We’re creators— who think like founders.
Aruliden is a global design agency born in 2006. We are a collection of people who care deeply about the work we do and the impact it will make on our culture through responsible design.
We are creative and pragmatic.
We listen, and we challenge.
We work with people and brands that inspire us.
Aruliden is a global design agency born in 2006. We are a collection of people who care deeply about the work we do and the impact it will make on our culture through responsible design.
We are creative and pragmatic.
We listen, and we challenge.
We work with people and brands that inspire us.
Leadership
Rinat Aruh is the co-founder and CEO of Aruliden, an award-winning agency that specializes in product design, branding and creative strategy from zero to launch. Headquartered in New York, with offices in San Francisco and Amsterdam, Aruliden works with the world's greatest visionaries to reimagine industries and create businesses that matter.
Rinat co-founded Aruliden with Johan Liden in 2006. Under her leadership, Aruliden has grown significantly and now designs, develops and produces brand creative and products for a diverse range of sectors including technology, wellness, and consumer goods. Rinat counsels Fortune 100 companies and startups including Google, BULGARI, Whoop, Supergoop! and Backdrop, among others. Under her stewardship, Aruliden has produced award-winning work that informs the brands of tomorrow and creates products that are proven to change how people live, work, and play.
Rinat’s mission and passion are rooted in design - specifically, introducing design thinking into early education as a methodology for creative problem solving. Rinat brought this vision to life by working with schools across the country teaching and exposing kids to understand the value of design as a problem-solving tool in our everyday world. Rinat’s passion for design education has also led her to teach brand, product and experience as part of SVA's prestigious MFA program. In addition to education, Rinat and Aruliden are passionate about elevating minority founders by offering pro-bono design services to help accelerate the growth of their brands.
Rinat brings a unique perspective with her global experience of people, culture, design and business strategy. She has been recognized by Fast Company and Graphic Design US as one of the most creative people in business. Her agency's work has received accolades from IDEA, Red Dot Design Award, ICFF and Good Design Awards, among others. Rinat has been invited to speak at notable platforms including TEDxNYED, IDSA International Conferences, and the National Association of Independent Schools conference.
Before founding Aruliden, Rinat served in executive marketing roles at the GAP, and BMW MINI. A graduate of Boston University's Ouestrom School of Business, Rinat lives in New York City with her family.
Johan Liden is an industrial designer and entrepreneur whose passion for developing innovative new products and bringing thoughful solutions to clients has resulted in award-winning work. In 2006, he founded Aruliden with Rinat Aruh, combining their expertise in product design and marketing to pioneer a new approach they coined Producting™. With clients that range from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies, Aruliden brings a unique perspective to the creative process, believing marketing and design should work together to create a cohesive brand experience for consumers. Liden has worked with companies such as PUMA, Google, Starbucks, Neutrogena, Bernhardt Design and Whoop.
Originally from Sweden, Johan began his experience in the United States by helping build Fuseproject, a San Francisco based design firm, where he worked for clients such as Birkenstock, Nike, BMW, Nissan, Herman Miller, and Microsoft. Liden later joined MAC Cosmetics, a division of the Estée Lauder Group, where he was responsible for developing multiple product lines. He was also invited to develop special product categories, including the Sean John fragrance, which was one of the most succesful fragrance introductions to date. He was subsequently recruited by Nike's Converse division, where he was responsible for shaping some of the most successful products we see today in the marketplace.
Bringing new design directions and explorations within Aruliden's core product line as well as introducing new platforms, Liden's work has been internationally recognized in museums, press and competitions alike.
Cynthia has spent the last 20 years honing her skills operationalizing brand creative - building diverse teams, strengthening collaboration, determining new areas of value, and facilitating new partnerships.
Having built her career agency side, Cynthia has worked across a range of international brand design shops including Landor, Pearlfisher, Safari Sundays and CBX.
Passionate about design of all kinds, she enjoys applying creative problem solving to all areas of business. Her notable past clients include PepsiCo, LVMH, Starbucks, Proximo, Vice, OXO and Happy Family Brands.
A nomad by nature, Cynthia has lived in 5 countries across 3 continents and has made a home for herself and her family between NYC and the Catskills.
