SENIOR DESIGN & BRAND STRATEGIST
MUCCA, NEW YORK NY
At design studio Mucca, María Silva Mora’s goal is to lead the discovery of the compelling kernel of truth at the root of each brand and use it to craft a unique story. As a dedicated brand partner, Maria works hand-in-hand with clients via Mucca’s workshops to understand their vision and uncover the brand’s purpose, laying the foundation for the creative process. Besides being a skilled strategist, she is also an award-winning designer in her own right, having created brand identities for a range of companies, retailers, restaurants and organizations including Union Square Hospitality, WeWork, Fairway, Ficosota and many others. This has earned her recognition from CA, TDC, LAD, and BID. As a longtime member of the Mucca family, Maria has become an essential caretaker of the studio’s voice, vision and heart. While she is a Colombian import, and ambassador of good vibes and arepas, she also blames her German schooling for her severe OCD and orderly desk.
Has the pandemic changed your workplace and your workflow? Do you expect to return to pre-pandemic ways of working or will any changes become the ‘new normal’?
The pandemic freed us from the mental constraints of the physical working space. I’ve traveled and worked from several different cities and countries this year and I no longer feel that remote working is the exception. My team and I have adjusted smoothly to this new normal. We closed the studio, and now I work from home or wherever I am. The workflow changed at the beginning of the pandemic; it slowed down. But now we are back to full speed. The new challenge is to stop every day and go for a walk.
What do you expect 2021 to hold for graphic designers and the design business? Have the challenges of 2020 changed the way you think about your job and career or the role of design?
The big challenge for 2021 will be to strengthen our team connection and communication to defeat isolation. Working remotely can be excellent, efficient and liberating, but emotional ties and quality time are compromised. Without a doubt, the 2020 challenges have given me a new perspective of my priorities in life. And they have also pushed me to be more responsible with my work, to think more in depth about the impact and the purpose of every project.
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