mara behrens

ABOUT

Hi, my name is Mara Behrens. I'm a Silicon Valley Head of Marketing and Design with over 20 years of international experience in the creative field. I strive for innovation across diverse platforms focusing on user-centric experiences.

I love to identify the sweet spot between design and tech. I'm passionate about brand integration with UX, design, and marketing. I believe in using metrics and building sustainable processes to achieve the best results while placing the user at the center of my work.

My professional path is a combination of my passion for learning, my holistic experiences with diverse cultures in countries like Venezuela, Mexico, France, and the US, and my work across multiple design platforms that have allowed me to reach a very diverse, fascinating, and compelling group of people.

I started my career as Art Director for Harper's Bazaar Latin America. Later I moved to NYC, where I expanded my experiences into interactive design, working on different online and offline projects. I have since worked for clients like the Smithsonian Museum, J&J at Radical Media, Stanford University, among many others, and developed a huge passion for startups.


A few highlights:
• 2011, I co-founded a venture-funded luxury fashion e-commerce startup ModeWalk, which was a pioneer in blending online and offline retail experiences and personalized shopping experiences using data and a human touch. It was sold to the leading luxury e-tailer Moda Operandi. ModeWalk was featured in Vogue, The New York Times, and Harvard Business Review.
• 2014, I led a major rebrand of a fast-growing startup, EAT Club, including a new identity system, website, packaging, presentations, digital, events, etc. My role ranged from design and marketing. Leading comms, digital marketing, UI/UX, product marketing, and others.
• 2018, Introduced the world to the first fresh food robot by leading marketing, design, PR, and UI/UX. Spearheading initiatives that helped placed the company at the forefront of food robotics with 350+ robots sold in a little over two years. The company was acquired by DoorDash, furthering our mission to deliver fresh food at any time, anywhere, and for everyone.
• 2020, I joined DoorDash Labs as Head of Marketing and Design, Chowbotics.

In my free time, I love traveling, discovering culinary treasures with friends and family, visiting museums, baking, biking, practicing compassion meditation, and learning... about everything!

I'm always excited to:
• Strive for innovative creative solutions.
• Build inclusive cultures that embrace diversity and creativity.
• Lead talented teams to produce UI, UX, branding, and creative content.
• Work effectively on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Focus on user-centric experiences.
• Use my expertise in different tools and techniques that lead to detailed-oriented products.
• Thrive in fast-paced entrepreneurial environments that require cross-functional collaboration.

Dash2Go. Branding.

Dash2Go. Branding.

To deliver on DoorDash's promise to help merchants grow, we fully re-branded Chowbotics as a DoorDash product. Our goal was to simplify our brand architecture and tap into the DD brand equity to strengthen trust and recall for the consumer.  We worked on the positioning and the name, we also delivered a premium industrial design, conducted user testing, and developed a full new user experience through UI improvements, training, videos, unboxing experience, sales enablement, website design, among other things. See Brand Guidelines . Sales Intro Deck. 
Dash2Go. Ease of use for partners.

Dash2Go. Ease of use for partners.

As we explored each partner's user experience we encountered several opportunities to build trust, mitigate deployment issues, and add a little magic to their first interactions with the robot. Historically, accounts with elevated operator engagement generate and sustain a higher performance. To help build that relationship, we wanted to set a strong foundation early in the process. By engaging with our partners at delivery, we set the tone for the product launch, exemplifying the product's high quality, removing barriers, and instilling trust. Our goal was to create a welcoming experience that delivered a unique connection with operators, culinary, and marketing teams.

Chowbotics Promos

Chowbotics Promos

I work alongside some extraordinarily talented colleagues with the goal of disrupting the food and robotics industry to make fresh food accessible for everyone, anytime, anywhere. Here are a few examples of different campaigns we created to educate and entice consumers to try a new experience.The first campaign was built to introduce Chowbotics to consumers: At Chowbotics we're using advanced robotics to make real, nutritious food personalized at the touch of a button, literally.The future of fresh is here. This is, #FreshForAll
ModeWalk Brand

ModeWalk Brand

We create a positioning, visual identity system and brand story for a luxury fashion e-commerce startup ModeWalk.com, a curated marketplace for luxury fashion designers which was sold to a leading luxury e-tailer. At first, we allowed our users to discover the Parisian Haute Couturier Designers. Later we pivoted... Our goal was to redefine fashion retail and create a marketplace connecting stylists with brands and clients, offering the most pampered online experience to our luxury customers. See the campaign to introduce ModeWalk, here
ModeWalk V2

ModeWalk V2

We created a stylists platform: We identify ourselves with the experiences that were more relevant to our users and their lifestyle. The final product redefined fashion retail and created a marketplace connecting stylists with brands and clients, offering the most pampered online experience to our customers. We developed tools where stylists could easily access each client's information including their preferences, sizes, etc., They could also select a wardrobe for their clients based on their feedback and keeping a close and trusted relationship.
Harper's Bazaar.

Harper's Bazaar.

"Harper's Bazaar is a world-renowned arbiter of fashion and good taste. Since its inception in 1867 as America's first fashion magazine, Bazaar has been home to extraordinary talents…" As Art DIrector for the Mexican and Latin American editions, my role was pivotal in the creative process. I coordinated all graphic contributions (from photography to illustrations), created timelines with the editor, directed designers, worked on the magazine layout, and designed some of the magazine’s spreads and all its covers.
Ana Williamson Architect

Ana Williamson Architect

This project was developed by Maroma Design to showcase the talent of the AWA architectural firm. Our goal was to create a beautiful frame to highlight the architects' work and allow them to update their work with a simple CMS. One of the highlights of AWA architects is the talented, charismatic and warm personality of their team + their attention to detail. To accentuate these qualities, we enabled a quote section for each project where their clients can talk about their experiences with the firm. We also added another section where they could show their process, all done in a seamless and elegant way where the stunning visuals are always the center piece.
Smithsonian, NYC. 2009

Smithsonian, NYC. 2009

The four projects I created for the Smithsonian were an amazing experience. For this particular project, I worked closely with the Film and Video Center of the National Museum of the American Indian, NYC office, for their video festival that celebrates the creative energy of Native American directors, producers, writers, and many others who support their endeavors. I developed the brand identity and all the collateral materials for this festival including, brochures, invitations, signage, banners, posters, and others