Spencer is a New York City native with 20 years experience in brand building and digital design. His work is guided by a passion to help transform brands and craft experiences that people love.
Spencer started his career at Ogilvy's Brand Integration Group (BIG). There, he cut his teeth working on brand design initiatives for clients such as Coke, American Express, and Motorola.
In 2005, Spencer co-founded Brooklyn-based creative agency Apartment One. As creative director, he ensured all work was strategically sound, conceptually inspiring, and creatively powerful. Select clients include Google, Poppin, Rock The Vote, Brooks Brothers, and Atlantic Records.
Following 12 years at Apartment One, Spencer co-founded Tendr, a digital cash gifting platform for life’s important occasions. There, he spent 5 years leading a cross-functional team on all brand and product design efforts.
Spencer studied design at School of Visual Arts, collects classic house vinyl, and currently lives in Hastings on Hudson with his wife and two daughters.
Michael believes brands have the power to shape culture. His practice merges strategic insights with creative expression to build brands that have influence. He is a multi-disciplinary designer with expertise in creative strategy, visual identity systems, digital media, and environmental design. Prior to joining Aruliden, Michael has led design teams at Redscout, Wolff Olins and 2x4 where he worked with clients including AirBnB, Prada, Miu Miu Neiman Marcus, Google, Herman Miller, Hyatt and MTV. His work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, AIGA/NY and White Columns Gallery. Michael is an active design advocate and former AIGA/NY board member. He has been adjunct faculty at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute and a visiting critic at Yale School of Art.
Liesje partners with teams and businesses to identify opportunities and take the right leaps. Her expertise includes leading transformation programs for Fortune 100 companies, creating new brands for established businesses and startups, and bringing new offerings and services to market. Earlier in her career, she held roles at Redscout, Interbrand and frog design and served as an adjunct professor at NYU’s ITP. A pragmatic optimist, Liesje is driven by the belief that the interests of business, people and the planet are closer than we might think.
Brett brings his experience in leading design initiatives at New York agencies such as ECCO Design and Smart Design, and also worked in-house at LG Electronics where he helped define the design direction and strategy for many US focused future technology experiences. He joined the Aruliden team to more deeply explore the connection between product design, strategy, and brand experience.
James is an end-to-end problem solver, ultimately bringing products and experiences to market that connect emotionally with people and have real, lasting meaning. He focuses on gaining empathy for the end-user and is happiest when developing products with beautiful aesthetics that are just right for their place in the world. James has more than 15 years of experience designing in the consumer and enterprise electronics, public safety, CPG and healthcare industries. These days, his passion is leading and empowering teams of designers to do the best work of their lives.
Gillian has worked in-house with brands Bumble and bumble, Kate Spade Saturday and Victoria’s Secret PINK as well as with New York agencies Mother, Anomaly and Hudson Rouge. These experiences have given her the opportunity to lead and tackle design and branding problems across numerous categories from hair, beauty, fashion and furniture, to meal kits and cars. She joined Aruliden to lead design initiatives in the beauty category—a return to her first and favorite.
Aaron brings more than 18 years of excellence in creativity through his work in the UK and Europe, most recently, serving as Creative Director and Partner at London-based design studio, Browns UK. During his tenure at Browns he led the development of innovative and visually dynamic, digital forward, creative to engage key audiences across sectors worldwide. Aaron’s work has become internationally acclaimed and this key executive reinforces Aruliden’s international footprint as he joins the team in Amsterdam.
Clients
We believe that purpose and profit can coexist, and harnessing the power of design, rethinking categories, and utilizing creative problem solving can make a remarkable difference and support those in need.
Our series of ongoing partnerships with educational institutions, charitable initiatives, companies, brands, and mentorship programs are forged to affect positive change in the world.
The Red Hook Initiative, is a community-based nonprofit believing that the power to create change comes from within. Our creative leadership participates in a rolling mentorship program, advising members to help them define and achieve their goals.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. We provide pro-bono creative services to help launch their members' businesses into the world.
Tools at Schools is an initiative designed to integrate design thinking into early education. Aruliden’s design team played an advisory role to the students, guiding them to discover design-led solutions to envision products for the classroom of the future.
