Independent Design Director
Brand systems, digital products & campaigns for founders who are allergic to beige outcomes.
Making
strange feel
inevitable.
Selected evidence
Six case studies with sharp elbows and soft landings.
Lumen Court
Salt Radio
Kiln Finance
Velvet Index
Afterglow Labs
About the studio
I like brands with a pulse, a point of view, and a little dirt under the nails.
Mara Vale is a one-person studio with a suspiciously large appetite.
I partner with ambitious teams at the exact moment things get messy: the product is real, the story is foggy, the stakes are suddenly visible. My process is equal parts forensic strategy, typographic obsession, and building systems your team can actually use on a Wednesday.
Before going independent, I led design for culture platforms, climate startups, and fashion-adjacent tech. I still believe the best work starts with a dangerous question and ends with something that feels obvious in hindsight.
48Launches shipped
9Awarded projects
0Logo-only briefs