors, whom I had admired since childhood. Finally, after defending my thesis on political illustrations and propaganda art during the world wars, with a focus on Soviet works, I graduated in 2019. It should be mentioned that now I am turning the thesis into a book with the help of my supervisor.
Simultaneously with my studies, since 2017, I created the bank’s content production team for social networks, which has grown day by day, and its productions glorified from simple graphic posts to the production of educational, advertising, and promotional infographics and motion graphics.
IIS (Iranian Illustrators Society) Festival ending ceremony, 2022
In 2022, aiming to devote my full time to artistic work, learning more skills, and continuing my education, I resigned from my job at the bank, and due to getting to know NFTs, I started selling and promoting my works in NFT platforms, mainly on Foundation. In addition, during this period, I have been engaged in graphic, illustration, and translation projects as a freelancer, and I received the year award from the Iranian Illustrators Society for a trio illustration I created last year based on an anecdote by Rumi.
Later in fall 2021, my quest for a design course led me to SRH Hochschule in Berlin, where I discovered the perfect fit: Strategic Design. Addressing my professional gaps, I secured admission and, in 2023, relocated to Berlin to embark on a transformative educational journey.
