THINKING
- Brand positioning
- Campaign development
- Audience messaging
- Tone of voice
- Press communications
CURIOUS
BY NATURE.
Words, images, design.
Usually all three.
I’m Mara, a freelance communications specialist and multidisciplinary creative based in Rotterdam.
I like getting close to a subject: talking to people, looking carefully and figuring out what deserves attention. That curiosity runs through my work, whether I’m interviewing someone, photographing a band or designing a poster.
A LITTLE OF WHAT I MAKEALWAYS LOOKING A LITTLE CLOSER.
My background in sociology shapes the questions I ask. My creative practice gives me different ways to respond.
I enjoy working out what something needs to say — and then making it. My work has taken me through peace and justice, hospitality and culture. The subjects change; the interest in people stays.
CONNECTING.
MANY WAYS
TO MAKE IT WORK.
STORYTELLING
- Interviewing
- Narrative development
- Copywriting
- Editing
- Communicating complex social issues
MAKING
- Visual identity
- Graphic design for digital + print
- Photography
- Image editing
- Short-form video
CONNECTING
- Social media strategy
- Audience growth
- Community management
- Website content
- CMS publishing
- AI-assisted coding
- Interactive web components
DELIVERING
- Content calendars
- KPI tracking
- Workflow design
- Production planning
- Stakeholder coordination
TOOLS I WORK WITH
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Photoshop
- Lightroom
- Canva
- CapCut
- WordPress
- Framer
- VS Code
- Codex
- Buffer
- Monday
- Notion
- Stager
WHERE I’VE
WORKED.
ALLES COMMS GOEDFreelance Creative Communications
I develop positioning, campaign concepts and visual direction, then deliver the writing, photography, graphic design, websites and social content. From brief to publication, I manage the client relationship, timelines and delivery.
The Hague Humanity HubMedior Communications Officer
I rebranded Talent for Good and delivered its Fair campaign across press, digital and print, reaching 700+ young professionals and 60 stands. I owned social channels and content production, shaped website structure and content with an external developer, and interviewed peace and justice professionals for editorial stories.
Kaapse BrouwersMedia & Communications Creative
I developed distinct brand voices and visual identities for three hospitality venues and managed four Instagram accounts. My work combined strategy with photography, copywriting, design and publishing, alongside festival campaigns and event branding.
The Hague Humanity HubJunior Communications Officer
I managed day-to-day social, website, press and community communications with the managing director and programme teams. I produced Humans of the Hub interviews and articles and supported mapping the Sustainable Development Goals addressed by member organisations.
WHAT I’VE
STUDIED.
MSc Sociology — Engaging Public Issues
Ethnographic thesis on older women’s activism against the far right in Germany, exploring collective memory, identity and political participation.
BSc Communication & Media — Cum Laude
Erasmus Honours Programme ‘Grand Challenges’, with an exchange semester at Goldsmiths, University of London. Thesis on Twitter narratives and solidarity with refugees following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
LANGUAGES
- German — Native
- English — Fluent
- Dutch — Professional working proficiency
WANT TO WORK
WITH ME?
I work with people and organisations who need words, images or design — and someone who can connect them.
From a photography shoot or a poster to a campaign with a few more moving parts. Tell me what you have in mind.