Frank A. Mariani

Biography

Frank A. Mariani brings a diverse professional artistic background to Simpson & Simpson where he is employed as an independent patent illustrator. Mr. Mariani received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Rosary Hill College in 1975, specializing in hand lithography and intaglio. Mr. Mariani furthered his visual studies at SUNY Buffalo, receiving his Masters Degree in Fine Arts with honors in 1977.

Upon graduation, Mr. Mariani became a designer in the commercial sign design industry. There, Mr. Mariani developed traditional hand lettering skills and created precise drawings of signage proposals, which served as both sales aids and as requirements to obtain municipal approval.

In 1984, Mr. Mariani moved into the area of technical illustration for Buffalo area defense contractors. Working in Bell Aerospace Textron's technical publications department prepared him for a lengthy tenure as Manager of Technical Communications for Amherst Systems, now a subsidiary of the Northrop Grumman Corporation. At Amherst Systems, a world leader in the development of Electronic Warfare threat simulators, Mr. Mariani built a department of artists and technical writers that expertly prepared user manuals, electronic presentations, marketing collateral, trade journal advertisements, trade show exhibits, and a web site presence to assist in the company's tremendous growth throughout the 1990s.

Since 2001 Mr. Mariani worked for Benderson Development's sign design department and also for the Greater Niagara Newspaper Group. Prior to joining Simpson & Simpson, Frank was employed as an artist at American Color, a premier provider of support services for the major newspaper syndicates. There he worked closely with Tribune Media Syndicate preparing their daily comics array.

Realizing the rapidly growing impact of computerization in the graphic arts arena, Mr. Mariani accrued substantial credits in computer science, mathematics, and electronics theory through Empire State College.

Frank is also a freelance cartoonist and member of the National Cartoonists Society. Additionally, he provides web design and marketing support for both the Historical Society of the Tonawandas and the annual Lindsay’s Legacy 5K Run, which raises funds for childhood cancer research.