Mateja M.

If you already know exactly what the design should look like, there are thousands of designers who can execute it. My best work starts when the answer isn't that obvious. Twenty-plus years in graphic design, art direction and leading design teams have taught me to approach projects from both sides: establishing the visual direction and knowing how to carry it through. Expert-Vetted Upwork Freelancer | Top 1% ART DIRECTION & VISUAL SYSTEMS Establishing visual direction, creating scalable design systems and helping internal teams maintain quality and consistency across their materials. BRAND IDENTITY & IMPLEMENTATION A visual identity has to survive beyond the brand guide. Brand refreshes, visual identity development, typography and color systems, brand guidelines, templates and supporting visual elements across multiple applications. EDITORIAL & PUBLICATION DESIGN Making complex information clear is only half the job. Good editorial design also makes people want to engage with it. Annual reports, business reports, magazines, brochures, catalogs, conference publications, white papers and other complex long-form documents, with a strong focus on typography, information hierarchy, readability and consistency. CORPORATE & MARKETING COMMUNICATION Presentations, pitch decks, marketing collateral, sales materials, event and tradeshow graphics, advertising, social media assets and other corporate communications across print and digital channels. Before freelancing, I worked as an Art Director for a leading publishing company, managing a team of 15 layout designers. Earlier in my career, I was a lead designer for several magazines and a daily newspaper. That background shaped the way I approach design today: not just as individual deliverables, but as systems that need to work consistently across different formats, teams and applications.