Mariya Vasileva
Founder, Strategist & Lead Designer
I build brand identity systems that have to work in the real world.
Mariya Design is the boutique branding studio I founded to create brand identity systems for premium and luxury-led brands.
I have worked internationally since 2015, with a background spanning advertising, exhibition, spatial, product, print and digital design.
International practice since 2015
BA + MA · National Academy of Art Sofia
Brand · Packaging · Spatial · Print · Digital
Systems, Not Surfaces
I have always been more interested in why a design works than in how polished one isolated output looks.
A logo, package, website or campaign can be beautiful on its own and still fail when the next person, supplier or platform has to use it.
That is why I build brands around shared rules, relationships and decision logic rather than disconnected visual assets.
The goal goes beyond launching something attractive. For me, it is to create a system that can hold together as the brand adds one or more: products, packaging, content, teams and external partners.
This is where I would introduce Systems, Not Surfaces properly.
A design education that crossed disciplines
Before specialising in brand identity systems, I trained across several areas of design.
At the National Academy of Art in Sofia, my BA in Design in Advertising combined graphic identity, typography, exhibition design, print, digital communication, 3D visualization and technical planning.
My final BA project (2014) brought those disciplines together inside a 28 × 12-metre exhibition environment, combining identity, custom typography, color, interactive media, print applications and spatial planning.
I later completed an MA in Interior and Exterior Design. My final project explored modular furniture by combining traditional Bulgarian embroidery with Japanese origami principles. I developed the system, sourced materials, prepared the technical drawings and built the full-scale prototypes myself.
That background is still visible in how I work today: I think about the brand, the object, the space, the file, the supplier and the final user as parts of one connected system.
From competitions to international client work
I completed various design projects in Bulgaria before moving into international work around 2015.
Earlier in my career, my work received recognition across international design competitions, including first- and third-place awards at the International ARBUZ Competition for Young Designers and third place in the 2016 Prista Oil packaging-design competition.
That period developed into invite-only and collaborative innovation work across communication, product, packaging, service and digital design for established, renowned international brands.
Particular projects included work connected with brands such as Coca-Cola, Victorinox and Henkel.
As Mariya Design developed, that multidisciplinary foundation shifted increasingly toward long-term client relationships and complete brand identity systems.
During that time, my work has been commended with various client and jury awards, mainly within international innovation projects.
Brand systems built for continued use
Today, I use that multidisciplinary experience to build and maintain brand identity systems across everything that needs to stay aligned:
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positioning and visual identity;
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packaging and product ranges;
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websites and digital direction;
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internal teams;
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agencies and external partners;
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suppliers and production;
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ongoing implementation.
For a brand to hold together over time is not a simple task.
But with the right structure, clear rules and documented decisions, it is absolutely manageable.
That is the effort of Mariya Design.
Color Systems by Mariya
More recently, I created Color Systems by Mariya, which is a color research, educational and digital product branch within the Mariya Design ecosystem.
It grew from the same system-led approach I use in my branding work: color is not treated as a simple mix of attractive swatches, but as a set of connected and complementing roles and applications.
You work directly with me
Mariya Design is intentionally small.
There are no account layers, junior handoffs or rotating creative teams.
I remain directly involved from strategy and visual direction through presentation, refinement, guidelines and handoff.
That continuity matters because most branding problems appear between stages or when involved creatives switch. The person defining the initial direction should understand and envision how the brand would work all the way, from digital applications and advertising through packaging and production.
This is the key for success and is the logic behind a branding system. Unfortunately, many branding operatives do not invest time and efforts into that process. I do.
Why I work fully asynchronously
My process is built around focused work, documented decisions and structured feedback and does not involve any calls and meetings.
Deep Work Over Meeting Overhead
Brand strategy and identity-system development require sustained attention.
Replacing recurring meetings with structured written communication protects that focus and keeps each milestone moving with purpose.
Decisions stay documented
Strategic reasoning, visual hierarchy and implementation constraints are explained and recorded.
Clients, internal teams and external suppliers can return to the reasoning later rather than relying on what someone remembers from a meeting.
Built for international collaboration
Written communication and recorded walkthroughs allow clients across different time zones to review the work properly and respond when they are ready.
The process does not depend on coordinating recurring calls and mutual comprehension.
“From her very first presentation, I was honestly blown away. The colors, typography, overall mood, and direction felt immediately aligned with my vision and target audience.”
Dr. Emily Wheeler · USA
“Being able to give a brief to Mariya, then sit back and focus on my business is priceless.”
Sports Timing Systems · UK
“Mariya created something that not only looked both fresh and timeless, there was so much thought into not alienating those familiar with us already.”
Smile Rooms · UK
“The audit helped bring much more clarity to the overall direction of the brand. It was professional, detailed, and strategically focused rather than just surface-level visual feedback.”
Black Parrot Coffee · Seychelles
Tell me about your brand.
Whether you are fixing an existing system, building a new identity or preparing a product range for growth, send me the context and I’ll review the right next step.
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