References

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"Working alongside Maria at Abnormal Al was both inspiring and energizing. Maria brought a clear creative vision, strong design instincts, and a deep commitment to quality-all of which consistently elevated the work across teams.

Plus, she was a true partner in every sense-collaborative, thoughtful, and always willing to roll up her sleeves to make an idea stronger. Whether we were launching a campaign, refining brand guidelines, or solving a website issue, Maria balanced creativity with strategy and made decisions that balanced both business and customer needs. She is not just a talented designer, but also a great teammate-someone who makes the work better and more fun-and I'd love to work with Maria"

July 28, 2025

Jade Hill, Senior Director of Corporate Marketing
Drata (Jade and Maria worked together at Abnormal AI)

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"I had the great opportunity to work with Maria, who leads the creative marketing team with remarkable skill and vision. She is an exceptional marketer with a talent for visual storytelling that brings ideas to life in ways that deeply resonate. Every project she touches is elevated by her creativity, attention to detail, and keen understanding of how to craft compelling narratives. Her leadership and expertise are truly inspiring, and her ability to transform concepts into impactful visual stories makes her an invaluable asset to any team."

September 12, 2024

Jace Holyoak, Director of Product Marketing
Domotz (Jace and Maria worked together at Abnormal AI)

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"Maria is a rockstar. An absolute, unmitigated rockstar. She is a unicorn in the design world. Maria worked as Global Security's lead (read: only) designer. She was the head project manager for anything creative for our department. She is a big picture person- she designed a comms strategy for the team, and helped to brand the team. She is an in the weeds person- she personally handled the execution of every project and drove everything to completion flawlessly. She is also extremely easy to work with. Week one, she set off meeting the folks who she needed to meet in order to get stuff done- our most senior marketing folks, corporate communications folks, retail folks, and wowed the pants off of them. Maria was able to accomplish in her short time here (before she had to move and we all were devastated) more than most folks accomplish in a career. Her legacy in Global Security lives on, and her shoes are basically impossible to fill."

November 19, 2017

Melissa Marrus Polinsky, Director of Cyber Law
Capital One | Ex-Apple (Melissa managed Maria at Apple)

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"Maria has an exceptional eye for design. I have seen Maria start with nothing and create something beautiful that conveys a mood or story. I have also watched her improve upon even the best of designs, making something good even better. She is easy going even when projects get hectic and she has the ability to juggle multiple projects at once. She’s also just plain fun to work with. Maria is sincere, hardworking and skilled. She makes herself available whenever needed and is a great problem solver. She has a great way of working with clients, bringing both flexibility and creative expertise. I truly miss working with Maria!"

September 1, 2015

Cheri Voisine, Communications Manager
Apple (Cheri and Maria worked together at Apple and ROI Communication)

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“Maria is a highly professional, highly creative, strategic Art Director, the top-of-mind, go-to resource in my book. She is a team player and a strong leader — an indispensable asset to any project or organization. She not only delivers the highest quality results for your project, but she is an absolute pleasure to work with.”
July 29, 2010

Jennifer Barone, Creative Services Director
QlikTech Inc. a client of Maria McLaughlin Design

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“I brought Maria a doodle and ideas for a creative concept. She brought the concept to life - meeting both creative and production goals. The design will be the feature of our product brand launch. I look forward to working with her again!” April 13, 2010
Top qualities: Good Value, On Time, Creative

Alyssa Newman, Manager of Corporate Sustainability and Strategic Philanthropy
SunPower Corporation a client of Maria McLaughlin Design

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“Maria is a bright, talented and hard-working professional. Maria created a fantastic brand and image for our new consulting business. She designed and implemented a marketing and communications plan for my team that helped our business grow from $46,000 to more than $3 million in 3 years. Maria’s design work was highly creative, unique, engaging and inspirational. It allowed us to define ourselves and set us apart from and above the competition! Brilliant!” May 14, 2009

Frank Schnur , VP Innovation and Research, 
Global Advisory Services , American Express Business Travel
managed Maria directly at American Express

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“On behalf of the staff of the Project Management Unit of the Strengthening Andaman Marine Protected Areas Programme (SAMPAN), a joint-venture between The Royal Thai Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) and the World Wildlife Fund Thailand (WWF), I wish to express our heartfelt thanks for your time and professional services. The logo you produced accurately and unmistakably depicts the goal and attributes of the SAMPAN Programme. Your direction and professional advice made the process of development an easy and enjoyable exercise. We highly recommend your services to anyone wishing to develop a logo.” 
January 16, 2009

Christopher Dunbar
Project Technical Advisor / Co- Manager
Strengthening Andaman Marine Protected Areas Programme
(SAMPAN) Marine Unit Head – WWF – Thailand a client of Maria McLaughlin Design

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“Maria is an outstanding designer with an amazingly intuitive ability to parse a client’s intent and come up with creative visual solutions that inspire and thrill. The work she did at Bonfire was fantastic, both as a designer and as a communications consultant who was able to help clients understand the vehicles, ideas and imagery that best suited their needs.” January 30, 2009

Anil Prasad , Campaign Director
Bonfire Communications managed Maria indirectly at Bonfire Communications

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“Maria has a fresh contemporary design style that would be an asset to any company. She is a confident leader with great communication skills. I would feel completely at ease knowing she was managing the highest profile job with tight deadlines. She has a pleasant disposition and will set you at ease immediately. Maria will make it happen!”November 6, 2007

Barbara Genetin , Graphic Designer (Books)
Palace Press and Design worked directly with Maria at CEDCO Publishing

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“It’s been incredibly rewarding to work with Maria. She has an enormous amount of integrity and talent while being one of the most dependable designers I’ve ever worked with. She is the type of person that welcomes a silly question and then five minutes later serves up a solution to a complex design challenge. She’s always open to new ideas while remaining cognizant of timeline and budget. All in all, Maria’s blend of artistic skill, precise communication and hard-work would be a rare and valuable asset to any team.” February 21, 2008

Carly Jefferson-Dow , Marketing Specialist
Bonfire Communications worked with Maria at Bonfire Communications

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“Maria is one of the most talented design professionals I’ve worked with. She is very creative and her approach to design is strategic and well thought out. I’ve seen her take projects from inception to creating a unique, award-winning global brands. I hope to work with her again.” November 7, 2007

Shannon Murfree , Campaign Manager
Bonfire Communications worked directly with Maria at Bonfire Communications

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“Maria represents the ideal combination of artistic talent, professional discipline and communication skill. At Bonfire, she has proven herself time and again as a well-respected colleague and mentor whose design accomplishments are matched only by her personal charm. I’d recommend her work to anyone.” November 6, 2007

Matt Herlihy , Campaign Director
Bonfire Communications worked with Maria at Bonfire Communications

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“Maria is a creative, responsible, talented designer. Her approach, method, and delivery are respectful and appropriate. On project work, Maria takes into account her client’s needs, culture, and project requirements, delivering high-quality, on-time, terrific design -- and she is just an absolute joy to work with. Anytime, anywhere, if given the choice of designers: It’s Maria McLaughlin.” October 25, 2007

Judy Lewenthal Daniel , Campaign Director

Bonfire Communications worked with Maria at Bonfire Communications