We sit down with Marta Veludo, the designer behind Curvo’s visual identity. We talk with her about how she approached the process, we learn more about her background and also what she’s most proud of in her work!

Please tell us about yourself and what you do

Hi Thomas! First, thanks for asking me for this interview. I am Marta, originally from Lisbon where I studied for my Bachelor of Arts. After I moved to Barcelona for a Master of Arts and I’ve been based in Amsterdam for 7 years now. It has been a crazy journey! All these years I’ve been working and developing myself as a graphic designer and art director. I had the chance to work with startups, small clients, big clients, develop my personal work, did some exhibitions, some VJing, my own scarf collection and so on!

I am an extrovert, I love coffee and beer. I would say that my favourite colour is pink, but it is actually very hard to choose just one. My desk is all a mess, but I believe in my head there is some kind of order in the chaos.

Marta Veludo Studio

What sort of projects have you worked on in the past?

I’ve worked on so many nice projects! I am very thankful for that. I’ve worked more in art direction when I was living in Barcelona. With that, I mean art direction for commercials and videos. I’ve worked for Adidas, Reebok, Kipling etc. I always tried to combine graphics with a 3D environment and illustrations. I am always trying to find a fun solution, playful, that would engage with the consumer and viewer.

I continued working in art direction once I moved to Amsterdam. After though, I started to develop brands and their visual identity. I found that identity is something that is hard to achieve. Yet is essential for brands to have a voice, a taste, a look.

How did you approach working on Curvo’s identity?

I knew Curvo’s identity needed to be more close to a “club” identity than an investment company identity. So that was my approach. I was thinking that Curvo would be a cool place to gather, share and feel yourself. That gave me the mindset and direction for the design.

Curvo colours

Where did you find inspiration?

Can I say the internet and my head? It’s always hard to answer that question. Inspiration is everywhere!

What was the hardest thing to get right in Curvo’s branding?

I think the hardest thing was to find the right balance between playful and clean on one side, and trust on the other. After all, it’s an investment app that manages people’s money.

What did you enjoy the most working on Curvo?

I get really excited during the first phases of the project. That stage where you look for the right colours, for the right typography and how everything together looks and sounds like.

“Is this the right tone of voice? Does this show who they really are? Maybe a stronger type will talk louder?”

These are my thoughts during the process!

And of course I liked to work with Thomas and Yoran. They were super friendly, clear in what they were looking for and at the same time open to new things. Well, happy clients, happy designer!

Can you share something in the visual identity that you’re really proud of?

The logo!! I love the curve and the animation! It’s very obvious: Curvo = curve = lets make curves in the logo. Simple right?

Curvo's animated logo

Do you invest your savings?

Yes, I invested in a house, a studio, a pension but no stocks. I am waiting for Curvo!

Why do you think a service like Curvo is needed?

I think Curvo is needed because their approach feels personal, clear and is not difficult. It’s everything you want when you deal with money. Especially if you’re not familiarized with all the terms, how investing works etc.

Where can people learn more about you and your work?

You can check my work at www.martaveludo.com and on Behance. And you can follow me on IG of course to be updated!

Marta’s contributions to Curvo can be seen right here, on this page! The logo, the typography, the colour palette and much more are all the result of her creativity. Her work also serves as the basis for the design of mobile application. Make sure to check out Curvo’s styleguide!