Lavinia Maria on Superpeer

Art Director, Brand Designer and Artist

Hey, I'm Lav. I like to describe myself as a multifaceted creative living at the intersection of art and design. I've always felt 'designer' was too narrow a title. I am also an artist, photographer, and writer. I've spent the last 10+ years developing brands, using a combination of design, strategy and beautiful imagery. I have worked with personal, start-up, and established brands, helping them with a wide range of creative and strategic needs - from crafting beautiful identities, to naming and slogans, marketing collateral, fine-tuning their messaging, and more. I have experienced both the freelancing world and the in-house/agency world. While initially struggling with confusion around which creative talent to pursue, I eventually learned to wholeheartedly embrace my many sides and stop trying to fit myself into a neat little box. Fragmenting yourself never works out. After all, we are strongest and produce our best work when we feel whole. My unique blend of talents, skills and experiences is my story and my 'best hand.' I have learned to use it as my competitive advantage and I would love to teach others how to use their unique skillsets to stand out and get hired for the type of work they love to do. As someone whose journey was never a straight line, I know first hand that being a creative soul - while fulfilling - is not always easy. We are the kind of people that live half in full excitement mode and half in 'omg/wtf' mode. When I came out of school, I realized they didn't teach you how to make it. I learned it all the hard way and  I would love to now teach others how to be better prepared for the road ahead, not just skill-wise, but also mindset-wise and business-wise. If you're looking for someone to share your journey with, I'm here to not only advise and teach, but also listen, support and encourage. Not everyone has the luxury of a tightly-knit creative community to share their wins and their struggles with. Sometimes you just want to talk to someone who 'gets it.' I am very approachable, easy going and empathetic, while also able to give honest, real, and constructive feedback. When it comes to design, I have a sharp editing eye and can offer advice on personal branding, client or passion projects or entire portfolios. I can also teach you how to charge more for design work by incorporating more strategy and creativity into your process. Expanding your process is a very important step in reaching your full creative potential. I'm open to working 1-on-1 with grads, post-grads and early career creatives, as well as any level creatives who might just want an unbiased perspective or second pair of eyes. You can see my work here: www.laviniamaria.com and find me on Insta too. Looking forward to meeting you!