I'm Maren Bruin
Graphic designer & illustrator
Graphic designer & illustrator
Graphic designer & illustrator
I'm Maren Bruin
I'm Maren Bruin
Graphic designer & illustrator
Graphic designer & illustrator
For the love of products with character
For the love of products with character
I work with brands that care about what they make.
Coffee, tea and cacao products often carry a lot already.
Origin, flavour, texture, process, craft, mood, care and small choices.
That is where I like to start.
I look for the detail that makes a product feel different. The thing that is already there, but not always visible yet. Then I turn that into illustration, colour, typography and packaging details.
So the product does not only look good.
It becomes easier to feel, easier to understand and easier to remember.
I work with brands that care about what they make.
I look at what the product already carries.
The flavour, the origin, the process, the feeling and the small detail that could become visual.
Then I turn that into illustration, colour, typography and packaging details.
Not to make the product louder.
But to make it clearer, warmer and easier to remember.
I work with brands that care about what they make.
I look at what the product already carries.
The flavour, the origin, the process, the feeling and the small detail that could become visual.
Then I turn that into illustration, colour, typography and packaging details.
Not to make the product louder.
But to make it clearer, warmer and easier to remember.
A grower’s
daughter
My father grew flowers behind our house in Limmen.
I grew up in a grower’s family, where a product never came from nowhere. There was soil, timing, patience, hands, weather and care long before anything was ready to be seen.
That stayed with me.
I still look at products that way.
Not as something that needs a made up story, but as something that already carries one. My work is to notice what is there and make it visible in a way people can feel.
My father grew flowers behind our house in Limmen.
I grew up seeing that a product never comes from nowhere. There is soil, timing, weather, hands and care before anything is ready to be seen.
That stayed with me.
I still look at products that way. Not as something that needs a made up story, but as something that already carries one.
From illustration and design to packaging
From illustration & design to packaging
I studied graphic design at HKU in Utrecht and have worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer since 2012.
Over the years I have worked on visual identities, editorial illustrations, infographics, book covers, packaging illustrations and visual stories for cultural, educational and sustainability driven clients.
For a long time, those worlds lived next to each other.
Illustration.
Design.
Story.
Product.
Meaning.
Now they come together in playful illustrative packaging and brand visuals for coffee, tea and cacao brands.
That means I do not just make something pretty for the outside.
I help shape a visual layer that can carry flavour, origin, feeling and character. So your product becomes clearer on the shelf, warmer in the hand and more memorable after someone has seen it.
I studied graphic design at HKU in Utrecht and have worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer since 2012.
Over the years I worked on identities, illustration, infographics, book covers, packaging and visual stories.
Now those worlds come together in playful illustrative packaging for coffee, tea and cacao brands.
Packaging that does not only look nice.
Packaging that shows what makes a product special.
A grower’s daughter
My father grew flowers behind our house in Limmen.
I grew up seeing that a product never comes from nowhere. There is soil, timing, weather, hands and care before anything is ready to be seen.
That stayed with me.
I still look at products that way. Not as something that needs a made up story, but as something that already carries one.
From illustration & design to packaging
Illustration for brands with more to show
I studied graphic design at HKU in Utrecht and have worked as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer since 2012.
Over the years I worked on identities, illustration, infographics, book covers, packaging and visual stories.
Now those worlds come together in playful illustrative packaging for coffee, tea and cacao brands.
Packaging that does not only look nice.
Packaging that shows what makes a product special.
I work with coffee, tea and cacao brands that care about what they make.
Often, the product already has character.
In the flavour, the origin, the ingredients, the process or the people behind it.
I help bring that character forward through illustration, packaging details and visual elements.
Not to make the brand louder.
But to make it feel more specific, warm and recognisable.
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What I help with
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What I help with
Visual identity
A visual direction built from what makes your product recognisable.
Packaging
Designed to make someone stop, reach and remember.
Designed to make someone stop, reach
and remember.
Designed to make someone stop,
reach and remember.
Illustration
Illustration that carries mood, flavour, story and character across your brand.
The atmosphere your brand lives in, on pack,
in print, online.
The atmosphere your brand lives in,
on pack, in print, online.
Why work
with me?
I am useful when your product is good, but the visual world around it still feels a little too flat or generic.
I look closely at what you already have and help find the visual detail that makes the product feel more specific.
That gives you more than a nice illustration.
It gives your product a clearer feeling, a stronger first impression and visual elements you can use across packaging, social posts, launches and product pages.
So the outside starts to carry more of what is already inside.
Let’s look at your product
Are you working on a coffee, tea or cacao product that deserves packaging with more character? I would love to look with you at what is already there. Book a free 30-min call. No prep needed, just bring your product and story.
Let’s look at your product
Are you working on a coffee, tea or cacao product that deserves packaging with more character? I would love to look with you at what is already there. Book a free 30-min call. No prep needed, just bring your product and story.
Let’s look at your product
Are you working on a coffee, tea or cacao product that deserves packaging with more character? I would love to look with you at what is already there. Book a free 30-min call. No prep needed, just bring your product and story.
Why work with me?
I am useful when your product is good, but the visual world around it still feels a little too flat or generic.
I look closely at what you already have and help find the visual detail that makes the product feel more specific.
That gives you more than a nice illustration.
It gives your product a clearer feeling, a stronger first impression and visual elements you can use across packaging, social posts, launches and product pages.
So the outside starts to carry more of what is already inside.