about
Hello, I'm
Thyana Polessa
Brand Designer · Photographer · Content Creator
Based in Vancouver, BC
STORY
Design with purpose.
I’m Thyana, a Brazilian-born creative based in Vancouver, working at the intersection of design, photography, and storytelling.
Over the past decade, I’ve helped brands across North America bring their ideas to life, from visual identity to content that actually connects and converts.
I work where design meets storytelling, crafting identities, visuals, and content that don’t just exist, but stand out.
In a world full of noise, looking good isn’t enough. You have to be felt.
Brand Identity
Photography
Content Creation
UX/UI Design
Print & Pack
3D Print Design
Beyond the work
I started in architecture, which taught me to think in systems, structure, and intention. That mindset carried into design, photography, and content, where I now build brands that don’t just look good, but feel cohesive and make sense.
That’s how I approach every project today. Combining strategy, design, photography, and content to create brands that feel clear, consistent, and built to last.
RESUME
Work Experience
Rival Group - Brand Designer (May 2025 - Current)
Lead brand design across the Rival Group ecosystem, overseeing Rival Group, Rival Tech, Reach3 Insights, and Angus Reid
- Own visual identity and brand consistency across all sub-brands, ensuring cohesion while respecting individual brand positioning
- Develop visual concepts and full creative assets for campaigns across print, digital, and social platforms
- Design and maintain websites, landing pages, layouts, and UI components
- Produce high-quality mockups, pitch decks, investor presentations, and internal brand materials
- Create and edit video content for marketing, product, and communications
- Collaborate cross-functionally to align brand strategy, design execution, and business goals
- Manage design requests from concept to delivery, ensuring fast, polished execution

Canada Revenue Agency - UX/UI Specialist (May 2021 - March 2025)
Designed and improved user experiences across digital platforms, translating user needs and business goals into intuitive, effective interfaces.
- Developing and maintaining design wire-frames and specifications
- Collaborating with visual designers and creative directors to incorporate a visual or brand identity into the end product
- Communicating screen designs, interaction models, end-to-end experiences, and the target audience to other members of the project team
- Considering the human-computer interface element of a design
- Comparing the user experience of existing applications and working to design better alternatives
- Keeping current with industry trends and competitor products, and communicating design prototypes and ideas to developers
- Working with UI Designers to implement attractive designs
- Developing task flows and wireframes based on user needs

Hero Innovation Group - Digital Marketer & Designer Specialist (June 2020 - September 2024)
Led end-to-end digital marketing and creative execution, developing campaigns, content, and brand experiences that strengthened online presence and drove audience engagement.
- Design and oversee all aspects of digital marketing strategy including but not limited to a marketing database, email, and display advertising campaigns.
- Plan and manage social media platforms.
- Formulating high-quality novel written and visual content for each social media campaign
- Building a social media presence by maintaining a solid online presence.
- Monitoring the company's brand on social media.
- Building brand awareness by engaging relevant influencers.
- Managing online communities to ensure respectful and appropriate engagement.
- Responding to comments on each of the accounts.
- Prepare accurate reports on the digital marketing campaign's overall performance.
- Identify the latest trends and technologies affecting our industry.
- Plan and manage contests, giveaways, and other digital projects.
- Create and design various materials for print and digital collateral.
- Take photos of products, people, and events required for promotional materials and digital platforms.
- Perform retouching and manipulation of images.
- Liaise with the Marketing Director to create thorough and effective marketing campaigns and strategies.
- Keep up-to-date on current market changes and trends to be able to come up with new and original marketing strategies.
- Ensure that the Hero brand, products and staff are known and recognized for providing a first-class customer experience.

Loop Insights - Digital Marketer (June 2020 - September 2020)
Executed digital marketing campaigns across social, web, and CRM platforms, creating content and analyzing performance to drive engagement and growth.
- Work with team members to develop Digital Marketing and Social Media campaigns.
- Create timely and engaging digital content for multichannel purposes - optimized for platform/channel used and intended audience.
- Manage and publish content on the website and social media accounts.
- Analyze and measure the performance of marketing and social media campaigns, including paid and unpaid strategies.
- Proactively identify and research ideas for content.
- Video and photography production.
- Graphic and Web Design work
- Manage CRM and Marketing platform channels

ILSC Education Group - Global Inside Sales Manager (March 2019 - June 2020)
Built and led the Inside Sales team, driving revenue growth through strategic planning, process optimization, and optimizing CRM and sales operations across global markets.
- Setting up and leading the Inside Sales Team
- Recruiting and training team members
- Set sales goals, track sales, produce sales reports, complete monthly forecasti
- Set department budgets, analyze control to determine prospective clients
- Developing, implementing and overseeing processes for the management of Direct Recruitment and Group Business
- Develop relationships with existing clients and partners
- Building a culture of effective CRM adoption for both the B2B (Hubspot) and B2C (Edvisor) channels
- Collaborating effectively with teams across ILSC Education Group
- Liaising with external partners (eg. Edvisor)
- Coordinating ILSC’s presence at international workshops such as ALPHE and ICEF
- Conceiving and developing a long tail B2B strate
- Ensuring that agency agreements are stored centrally and up to date annually

