Mara Vance

About

I make things read the way they should.

I design identities, interfaces, and the type that holds them together. Fifteen years in, I still think the best design is the kind you don't notice until it's gone.

I work alone and in small teams, usually with founders and editors who care about craft. I’m happiest somewhere between the type specimen and the production file — where the idea meets the kerning.

Before going independent I led design at Marlowe & Co and cut my teeth at Aldermere. These days I take a handful of projects a year so each one gets the attention it deserves.

Mara Vance

Path

  • 2021—now

    Independent designer

    Copenhagen

  • 2017—21

    Design Lead

    Marlowe & Co

  • 2013—17

    Designer

    Aldermere (intern → mid)

  • 2009—13

    BA Graphic Design

    Ashby School of Art, London

What I do

  • Brand identity
  • Type design
  • Editorial & books
  • Product & web design
  • Art direction

Selected clients

Sablewood · Hue · Quartz · Atlas · Signal · Larkspur · Northwind · Vellum