Portfolio

Maria Lören

Creative Director · Brand Strategist · World Builder

I build brand worlds, campaigns, and editorial experiences that help people see a brand differently — and feel something real when they do.

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The Thesis

I

I believe the strongest brands are built from the inside out. Not from trends. Not from aesthetics alone. Not from chasing attention.

The work that endures begins with clarity — of purpose, of perspective, and of the feeling a brand leaves behind after the campaign ends and the screen goes dark.

My work sits between strategy, storytelling, design, and human behavior. I am interested in the space between what a brand says and what people actually feel.

Because design can attract attention. But meaning is what creates connection.

  • Creative Direction
  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Identity
  • Campaign Development
  • Art Direction
  • Editorial Design
  • Experiential Design
  • Content & Social Strategy
  • Packaging
  • Product Photography & Styling
  • Motion & Video Direction
  • Print Production
Selected Brands, Projects & Cultural Touchpoints

Consumer & Retail

Keurig·Martha Stewart·Del Monte·Dole·Kraft / Mondelez·Mike & Ike·Snyder’s of Hanover·Craftsman·Kenmore·Farberware·Shark·Barbasol·Calphalon·Fruit of the Loom·Sharp·Hoover·Brut by Fabergé

Beauty, Wellness & Lifestyle

Copper Fit · Liz Taylor Fragrances · Melanin & Muscles · House of Lören · ANZA · Fanmire

Publishing, Media & Events

Top 100 Powerful Black Women · Women In Digital Business · Irie Jam Radio · Irie Jam Foundation · Syntyche Clarke · NFL · Ashanti · Written Entertainment

Nonprofit, Education & Community

St. Jude · Ms. Foundation · The Arc Westchester · PAL · Calvary Hospital · St. Vincent’s Hospital · The Actors Fund · Broadway Cares · Madre · Uniondale Public Library · Westbury Public Library · Hey There Beautiful · Bryant Library · Jovia Financial Credit Union

Luxury, Hospitality & Destination

Gale / Sotheby’s · Garden City Hotel · City of Key West

Work

Selected worlds, campaigns, editorials, and visual systems built to shift perception.

A curated look into the work that shapes my creative world.

Every brand has a pulse. This is where mine shows up — in the color, the detail, the emotion, and the story. Explore the projects, campaigns, and visual systems that shaped my aesthetic, sharpened my thinking, and built my reputation for high-impact creative direction.

Garment rack, mirror & florals
Community portrait
Greenery runway walk
Water pitcher beauty shot

Featured Work

II · The Collection

Brand Worlds

Identity systems

These are not logos — they are worlds. Identity systems with their own atmosphere, rituals, and language.

Immersive Brand World

House of Lören — Welcome Home

A cinematic walkthrough of a brand world designed to feel entered, not just viewed.

Melanin & Muscles — brand system products
Written Entertainment / Ashanti — brand identity
Black Orchid — brand identity
Hempstead Lake Pickleball — brand world
Selected brand collateral
Vael Designs — jewelry postcard
Not Just Tea
Aruz Prep
Library Shelfie Day

Luxury Invitation Suites

Event Identity · Print Design · Luxury Collateral

A collection of invitation systems and event collateral designed with atmosphere, occasion, materiality, and emotional detail in mind.

Fanmire — Sag Harbor
Grand Aspen Ball — Invite
Johnny & Angelita
Cecily & Bryan
Olivia Benette
Janel & David
Melissa & Angelo

Campaigns

Concepts across channels

Time-bound concepts built across channels — from cultural insight to product story.

A World of Reading — campaign
Keurig — ad redesign
Martha Stewart — Bake Beautifully
Martha Stewart — Cook Beautifully
Mike & Ike — Reunion
Build Louder — Women With Vision
Every Rep Counts
Retinol — campaign
Lips Don’t Whisper — lipgloss ad
Luster — refined pearls
Small Stones, Big Presence — Ice Mountain jewelry ad
Legends Were Never Mass-Produced — knife ad
Barbasol — Effortless Is Powerful
Dr Tarick Smaili — plastic surgery

Editorial

Publication design

Printed pages, laid out in a gallery. Magazines, reports, and editorial systems.

