Panos Vassiliou

The founder of Parachute® started his design career creating artwork for community and university groups as well as concert venues for local Toronto bands. Early on, as a student at the University of Toronto, he developed an interest in letterpress and type design while working as an apprentice at a printing house in Canada’s largest and diverse metropolis. Panos is a UofT graduate with a major in Applied Science and Engineering. Following his graduation, he studied Graphic Communications at Ryerson University. In his early transition years, he got involved with a theatre company, founded a design studio and pursued an academic career as a lecturer at George Brown College in Toronto. A few years later, after moving to Athens, he became the Editorial Director of the iconic Status magazine before starting his own publishing company. Eventually, his obsession with typography was decisive enough to turn his passion into a profession.
Vassiliou has collaborated with advertising and branding agencies in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia to design bespoke typefaces for several companies and organizations such as Bank of America, European Commission, UEFA, Samsung, Ikea, Financial Times, National Geographic.
A multi-awarded type designer, Vassiliou has spawned numerous brand-defining typefaces over the past 15 years. In 2012, he was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix by Red Dot. He has also been honoured by TDC New York, European Design Awards, Tokyo TDC, German Design Awards, Communication Arts, HiiiBrand, Creative Review, Granshan Awards and more.
Panos has been on the board of directors for cultural organizations, has lectured across Europe on branding, design and typography and served as a jury member of several international competitions as well as President of the D&AD Awards 2021 Type Design competition.
A meticulous devotee to the power of the letterform, Vassiliou’s main passion is the psychology behind type design and its impact on successful brands. When not thinking type, he often hits the road on his bobber or sets sail for the Greek islands.