The designer behind the cup

I'm Mara — a designer, systems thinker and unapologetic espresso obsessive based in Rotterdam. For twelve years I've designed digital products for health, fintech, culture and climate teams: interfaces, design systems and the small motions in between that make software feel alive.

The studio is named after the moment the work actually starts. The first coffee belongs to the inbox. The second belongs to other people's questions. The third one is mine — headphones on, file open, the gap between "looks fine" and "feels inevitable" finally visible.

I work alone by design, embedded with your team by default. Small surface area, senior judgement, no hand-offs between juniors — the person you brief is the person who ships.