Isabel Moranta is an award-winning Inventive and Design Director recognized for her conceptually wealthy and visually putting work. Primarily based in Canada, she has served as Artwork Director at Locomotive and Design Director at Monks, shaping digital experiences and defining model identities with innovation at their core.
Now working independently as a Design Director, Isabel collaborates with main companies and types comparable to Balmain, Ecco, Nike, Apple Music, Toyota, Estée Lauder, Amazon, Munchkin, Not possible Meals, Instrument, Publicis, Nordstrom, Resn, and Energetic Principle.
Her artistic follow spans editorial design, typography experiments, visible storytelling, and branding. Pushed by a ardour for pushing design past conventional boundaries, Isabel weaves artwork, literature, language, and digital media into her considerate compositions.
With a refined aesthetic sensibility and multidisciplinary strategy, let’s now be a part of Isabel as she walks us by her most compelling tasks and artistic course of.
Featured Work
Portfolio 2024
For this portfolio, I embraced a bolder, riskier artwork route whereas preserving the essence of my earlier website, which nonetheless holds that means for me.
Collaborating with Yannis Yannakopoulos, we drew inspiration from post-rock music and literature. Bands like Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Silver Mt. Zion guided the aesthetics, with visible cues echoing their haunting, expansive tones. I additionally infused components from literature—my tutorial background is in English Research, so I wished that to be represented. A quote from Virginia Woolf options prominently, symbolizing my love for phrases. After all, no portfolio can seize all the pieces you like, however I wished this one to really feel each skilled and deeply private—a spot that doesn’t simply showcase my work however appears like my very own.
At its core, this portfolio is a tribute to my love of typography. A daring serif instructions consideration, set towards a minimal, typically fragmented monospaced typeface—an intentional distinction that creates stress. This duality runs all through the location: publicity and concealment. The blur impact, obscuring each my work and my picture on the About web page, mirrors this stability—a approach of retaining a part of myself simply out of focus whereas embracing the enjoyment of being seen throughout the design neighborhood.
The paradox continues with typography—the assertiveness of uppercase daring serifs clashing towards the understated, fragmented monospaced letters. The underground obscurity of post-rock finds a poetic counterpoint in literature. This portfolio is, in some ways, a artistic exploration of these contradictions.
Blimp
The Blimp is a dynamic music catalog showcasing the most recent releases, interviews, movies, and extra. Initially conceived by Yannis Yannakopoulos a decade in the past, the location not too long ago underwent a recent redesign—only for the enjoyable of it—by each Yannis and me. When he invited me to collaborate on his private challenge, I couldn’t have been extra excited. The Blimp advanced right into a digital area that appears like a love letter to music and design, infused with the uncooked, atmospheric power of the post-rock bands we each admire. The outcome is an ideal concord of vibrant momentum and moody, immersive aesthetics—like a visible soundtrack of the music we each like delivered to life.
One standout function of this challenge is the intro preloader, which cycles by a rotating number of album covers for an attractive first impression. One other playful contact is the pink scribble mouse impact, which feels spontaneous and dynamic with each interplay. The Blimp was designed to be greater than only a music website—it’s an area the place guests can visually and emotionally immerse themselves on this planet of sound.
Toyota
I used to be invited to be a part of this challenge by the extremely gifted Champ Panupong Techawongthawon, proprietor of Please Name Me Champ Studio Inc.
Titled Past Limits, the video is a celebration of the power, resilience, and simple coolness of Paralympic athletes. With a daring, dynamic coloration palette, it brings their awe-inspiring achievements to life, capturing their indomitable spirit. By means of putting visuals and compelling storytelling, the piece challenges preconceived notions about capacity, redefining what it means to push boundaries. Greater than only a tribute, it’s a reminder of the limitless potential of the human spirit when fueled by dedication and braveness. It was a tremendous challenge to be a part of, and I’m particularly grateful for the chance to collaborate with Toyota as a consumer.
Balmain
Whereas at Monks, I had the chance to steer the Balmain Magnificence challenge—an e-commerce platform designed to seamlessly translate the model’s high fashion essence into the digital area. From idea to execution, each element was meticulously crafted to replicate the luxurious and refined world of Balmain Magnificence, delivering an immersive buying expertise that embodies class and class.
Due to the collaboration between Balmain Magnificence and Monks, we created a putting digital dwelling for his or her new magnificence line, staying true to the design language of their iconic style model. Working intently with the exceptionally gifted groups at Monks, Balmain, and Estée Lauder, we constructed a platform that brings Balmain’s visionary aesthetic to life—sharing their magnificence merchandise with the world in a approach that feels simply as daring and splendid because the model itself.
Ideas and Explorations
Past the tasks I work on, I additionally love creating ideas and explorations. These explorations assist me step away from consumer work, permitting me to disconnect and discover a sense of calm and pleasure. There are not any briefs, no deadlines—simply me, my time, and my eagerness to create. I consider this type of artistic train is one thing extra folks ought to strive. Creating purely for the sake of it, sharing with out concern of judgment, and having fun with the method with out strain—there’s one thing liberating about that.
Transient Biography and Profession Highlights
My profession began on this planet of language and the humanities, rooted in a background in English Research and North American literature. Over time, my ardour for creativity and communication led me to shift into design, the place I now attempt to convey a mixture of views from my earlier experiences.
That basis in language and literary research formed how I strategy design—it taught me to assume critically whereas crafting compelling visible narratives. As for what I get pleasure from, I’m drawn to the fantastic thing about editorial design and print, the place storytelling meets visible class. Typography, particularly, fascinates me—its capacity to convey emotion, construction, and that means by no means will get outdated.Â
In some ways, my previous nonetheless informs my work. It’s not about abandoning who I used to be earlier than design however carrying these influences ahead, letting them evolve. I’m grateful to have discovered a occupation that not solely brings me pleasure but in addition permits me to discover the identical artistic territories I as soon as beloved, now by a special lens.
Inspiration
I discover inspiration within the issues that convey me pleasure or stir one thing in me—it’d sound cliché, nevertheless it’s true. Movie is simply as necessary to me as design, possibly much more. Whether or not it’s a film that strikes me or leaves me unsettled, tales are what gas my creativity.
I’m additionally deeply impressed by music, artwork, and all the pieces I encounter in day by day life. And naturally the design neighborhood and the unimaginable work they put out consistently push me to discover new concepts and refine my expertise.
However on the core of all of it, inspiration comes from inside. It’s not nearly what we devour, however how we take up it. True creativity comes from studying to shut our eyes, have interaction all our senses, and see from inside—as a result of that’s the place emotion is discovered.
A Message to Readers
Quite than studying numerous expertise, decide to mastering the one that really excites you. Focus on what you want essentially the most and benefit from the course of to grasp that talent; no one must be good at all the pieces. Benefit from the means of deepening your experience, as a result of nice issues typically come from a little bit of obsession. Be intentional about the place you make investments your power.
Please be at liberty to succeed in out—I genuinely respect it when folks begin a dialog on Instagram or LinkedIn.
