Maria Nguyen
From Naarm (Melbourne) Australia, Maria is a London-based designer & artist whose practice is rooted in research, experimentation and taro bao buns. She enjoys challenging traditional conventions and talking in the third person.


Experience 

Bureau for Visual Affairs (current)
Freelance (2023 — 2024)
Raft Studio (2021 — 2022)
Today (2020)
Work

  1. Luka Balm (Work in Progress ID)
  2. Greenstreat(Visual ID)
  3. Gary Thomas(Visual ID)
  4. Pearl (3D + Visual ID)
  5. Emerson Rooftop & Bar(Visual ID)
  6. Hanoi Community Radio(Motion)
  7. Darwin Festival 2023(OOH Campaign)
  8. FYA(Editorial)
  9. Một Mái Nhà (Photobook)
  10. Amazigh(Photobook)
  11. Christian Wagstaff(Lettering)
  12. St Kilda Film Festival(Visual ID)
  13. Melbourne Fringe Festival 2021(OOH Campaign)
  14. Transcendence(Conceptual)
  15. Across the Seas(Research)
  16. Netwealth (UI Design)
  17. Nethersphere(Poster)
  18. Dreamscapes(Painting)

G’day Atis team, 

I’m excited to apply for the Graphic Designer role at ATIS, especially given my direct experience with Greenstreat, a similar fast-casual salad bar based in Australia.

I had the opportunity to completely evolve their legacy identity with fresh vibrant illustrations and a modern colour palette, giving the brand new life while staying true to their core values. It feels like perfect alignment with the kind of work ATIS does.

With extensive experience working on F&B brands, I’ve worked on brands from developing concepts to presentation and final execution across digital, print environmental ensuring a consistent, impactful presence across all touchpoints. 

Currently, at Bureau for Visual Affairs, I merge UX/UI insights with brand design to create flexible, user-centred systems that resonate.

I’m passionate about collaborating across teams, challenging ideas, and delivering bold, cohesive designs that connect. I’d love to bring my F&B branding and UX/UI experience and design skills to the ATIS team.

Please have peruse through my folio and questions :)

Kindest, 
M

CV linked here 

Can you tell us about a project where you had to bring a brand to life across multiple formats?

⭐️ Darwin Festival (2023–2024)   

Role: I supported the senior designer in expanding the existing brand identity

Scope: Taking place in the Northern Territory, Darwin Festival is Australia’s hottest winter arts festival with a vibrant program of cultural and artistic events. The visual identity reflects a sense of play and wonder whilst maintaining connections to Darwin’s surrounding landscape. 

The toolkit extended across festival programs, event signage, promotional car decals, social media animations, airport displays, and more.

Highlights: My focus was ensuring visual consistency and vibrancy across a wide range of applications, from static, print to animated digital formats all while adhering to the senior designer’s overall vision. This gave me deep experience with adapting brand assets to diverse scales and media, maintaining impact and cohesion throughout.

Agency: KWPX


    ⭐️ Greenstreat

    Greenstreat is a fast-casual salad bar that’s all about feel-good food done fast. Founded by two brothers in regional Victoria, the brand had strong roots—but needed a visual identity that matched their energy and ambition.

    Role: I took ownership of evolving their legacy brand identity.

    Transformation: I introduced custom illustrations, refreshed the color palette with energetic, foodie friendly tones, and modernised every brand touchpoint; from in-store menus, packaging, and digital screens to social media templates and staff uniforms. 

    Outcome: My focus was ensuring visual consistency and vibrancy across a wide range of applications, from static, print to animated digital formats all while adhering to the senior designer’s overall vision. This gave me deep experience with adapting brand assets to diverse scales and media, maintaining impact and cohesion throughout.

    Now, the brand reflects exactly what Greenstreat delivers: real food, real fast, with a whole lot of flavour.






    What kind of brand design work excites you the most?

    I’m most excited by design that’s built to work across different real-life contexts. How an identity can become a system that feels both functional and expressive. 

    When I can imagine how people interact with a brand in their day to day, it’s a powerful reminder of how design can be interactive and personal, more than just visual.

    Moreover, since working as a UX/UI designer at Bureau for Visual Affairs, I’ve developed a real appreciation for the process of turning brand thinking into something structured and usable. I enjoy the research phase, getting to know the client, the audience, their goals and using those insights to build design systems that are thoughtful, scalable, and true to the brand.

    Whether it’s evolving a visual identity, like I did for Greenstreat, or extending one across formats like with Darwin Festival, I’m most energised when I get to connect strategy with design execution in a way that’s clear, consistent, and meaningful.

    How do you ensure your creative work stays aligned with a brand’s tone, values & identity?

    For me, it always starts with getting clear on the WHY??? the intention behind the brand. I like to strip things back to their core ideas and make sure every design decision supports that central concept.

    I see brand guidelines as a useful framework, but not something rigid. A strong identity system should feel cohesive yet adaptable, able to flex depending on the context and the user, while still holding onto its essence.

    For example, on the Emerson project, we worked closely with the interior architecture team to make sure the identity aligned with the fit-out. The brand had to feel sexy and sultry, so we focused on mood, texture, and tone, creating a visual system that matched both the physical space and the emotional intent.

    Ultimately, it's about constantly checking in: Does this feel true to the brand’s purpose, tone, and environment? If it does, then the design has done its job!!


    When approaching a new design or content brief, what’s your creative process?

    My process always starts with deep research. I pull apart everything the client gives me. Whether it’s ingredients on a menu, the architecture of the space, or reference material they've shared. I’m especially interested in the tangible details and context that surround the brand.

    I try to avoid relying on other brand work for inspiration! This helps keep the concepts original and grounded in the client’s world, not trends. I follow different "leads" in the research, exploring textures, stories, imagery, and themes until connections start to form and unique ideas emerge.

    From there, it’s an iterative and collaborative process. I bounce ideas with the team and stay open to refining the direction as we go. The best concepts, in my experience, come from a combination of curiosity, real-world reference, and honest back-and-forth.


    How do you usually work cross functionally?

    I believe strong collaboration starts with listening and understanding. I make it a priority to ask questions and ensure everyone feels heard.

    From there, I take a meaningful, respectful approach, balancing openness to ideas with constructive challenge when needed. I’m not afraid to question assumptions or offer alternatives, but always with the aim of pushing the project forward and finding the best solution together.

    I value transparency in communication whether thats through random chats or scheduled design reviews.


    What brands do you think are nailing creative right now & why?

    ON Running:
    ON has been collaborating with everyone! Their recent partnerships include Elmo x ON, blending playful nostalgia with performance gear, as well as collaborations with cultural icons like Zendaya and FKA Twigs. These projects keep the brand fresh, exciting, and culturally relevant, reaching beyond just the athletic world. They also slay with their sleek, modern design and packaging that feel fresh and premium.

    IKEA:
    IKEA nails relatable, clever storytelling. Their 2025 campaign in Australia, “Just the Start,” celebrated 50 years of the brand in the country by capturing authentic Aussie moments like moving homes and the support of friends and family. It’s warm, genuine, and shows IKEA’s role in people’s everyday lives.

    Spotify:
    Spotify’s “Wrapped” campaign remains a masterclass in personalised storytelling, turning data into a yearly cultural event that users eagerly anticipate and share.

    Also special mention to Charli XCX in house team! Feel like I don’t need further explanation for how brat summer penetrated our lives! 




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