Al Roker — A Story of Storms, Resilience, and America
Adam Schefter — editorial
Sherri Shepherd — Reinvention Looks Good on You
The Lip Issue — Iconic Beauty Cover
Essential Oils — Wellness Education
Ms. Foundation — direct mail
PAL — fundraising campaign
Arc of Westchester — Annual Report
Arc of Westchester — Newsletter
Wake Up Beautifully
Ortho — The Alpern Treatment Philosophy
The Hidden Treasures of Korean Art

Social

Content & culture

Content strategy — series, systems, and visual campaigns built for the feed.

Rest Is Power — Reset Series
The Reset Series — campaign overview
AI Visibility — campaign
Her Energy — campaign
Not Every Jewel — Mystery Earrings
Fitness — campaign
Fitness — campaign 2
Brand ID — campaign

Product

Objects & details

Sensory, quiet, desirable. Object photography, styling, and still life.

Visual Statements

Atmosphere & art direction

Single-image moments that hold atmosphere, art direction, and emotional tone.

Greenery runway walk
You Are Enough, Sis — affirmation card
UNSAID — Summer
UNSAID — Autumn
Softness as a Brand World
Victory Cruise Lines

The Director

III
Maria Lören — portrait

I believe the strongest brands are built from the inside out.

Not from trends. Not from aesthetics alone. Not from chasing attention.

The work that endures begins with clarity — of purpose, of perspective, and of the feeling a brand leaves behind when the campaign ends and the screen goes dark.

Across beauty, wellness, hospitality, consumer goods, publishing, nonprofit, and founder-led ventures, my work has always returned to the same question:

How do we help people see something differently?

Sometimes that means repositioning a legacy brand for a new audience. Sometimes it means transforming an emerging idea into a fully realized brand world. Sometimes it means finding the story that has been there all along and giving it shape, language, and atmosphere.

My work sits between strategy, storytelling, design, and human behavior.

Because design can attract attention.

But meaning is what creates connection.

Leadership

I lead creative work with clarity, curiosity, and respect for the people in the room.

Over the years, I’ve partnered with designers, writers, photographers, developers, marketers, production teams, founders, executives, and community leaders across agency, corporate, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial environments.

My role is not simply to have the best idea.

It is to create the conditions where strong ideas can emerge, sharpen, and become real.

Some projects need structure. Others need space. The responsibility of creative leadership is knowing which is needed and when.

The best work happens when strategy is clear, people feel trusted, and every detail knows why it belongs.

Scale

  • 40+Brands & organizations
  • 300+Photoshoots directed
  • 10,000+Creative assets produced
  • 200+Weekly multichannel assets

Impact

  • 20%+Product sales growth via campaign creative
  • 40%Faster campaign turnaround
  • $200K+Partnership & sponsorship funding
  • 11Departments adopting her brand systems
Recognition

Canvas Rebel · Newsday · Top 100 Black Women Board Member · 2× Echo Award Finalist · Industry Features & Speaking Engagements

Download Resume

Based in New York. Open to full-time leadership opportunities, fractional creative partnerships, consulting engagements, and select relocation opportunities. Based in New York. Open to full-time, fractional, consulting, and select relocation opportunities.

Flagship Editorial

UNSAID

A seasonal editorial exploring the things women carry but never say aloud.

Winter · Spring · Summer · Autumn

Contact

V

If the work made you pause, we may already be speaking the same language.

I’m available for creative leadership, brand strategy, campaign development, editorial direction, and select collaborations with brands ready to become more clear, more compelling, and more felt.

Based in New York. Open to full-time leadership opportunities, fractional creative partnerships, consulting engagements, and select relocation opportunities. Based in New York. Open to full-time, fractional, consulting, and select relocation opportunities.