Hi there,

I’m Maria, a Lead Brand Designer based in London.

Zendesk

I joined Zendesk in August 2022 as a Brand Manager, with one direct report. My time on this role was impacted by Zendesk’s decision to layoff 5% of its workforce, and I was made redundant in November 2022.

During my time at Zendesk I developed the visual system for the Black Friday campaign, and collaborated on the CX Trends 2023 project, focusing on the interactive experience of the Report.

OpenTable

I was the EMEA focused Brand Designer at OpenTable from September 2015 until May 2022.

Working closely with Marketing and Social teams, my role was to provide visual solutions for their communications, develop concepts for integrated campaigns, and align and localise OpenTable’s visual identity to EMEA markets. I’ve produced work for both sides of the business — B2C (diners) and B2B (restaurants).

My role also involved working closely with external creatives, art directing illustrators and photographers, for initiatives such as OOH campaigns and restaurant facing testimonials.

I’ve started at OpenTable as Communication Designer, and as my career progressed, I was promoted to Senior Brand Designer and then Lead Brand Designer. By the time I left OpenTable I had one direct report.

Before OpenTable

Before joining OpenTable I worked 3.5 years at Warm&Fuzzy, a design studio with offices in Derby and London, working across multiple projects and dealing with a wide range of clients in different industries.

Prior to this role, I worked as a freelance graphic designer in Portugal. Clients included Universal Music and Guimarães European Capital of Culture 2012, and several other businesses.

A little bit more about me

I have an MA in Graphic Branding and Identity from the London College of Communication (University of the Arts London), and I’m also a founding member of CAAA – Centre for Arts and Architecture Affairs (Guimarães, Portugal), a nonprofit cultural institution whose mission is to support and encourage artistic creation and application of new methods of production.

When I’m not doing brand design, I love travelling, enjoy discovering new restaurants, and swim regularly.