ILSC Education Group - Brand Designer & Photographer (March 2019 - June 2020)
Developed creative concepts and designed brand assets across print and digital, maintaining consistency while supporting multiple business areas.
- Design materials for a wide variety of projects both online and off, including brochures, advertisements, corporate identity, posters, newsletters, promotional materials, websites, etc.
- Edit and maintain existing design files
- Develop design strategies and creative concepts to share with the team for review and consideration
- Ensure brand and product consistency and accuracy of the information in all materials
- Work on projects for various business areas simultaneously while maintaining brand consistency
- Prepare files for print and review materials, and proofs to ensure they meet a high standard
- Manage multiple projects and ensure key deadlines are met
- Coordinate & communicate with project stakeholders as needed to ensure design execution meets defined goals
- Participate in developing design resources such as photo shooting

Viva Lifestyle & Travel - Designer & Photo Editor (April 2017 - February 2018)
Curated and edited visual content to support editorial and marketing initiatives, ensuring strong visual storytelling and brand consistency.
- Creates a portfolio of visual assets
- Manages photography projects
- Procures and manipulates photos and images as needed
- Review project pipeline and anticipate photo needs
- Ensures adherence to style guide and branding
- Collaborates with photographers, marketing team, and editors to ensure alignment Handles photography paperwork
- Responsible for selecting and editing the most engaging images to complement articles

Cirque Du Soleil - Photographer (May 2017 - December 2017)
Produced high-quality photographic content in both studio and live environments, combining technical expertise and creative direction to deliver impactful visual results.
- Take professional pictures in a studio or on location
- Work closely with clients and colleagues to produce high-quality photographic images
- Use different techniques to enhance the photographs as required
- Use photo manipulation software such as Adobe Suite to get desired results
- Recommend creative ideas to exceed expectations of goals and objectives
- Use artistic knowledge to enhance and compose photographs
- Review sets of photographs and select the best results
- Operate various photographic equipment such as single-lens reflex cameras and film or digital cameras and lighting

3RA Group - Sales & Administrative Support Specialist (January 2015 - April 2017)
Supported sales and administrative functions, managing operations, client communication, and internal processes to ensure efficiency and organization.
- Provided technical and administrative support, including user account setup, system troubleshooting, and issue resolution
- Managed day-to-day office operations, ensuring efficiency across processes, documentation, and internal communications
- Supported executive functions by handling correspondence, preparing documents, and coordinating meetings
- Collected and analyzed information to support decision-making and ongoing projects
- Maintained confidentiality while managing sensitive information and client interactions
- Oversaw office logistics, including inventory management, vendor coordination, and supply procurement

Cyrela Group - Architect & Project Manager (March 2009 - April 2012)
Led architectural and project management for large-scale residential developments, overseeing budget, timelines, and quality across 400-unit, multi-tower projects from concept to completion.
Plano & Plano - Farol Da Ilha
- Oversee budget, timeline and quality of 400 apartments (10 towers - +16047616741 m2 of constructed area).
- Oversee architectural projects from the conception stage right down through construction and eventual completion of the project
- Make sure the project teams meet quality, schedule, contractual, and budget goals
- Oversee architectural projects, evaluate existing facilities and reformulate building programs
- Establish and sustain client relations, participate in assessing and hiring architectural or engineering advisers
- Adapt building codes, design and implement creative concepts of architectural layout and formulate and oversee project range, budgets, schedules and client expectations
- Expert input in marketing, contractual, design, and production meetings
- Observe project performance and coordinate workload through the entire project to complete documents on schedule
- Responsible for studying the financial aspect of projects; organizing construction documents and assuming responsibility for finished plans, specifications, and management approval of materials and construction
- Mapping out program requirements, schematic drawings and preliminary cost estimates on large projects used in establishing guidelines for contract architects and engineers.

Casa Cor Maranhão - Architect Intern (February 2011 - March 2011)
Contributed to Casa Cor Maranhão 2011, supporting the design and execution of a full-scale architectural exhibition from concept to final finishes.
Casa Cor is an exhibition of decoration, architecture and ambiance that was created in 1987 in São Paulo in Brazil. Currently, the event is organized in 14 cities in Brazil, Peru, Panama and Sweden.
The Casa Cor Maranhão 2011 was the first sample entirely constructed from the structure of the house until the end of finishing and decoration.

Education & Certifications
Digital Marketing
BrainStation
Vancouver, BC
+16047616741
Video Production
BCIT
Vancouver, BC
+16047616741
Graphic Design
BCIT
Vancouver, BC
+16047616741
Photography
Shaw Academy
Vancouver, BC
+16047616741
Architectural Design
Brighton College
Burnaby, BC
+16047616741
Architecture Degree
UniCEUMA
São Luís, BR
+16047616741
Ready to create something great together?





