Education
2012 - 2015
GRAPHIC DESIGN BA
MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art)
Baltimore, MD, United States
2012
DESIGN AND BROADCASTING
Montgomery College
Rockville, MD, United States
2003 - 2011
FRENCH BACCALAUREATE
Lycée Français Rochambeau
Bethesda, MD, United States
Languages
English, French, Portuguese, Spanish
Skills
Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Camera Raw, Lightroom, Capture One
Hello! I’m Lula. I’m a designer and a photographer with a passion for storytelling, clean lines and impactful visuals. As a designer & photographer with over six years of expertise in design vision and artistic innovation, I have worked with restaurant chains, luxury consignment stores, health startups, PR firms, advocacy groups and more. I have covered a wide range of projects from editorial design, commercial photography, packaging, visual & brand identity, social media and advertising.
Experience
03.2020 - Present / Lula studio / Freelance Designer & Photographer
My small business focuses on creating modern and impactful imagery. I have worked with restaurant chains, food brands, health and wellness startups, PR firms, non-profits, advocacy groups and more. I have covered a wide range of projects from editorial design, commercial photography, packaging, visual and brand identity and social media. The transition into freelancing has allowed me to hone in on my photography skills and expand that part of my business. Lula Studio is a one-woman show. I do everything from pre-production to post production: pull inspiration for the client, storyboard shoots, source and style props and backdrops, assemble and style recipes, set up lighting systems (strobes, continuous lights, speed lights, etc.). When the shoot is over I edit, tone and retouch my images on various editing softwares to deliver clean, crisp images to my client.
12.2018 - 03.2020 / Cultural Care Au Pair / Graphic Designer
My work at Cultural Care consisted in driving design and elevating the brand. Early on, I was part of a robust effort to transform the brand, which took me to Lucerne, Switzerland to meet and workshop the new branding with other creatives and designers. I was responsible for maintaining the new brand identity and applying new design guidelines to existing and new materials, while always pushing for more creativity and innovation. Prior to Cultural Care’s full rebrand, I was responsible for the interim branding which consisted of bettering existing typography, composition and colors as well as making more refined and thoughtful design choices. I pushed overall brand aesthetic for a variety of creative touch points ranging from editorial design, digital ads and social media posts to a complete signage overhaul of Cultural Care’s New York Training School. I was also responsible for creating graphics tailored to different markets worldwide, including Latin America, Asia, Europe and South Africa.
10.2015 - 11.2018 / Cava, Mediterranean Fast-casual / Lead Graphic Designer
As the first in-house Cava designer, I was responsible for helping define Cava’s brand aesthetic and magnifying the company’s mission and interest in food, healthy living and sustainability through graphics. I designed powerful and innovative visuals to drive maximum brand recognition, visibility and messaging. I created effective and compelling storytelling for brand and marketing campaigns, new store openings, internal communications, seasonal menu launches, packaging designs and other special projects. I also helped art-direct photoshoots to develop social, web, and mobile.
12.2014-01.2015 / Marstudio / Design Intern
As an intern at Marstudio, I freshened up web graphics and assured their portfolio page was up to date. I was responsible for retouching, manipulating and editing photos for print and web.