Hi! I'm Valeria.

Hi! I'm Valeria.

I’m a strategic designer and illustrator based in Utrecht, the Netherlands, frequently working in London and Amsterdam.

I’m a creative at heart. When I’m not designing or illustrating, you’ll find me sculpting, writing or playing the piano.

My clients range from local artisans to global brands, often collaborating as partners in long-term brand development projects. Sometimes as a graphic designer, product designer, creative strategist, illustrator… and more.

I believe in clarity as the output of the creative process. Providing sharp and actionable strategic thinking. Using high levels of visualisation and design thinking to bring brand strategy to life in a clear, rich and engaging way.

My current creative home is Haines McGregor, a London-based creative agency. Take a look at the website here https://hainesmcgregor.co.uk .

Do you have any questions, or maybe an idea to share?

Who I've worked with

  • About my work with Haines McGregor for 1664 Blanc

    "HMc are a very strong strategic agency, an extended arm to my team and a trusted partner we can continuously rely on. I have found them pivotal in helping us come up with global brand guardrails aimed at elevating our brand expression. Their structured approach and vibrant creativity have shaped our thinking very well, resulting in a meaningful set of new growth for 1664 Blanc globally. "

    Nikola Maravic
    Global Brand Director, 1664 Blanc

  • About my work with Haines McGregor for Beam Suntory

    “We worked with the Haines McGregor team to bring to life our moderation strategy and to engage our internal stakeholders on this important project. The team were able to quickly grasp our strategy, and actually add real value to it - as well as producing a range of materials to help us really engage our stakeholders. Working with Haines McGregor was a game changer in terms of strategic, engaging materials which got all our stakeholders on board.”

    Paul Thomas
    International Insight Director, Beam Suntory

  • About my work with Haines McGregor for James Wellbeloved

    "I have been working with Haines McGregor on one of our biggest and most strategic innovations and I couldn't have asked for a better partner. I was extremely impressed with the high level of expertise of the team, made of seasoned professionals, their strong and swift understanding of the exact needs of their clients and their extreme agility being able to deliver complex innovations and insights in record timings. I highly recommend Haines McGregor to anyone looking to take their marketing and innovation projects to the next level."

    Alicia Jitaru

    Innovation Marketing Director
    Europe Natural Business Unit, Mars

  • About my work with Haines McGregor for Somersby

    "I appointed HMc as the strategic innovation partner for the Somersby brand in 2018. Over the last 3 years we have built a clear strategy for how to grow the portfolio now and where to innovate in the future. Their creativity and clarity of thinking have been essential in building momentum globally, aligning and energising a growing number of markets behind a common goal."

    Pernille Arnt

    Somersby Global Brand Director

  • About my work with Haines McGregor for Anchor Butter

    “Haines McGregor were phenomenal in really pushing us to stretch our brand vision and pushed us as a team to think much broader than previously done.  They were super collaborative with both internal and external stakeholders and weren’t afraid to challenge to get the best out of the process.  I would highly recommend them for any innovation or strategy vision creation within a heartbeat.”

    Rebecca Allen
    Senior Global Brand Manager, Arla Foods

Services

  • I enjoy working with brands and people that want to innovate and challenge conventions, developing bold brands that are engaging, rich and inspiring for consumers and brand owners alike.

    Including: Visual Identity Guidelines, Brand Positioning, Brand Guardrails, Packaging Design, Art Direction, Key Visuals, Activation ideation.

  • Innovation is fundamental to staying relevant in a fast-paced world. It's what will keep brands connected to their consumers. Therefore it's important to be aware of current trends in a very competitive world through research, and work together with brands, strategists and other creatives to come up with truly innovative and exciting ideas.

    Including: Competitor Brand Audits, Innovation Workshops, Concept Creation & Visualisation.

  • Using design principles to bring strategic thinking to life in engaging ways.

    Including: Design Semiotics, Trend Safaris, Brand Architecture, Brand Worlds, Brand Guardrails, Creative Platforms, Concept Ideation for Research.

  • Visualisation allows us to see an idea come to life as a concept before it becomes a reality. This is an invaluable asset when doing consumer research and testing.

    Including: Visualisation of Pack concepts, Branding Mockups, Image Retouching.

  • Illustration is where I started my journey as a creative. I enjoy testing different techniques, both manual and digital.

    Including: Character development, Storyboards, Editorial illustration, Concept Sketches, Infographics, Concept Art.

  • Video is a fantastic way to make content more dynamic, fun and "digestible" for audiences. Whether it is through animation, motion graphics or video production & editing, it's an ideal tool for storytelling.

    Including: Storyboards, Motion Graphics, Video editing.

  • When it comes to social media content creation, I've collaborated with strategists and copywriters to develop engaging and interactive campaigns for Facebook and Instagram for the promotion of movies, TV series and events.

    Including: Social media content creation.

  • Overseeing the creative process and working closely with UX designers and web developers to deliver a responsive and engaging product.

    Including: Web Design & Wireframes (XD, Sketch, Figma), Project Management.

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Interview with Marketing Tribune

In the summer of 2018, I was interviewed by Marketing Tribune for their segment "de werkplek van" ("the work place of", in english). Here I elaborate on my experience working as a freelancer in Amsterdam and at Festina during the years 2016-2018, as well as talking about some of the brands that I love and why. ​​​​​​​