Hello! ¡Hola! Ciao!
I'm Gabriela. A visual storyteller, graphic design strategist and team mentor.
Also a chocolate-addicted, overall happy over-thinker.
Hungarian by origin, Venezuelan by birth, Mexican by 'adoption' - currently living in beautiful Florence, Italy. I am an overall ambidextrous, not only do I use both hands, but both sides of the brain as well: a curious creative that thinks logically to solve problems.
With over 15 years of experience in graphic design, visual storytelling, creative direction and multidisciplinary team management, I see myself as a communication professional - both visually and in person.
I focus my creative growth (personal and professional) on designing, mentoring and collaborating in projects that raise awareness and strive for change by way of meaningful and impactful work.
I focus my creative growth (personal and professional) on designing, mentoring and collaborating in projects that raise awareness and strive for change by way of meaningful and impactful work.
I'm passionate about creating compelling visuals that empower businesses and individuals to positively impact the world.
I'm a former dancer turned yoga adept, and fitness and health enthusiast to my core; I'm married to a seriously talented photographer (@scottallenwilson). I'm also a life-long learner and a dog mom.
This portfolio is a carefully curated selection of projects that I've had the privilege to work in, covering my years of experience and a wide range of clients, media and sectors.
If you're interested, click here to view my full CV.
If you fancy reading as much I do talking...ahem writing, here's my 'full' journey:
Ever since I was a child I have been creative. I used to doodle, scribble, paint, and loved to dance and perform. My interest in anything artistic kept growing and at the age of 13, I became part of a non-professional musical theater company, first as a staff (crew) member - learning not only about theater arts, but also about excellence and team building - and then as part of the cast, dancing my way into pre-professional life, where I had my first job as a dance captain at only 17. The dancer dream faded away due to physical injuries, and transformed into University life. At Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico City, I chose Graphic Design as my career, transforming ideas into visual assets and staying true to my art-loving heart.
While being a successful full-time student, I joined DuPont in Mexico City, where I worked for 2 years; as a Marketing Designer and Junior Project Manager, I was responsible for designing and developing communication materials (tone of voice, content and graphic elements) for Mexico, Central America, the Andean Region, Chile and Argentina, as well as coordinating customer events and expos. I also had the opportunity to create and develop a University-linking project with our brands, that welcomed me into the fascinating world of education, which I further developed by studying language teaching and human development; this led to a part-time design tutor role.
After being full-time employed, I decided to enter the independent work life, and in 2010 I founded Studio 506 and acted as the Creative Director, managing a team of international graphic designers working with over 10 clients in up to 20 different projects concurrently. This gave me many joys, projects, partners and clients, as well as time to balance my personal life with my other interests, which led me back to theater life, where I not only returned to performing, but also worked directly for the Theater’s non-profit Foundation as a Project Manager, managing both cast and crew, as well as volunteers and union workers, while also mentoring children and young adults through their creative process and development of communication skills. This was also the time I went back on stage, performing once again lighting up my soul!
I am a life-long learner so, in January of 2020 I moved to Italy to study the Arts Management Master’s at Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) to expand my Project Management skills. There I had the opportunity to work directly with important partners such as Palazzo Strozzi and Manifattura Tabacchi, leading video and design teams, website and social media development, communication and brand identity, script and content writing as well as general team management and accessibility analysis of cultural spaces. I completed my Master's degree (cum laude!) in January of 2021.
I currently divide my time between working as the Design Officer for Hello Tomorrow (a mission-driven global organization that aims to accelerate the transfer of deep technologies to solve some of our most pressing industrial, environmental and societal challenges), as well as a freelance visual storyteller, consultant and mentor. I bring my unique knowledge and value, a mixed background, skills and diverse experience, through design, mentoring, storytelling, strategic and creative thinking, to empower businesses and individuals to engage with their audiences in a more positive way and change the world... or at least try to. I also act as an interpreter and translator, both in languages as well as for design strategies, assessing and analyzing artistic and cultural sites and projects, in order to provide various levels of proposals scalable to measurable results, attracting and engaging with visitors/audiences in a more intuitive and inclusive manner.
Click here to read some of the things I've written for /culture.future/ magazine about Arts and Culture Management.
Click here to read some of the things I've written for /culture.future/ magazine about Arts and Culture Management.
I feel my contributions are most valuable when working with people, always learning from every person I collaborate with and project I'm involved in.
What's next? I would love to continue on my wellness journey through creative work, fitness, travel, food, mental health...you name it! As well as to learn more about human development, deep tech, sustainability, fair trade, ethical sources, trying to contribute - as much as possible - with my personal and professional global impact.
Thanks for reading!