We can’t go too crazy, but we try to get close! Gianni Scarpino Candy (AIGA Portland Mentorship Program co-chair and Senior Visual Design Lead on the Player Experience Editorial and Loyalty Team for XBox) sits down with Sean to talk about her design mistakes… as well as cemetery parties, Shoemaker’s Lung, and Icy Hot for galas.
Gianni Scarpino Candy is a visual designer and creative lead whose career has zig-zagged through shoe repair, event design, architecture, branding, and digital experiences. As a result, she brings a multidisciplinary lens to every project—moving fluidly across disciplines, industries, and mediums. She’s designed for brands like Xbox, Nike, and the University of Pittsburgh, alongside collaborations with startups, nonprofits, and community organizations. She’s currently contracting with Xbox as the Senior Visual Design Lead where she focuses on shaping gaming editorial experiences. She also serves as Co-Chair of AIGA Portland’s Mentorship Program, where she helps connect design students and recent graduates with industry professionals.
This episode was recorded on Saturday, April 11, 2026 in the Rat’s Nest.
Did I Do That? is a podcast about graphic designers—the ups and downs they face in creative practice, because making design means making lots (and lots) of mistakes.
Every other Thursday, host Sean Schumacher (Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Portland State University) is joined by a designer guest to share stories about their own mistakes starting out and how they ended up where they did. It’s very weird, pretty silly, and definitely not serious—but neither are designers.