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
I look for the small detail
that makes a story yours
I look for the small detail
that makes a story yours
I am Maren Bruin, an illustrator, art director and graphic designer.
My work often starts with stories that carry more than they show at first:
a research project, an article, a product, a brand, a book or a publication.
I like the part where things are still a little unclear.
Where there is meaning, but no image yet.
Where the right visual thread still needs to be found.
Through illustration, colour, type and design, I help make that thread visible.
So the final work feels thoughtful, specific and alive.
I am Maren Bruin, an illustrator, art director and graphic designer.
My work often starts with stories that carry more than they show at first:
a research project, an article, a product, a brand, a book or a publication.
I like the part where things are still a little unclear.
Where there is meaning, but no image yet.
Where the right visual thread still needs to be found.
Through illustration, colour, type and design, I help make that thread visible.
So the final work feels thoughtful, specific and alive.
I am Maren Bruin, an illustrator, art director and graphic designer.
My work often starts with stories that carry more than they show at first:
a research project, an article, a product, a brand, a book or a publication.
I like the part where things are still a little unclear.
Where there is meaning, but no image yet.
Where the right visual thread still needs to be found.
Through illustration, colour, type and design, I help make that thread visible.
So the final work feels thoughtful, specific and alive.
A grower’s
daughter
My father grew flowers behind our house in Limmen.
I grew up in a grower’s family, where nothing appeared out of 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 stories that way.
Not as something that needs to be decorated, but as something that already carries a world inside it.
My work is to notice what is there, find the thread, and make it visible in a way people can feel.
Where illustration, design and story come together
Where illustration, design
and story come together
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 created visual identities, editorial illustrations, infographics, book covers, thesis covers, packaging illustrations and visual stories for cultural, educational and purpose-driven clients.
For a long time, those worlds lived next to each other.
Illustration.
Design.
Story.
Research.
Product.
Meaning.
Now they come together in visual storytelling for brands, publishers and researchers.
I do not just make something look good.
I help shape a visual layer that carries meaning, atmosphere and character, so the story becomes easier to understand, feel and remember.
A grower’s daughter
My father grew flowers behind our house in Limmen.
I grew up in a grower’s family, where nothing appeared out of 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 stories that way.
Not as something that needs to be decorated, but as something that already carries a world inside it.
My work is to notice what is there, find the thread, and make it visible in a way people can feel.
Where illustration, design
and story come together
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 created visual identities, editorial illustrations, infographics, book covers, thesis covers, packaging illustrations and visual stories for cultural, educational and purpose-driven clients.
For a long time, those worlds lived next to each other.
Illustration.
Design.
Story.
Research.
Product.
Meaning.
Now they come together in visual storytelling for brands, publishers and researchers.
I do not just make something look good.
I help shape a visual layer that carries meaning, atmosphere and character, so the story becomes easier to understand, feel and remember.
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What I help with
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What I help with
Visual direction
A clear visual thread for your story.
A clear visual thread for your story..
Illustration
Conceptual illustrations for editorial stories, products, books, campaigns, thesis covers and brand worlds.
Designed to make someone stop, reach
and remember.
Designed to make someone stop,
reach and remember.
Design
Where the visual world becomes usable.
I turn the direction into covers, layouts, packaging, identities, presentations or visual assets that feel connected and ready to use.
Where the visual world becomes usable.
The atmosphere your brand lives in,
on pack, in print, online.
Why work
with me?
I don't begin with a style.
I begin by listening.
I read, ask questions, look for patterns and search for the one detail that carries the whole story.
That becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
Illustration.
Design.
Art direction.
Different outcomes.
The same way of thinking.
Let’s find the visual thread
Working on a product, publication, research project or brand story? In a free 30-minute call, we’ll look at what is already there and what needs to become visible.
Let’s find the visual thread
Working on a product, publication, research project or brand story? In a free 30-minute call, we’ll look at what is already there and what needs to become visible.
Let’s find the visual thread
Working on a product, publication, research project or brand story? In a free 30-minute call, we’ll look at what is already there and what needs to become visible.
Why work with me?
I don't begin with a style.
I begin by listening.
I read, ask questions, look for patterns and search for the one detail that carries the whole story.
That becomes the foundation for everything that follows.
Illustration.
Design.
Art direction.
Different outcomes.
The same way of thinking.