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Hi, I’m Mary Maru

Design and marketing are at the heart of everything I do. My eye for clean, modern design has undeniably been shaped by my Japanese heritage. I specialize in graphic design, marketing and project management…and I love what I do!

As curator and designer of this blog, my goal is to serve up fresh inspiration and information on design, art and business, along with personal musings on being self-employed while living and working in New York City.

My Philosophy

• I personally design and direct every project assignment out of my home office in upper Manhattan near The Cloisters Museum. And I partner on larger projects with only the best designers, copywriters and developers with experience specific to the client’s industry.

• I’m obsessed with producing highly aesthetic designs, marketing that’s strategic and powerful, and using my skills and talent to make clients look fantastic.

• I believe in excellent service. My client’s success is my success!

• I believe in dreaming big, thinking positively, and always doing the best job possible.

Minding My Business

I’m very proud to have worked with some of the most respected and prestigious names in business: Smithsonian, Johnson & Johnson, Meredith Corporation, Better Homes and Gardens, Biography magazine, Wood magazine, 5th Avenue Digital, plus many small, independent companies. With a love of travel, I’ve also partnered with dozens of state, regional and international tourism boards.

A Little History

A native New Yorker, I studied fine arts and graphic design at FIT, the Art Students League and School of Visual Arts. And graduated cum laude from Hunter College with a BA in music. Studied project management at NYU where I earned a professional certificate. And I’m still studying. Learning, in any form, is my insatiable passion. It ranks right up there with hazelnut gelato and chocolate frosted cupcakes. Though I try to keep consumption of the latter to a minimum.

I lived in San Francisco when bootstrapping dot coms were all the rage. I worked for a few where I honed my marketing, sales, customer service, tech support, web design and branding skills. We all worked and played really hard. It was incredible.

New York lured me back by early 2000 when I entered the magazine industry. I loved it all. The direct mail campaigns, splashy industry events, advertorials and travel. And bringing the most amazing marketing concepts to life!

By 2006, I could no longer ignore the feeling to go out on my own. Even though I still loved magazines, I quit my job and headed straight down to the Manhattan County Clerk’s office to file a business certificate. I’ve never looked back since.

Kudos from Clients

“Mary impressed me with the quantity and quality of the solutions she provides me. She’s responsive, thorough and delightful to work with at every phase of a project. Mary also has a great eye for design and is a strategic thinker. She’ll impress anyone who works with her.”
—B. Baynum, Director of Sales & Business Development

“…Mary recently did a project for me and it surpassed all expectations. What makes Mary special is that she is an excellent listener and understands exactly what to deliver. I strongly recommend her firm for value, quality and artistic vision.”
—J. Daidone, Marketing Director

“I love working with someone who is organized!”
—D. Ball, Trade Show Manager

“I just wanted to thank you for all your hard work on this project. You are unbelievably organized and efficient. I really believe that the success of the program was due to you and your ability to stay on top of everything and not let ANYTHING fall through the cracks. I was able to breathe easy knowing that you were managing this monster project because there was no way that I could have handled it by myself! Thanks again!!!!”
—E. Pollack, Marketing Promotions Manager

“You were so organized and on the ball. [The client] is lucky to have you!”
—L. Hunt, Special Events Coordinator

Yadda Yadda

• My camera: Nikon D80 w/ 18-135mm lens.

• Memberships: Advertising Women of New York (AWNY); Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); The Type Directors Club (TDC).

• Volunteer: AWNY Advertising Career Conference – sponsorship committee.

Contact

Email: info@marymaru.com
Phone: 646.734.0036

Connect with me on LinkedIn.
Follow me on Twitter.
Friend me on Facebook.

Contract work always welcome.

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