Who am I?

Mover, Shaker, Maker & Doer

Senior Designer. Strategist at heart and built for creative work that doesn't fit neatly into a job description.

Howdy! 👋 I'm Araya, pronounced "uh-ray-uh," like sunshine.

I'm a senior designer with 10+ years of experience helping brands solve complex problems through thoughtful design. Along the way, I've had the chance to work with organizations like Kaiser Permanente, VSP Vision Care, LastPass, Broadcom, Pitney Bowes, United Launch Alliance, Discover Home Equity, and Epic Pass. Every project has been different, and that's exactly what I love.

I grew up in the mountains just outside Boulder, Colorado, where the altitude is high and, apparently, so is the creative output.

My career has never followed one path. I've designed for cannabis tech platforms, music venues, breweries, automotive brands, global real estate companies, eco-friendly wood stickers sold at the zoo, and B2B campaigns for companies you've definitely heard of. I even worked with Gaspops before they signed to a record label. The variety isn't an accident. It's the part of my career I'm most proud of.

I've never really fit into one design lane, and I like it that way. Brand strategy, campaign concepting, UX, websites, motion, print, presentations, storyboards, event materials, digital products, and yes, a login portal that actually makes people want to log in. If it needs to look good, feel intuitive, and help move a business forward, I'm all in.

Paul Rand said, "Design is so simple, that's why it's so complicated." That idea has stuck with me for years. I love the projects that require real thinking before anyone starts designing. The ones where the best solution isn't obvious. The ones that make people ask, "Why didn't we think of that sooner?"

I move fast, ask a lot of questions, and genuinely enjoy working with people. Good design starts with understanding the people you're designing for, and I think the best work happens when smart people trust each other enough to build something better together.

CU Denver grad. Mountain kid. Lover of hard problems and clean solutions. Maker of things worth noticing.