TORONTO—Branching out on their own, designers Ryan Di Leo and Michael Nitsopoulos have opened their own creative agency, Cinderbloc.

The friends worked together at Up Inc in Toronto, where they designed for clients such as Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Herman Miller, RBC and Hot Docs.

“It’s always been the game plan,” says Di Leo. “I’ve always wanted to run my own studio.”

Cinberbloc plans to focus on corporate branding.

“We want to go after people that are willing to understand what branding is all about,” says Di Leo. “We’re not looking to do one-off websites. We want to build brands with corporate clients who are design savvy.”
 
Due to a confidentiality agreement, Di Leo couldn’t name its major client.

Prior to Up Inc., Di Leo worked as an in-house design director for a large architecture firm. He plans to look for business in the architecture and interior design industries. “Our favourite clients are the ones that actually pay.” Contact: www.cinderbloc.com