Due to his short stature, dynamic abilities and pace, Giovinco acquired the nickname "formica atomica" ("atomic ant", after the eponymous Hanna-Barbera character) in his youth. A versatile attacker, Giovinco is capable of playing in several offensive positions, and he is usually deployed in a free role as a second striker, behind or off of another forward, although he is also capable of playing as a winger, on either flank, or in a deeper playmaking role in the centre of the pitch, as a creative attacking midfielder; he has also been used in a more offensive, central role, as a main striker, or even as a false 9.