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MARA©copyright 2025 · lisbon, pt · +351

For inquirieshello@mara.studio

Working globally

LIS,

About — Lisbon, since 2017

I make websites, products and identities for people who notice how things feel.

I'm Mara, a designer working from a small studio in Lisbon with two cats and too many film cameras. I started in a Stockholm agency in 2014, went independent in 2017, and have worked with studios, founders and small teams across Europe and North America since.

Most of what I make is websites, products and the identities that hold them together. I prototype in the browser, I care about type more than is reasonable, and I like a grid I can break on purpose.

I take on four or five projects a year so each one gets the time it needs. If you have something in mind for next year, say hello.

  • Sourdough starter keeper
  • Two cats call her mum
  • Runs on espresso and deadlines
  • Can't walk past a bookshop
  • Film camera hoarder
  • Sunday league goalkeeper
  • Learning the cello, badly

Process & approach

  1. 01

    Listen

    A week of conversations before any drawing. What the thing is for, who it is for, and what everyone is quietly afraid of.

  2. 02

    Shape

    Type, grid and tone first, in the browser, at real sizes. Screens come after the system, never before.

  3. 03

    Build

    I prototype in code so what you sign off is what ships. No handover surprises, no lost details.

  4. 04

    Ship

    Launch is the start. I stay for the first month to watch how people use it and fix what they trip on.

Timeline

  1. 2017Went independent after three years in a Stockholm studio.
  2. 2019First Loupe Site of the Day, for a bookshop in Malmö.
  3. 2021Moved to Lisbon. Kept the clients, changed the light.
  4. 2024Kern Awards honoree for the Marrow type system.
  5. 2025Sat on the jury. Noon Coffee and Sundial launched. Booking for the new year.

Capabilities

  • Art direction
  • Website design
  • Product design
  • Identity & packaging
  • Motion & interaction
  • Design systems
  • Front-end prototyping

Awards & Recognitions

  • Loupe Designer of the Year Nominee (2)
  • Loupe Site of the Day (9)
  • Kern Awards Honoree (5)
  • Grid Prize Site of the Month (3)
  • Northern Design Awards Shortlist
  • Type Setters Annual, Selected Work
  • Small Studio Award, Lisbon

Talks, Interviews & Publications

Currently

Reading
The Shape of Design, again
Listening
Field recordings from the Tagus
Drinking
Noon, run nine
Booking
Q4 2025