Shortlist Judge

Laura Alejo

Freelance

I was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, where I studied product design. I would also sneak into graphic design classes and ended up with degrees in both.

In my 15 years working as a creative I assumed many different roles. From exhibition to packaging design to murals. From creating and producing an underground graphic design magazine in Barcelona to Art Directing in top US motion studios and agencies.

After moving to New York in 2007 I’ve been working mostly in the motion graphics industry, first as an Art Director at Hush Studios and for the past 6 years freelancing both in-house and from my studio in Greenpoint. I’ve had the opportunity to direct some pieces and collaborate with great people.

Since I became a mother in late 2014 I shifted my focus more to my interest in illustration work and have started some more personal explorations. Still during this years I kept on working with studios all over the country as an illustrator and art director, and still enjoying the team work through digital tools.

After collaborating with Output to launch the new Oscar Healthcare branding in 2018 my interest and dedication to brand illustration has grown and is now my main focus. For Oscar Health I took the lead generating a system that goes hand in hand with the branding, being this a cross platform challenge. I found this experience very interesting and since then I have been helping a variety of companies to develop a strong brand identity through illustration.

You can see case studies in my website for Oscar, Glow Insurance and Maven Health. Working with startups has also gave me the chance to explore illustration in different mediums and to be adaptable and work with interdisciplinary teams with a focus on technology.

I started different series through instagram focusing in motherhood, big life questions and mental health and I also started a comic series together with my life partner Marcus @c_is_for_cucaracha

On working days you’ll find me in my studio in Greenpoint, sharing space with friends. On the side I am working on a graphic novel and a children’s book, I am a crossfit fan and spend at least an afternoon a week doing ceramics.

The time left is about embracing the chaos and joys of life with my family of 4.