E—info(at)mariamontes(dot)net
T—+61 (0) 421 244 612

About Maria Montes

With twenty years professional experience, Maria Montes specialises in identity design for the luxury market developing the means for brands to connect deeper with their audience.

Montes has extensive experience working in partnership with leading brand design agencies around the world, helping them craft and develop their identity systems with emotionally charged visual elements including, display type, logotypes, lettering, illustration, patterning, packaging design, collateral, and digital assets.

Maria’s passion is helping clients and designers bring their ideas to life through truly unique and beautifully-crafted design elements.

My Background

I am a Naarm/Melbourne based multilingual, multicultural designer, artist and educator in love with letterforms. Originally from Catalonia, I moved to Australia in 2006 where I currently reside.

I am privilege woman who lives in a very fortunate island where more than the 28% of us were born overseas in over 200 countries; where a quarter of the population speak 260 languages other than English at home; and where over 50% of Australians follow more than 130 different faiths. In this context, I feel the responsibility of spreading this message across by celebrating cultural diversity, supporting women in the industry, highlighting the importance of gender equality and inclusion, and by making sure we all understand that bringing more voices, colours and under-represented groups up on the stage, can only open up our view of the world and make us better.

My practice is set by the principals of never stop learning, share my knowledge and create emotion through my work. Above all, I have a story to tell.

Do and Dont’s

I specialise in brand identity, graphic design with a strong typographic approach, commercial lettering and illustration.
I craft identity systems and emotionally charged visual language involving display type, logotypes, monograms, logomarks, patterning, packaging, and digital assets.
I teach in-person and online calligraphy and lettering courses . I run corporate workshops, as well as private one-to-one classes.
I offer public speaking engagements at design conferences, in-house agencies and universities.
I write a bi-monthly email newsletter announcing my courses, community events, type related matter and other topics which often include creative mental health and fostering women in the industry.

I don’t do wedding calligraphy or wedding stationery.

“Maria is a rare breed. A designer, illustrator, typographer and creative force, Maria is a design partner in the truest sense. Her work is consistently exquisite and is guaranteed to elevate your brand, idea and spirit. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

Andrew Thomas
Co Founder and creative director, Inaria (London, UK)

Values

High quality work, communication, collaboration, transparency, honesty, respect and trust.
I am a proud member of Alphabettes, Letterform Archive, Typism and YesEqual. I support First Things First 2020 manifesto; and I think “What I have to offer is me. What you have to offer is you” by Charlie Kaufman, is one of the best lectures I have ever seen.

Selected Clients

Sony Music Entertainment, Nike, Bloomsbury Publishing, Inaria Luxury Brand Design, Como House and Gardens, Labassa Mansion, Art Centre Tinglado 2, Art Centre La Panera, Hardie Grant Publishing, Shillington College, McCANN Agency, University of Melbourne, Murray Art Museum Albury, Hodder & Stoughton Publishing, National Trust of Australia (Victoria), Esprit, Megan Park, Country Road, Hew, Australian Red Cross, Queensland Health, Zara, Mango, Massimo Dutti and Uterqüe among others.

Featured Talks

2020. Alphacrit with Isabel Urbina Peña and hosted by the Nicole Dotin
2020. Podcast Interview with Ema Hewitt from HEW

2019. Live Streaming Interview at Adobe France

2019. Love for Letterforms. Type@Paris TpTalks, France

2018. Keynote speaker TDCBNE Conference, Australia
2018. What a Shitshow Catalan Interview at the Art Centre La Panera, Spain
2017. Scared Shitless. Keynote speaker Typism Conference, Australia

2017. Drunk on Lettering Podcast, USA

Exhibitions

2020. Across Borders Group Exhibition. Design Museum Barcelona
2020. Letterform Group Exhibition. Revolver Upstairs, Melbourne
2020. Front Lines: Takayna to Adani. Long Gallery Hobart, Tasmania
2019. Planet Before Profit Group Exhibition. Work-shop Melbourne
2019. Typo EINA 15 Anys Group Exhibition. Eina Espai Barra de Ferro, Barcelona
2019. What a Shitshow Solo Exhibition. Centre d’Art Tinglado 2, Tarragona, Spain
2019. La Tipografía en la Cultura Contemporánea Group Exhibition, Mexico
2018. What a Shitshow Solo Exhibition. Centre d’Art La Panera, Lleida, Spain
2017. High Risk Dressing/Critical Fashion Group Exhibition. RMIT Design Hub
2016. Yelp After Work Drink Party Group Exhibition. Work-shop Melbourne
2015. Breaking The Ice Solo Exhibition. Nieuw Amsterdam, Melbourne
2015. People Can Change Group Exhibition. Melbourne Arts Club Gallery
2015. Pick Me Up London Group Exhibition represented by Supergraph Australia
2015. Supergraph Group Exhibition. Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne
2014. Tone of Voice Group Exhibition. CATC College, Melbourne
2013. Homage to Josep Maria Pujol Group Exhibition, Barcelona

Corporate and In-house Workshops

2021. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at McKinnon Library, Melbourne
2021. Brush Pen Calligraphy Workshop at Darebin Library, Melbourne
2021. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Murray Art Museum Albury
2020. Brush Calligraphy at MPavilion, Melbourne
2019. Calligraphy Workshop at St Columba’s College Essendon, Melbourne
2019. Lettering and Typography Semester at RMIT University, Melbourne
2019. Corporate Calligraphy Workshop at Mind Australia, Melbourne
2018. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Griffith University, Brisbane
2018. Corporate Calligraphy Workshop at Carnegie Library, Melbourne
2018. Corporate Calligraphy Workshop at Moose Toys, Melbourne
2017. Carolingian Calligraphy Workshop at Emmanuel College, Melbourne
2017. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Griffith University, Gold Coast
2017. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Shillington College, Melbourne
2017. Art Deco Calligraphy Workshop at Rippon Lea House, Melbourne
2017. Brush Calligraphy Workshop, Melbourne Exhibition & Convention Centre
2017. Italic Calligraphy Workshop at Moose Toys, Melbourne
2017. Gothic Calligraphy Workshop at Work-shop Melbourne
2017. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Como House, Melbourne
2016. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Tractor Design School, Melbourne
2016. Brush Calligraphy Workshop at Reed Gift Fairs, Melbourne
2016. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Work-shop Sydney
2016. Carolingian Calligraphy Workshop at SAE Quantum Institute, Melbourne
2016. Italic Calligraphy Workshop at Work-shop Brisbane
2016. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Como House & Garden, Melbourne
2016. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Labassa House, Melbourne
2016. Fraktur Calligraphy Workshop at Work-Shop Melbourne
2015. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at Work-Shop Brisbane
2015. Copperplate Calligraphy Workshop at CATC Design School, Melbourne
2015. Calligraphy Workshops at Work-Shop Melbourne
2014. Introduction to Neuland Script. Imagination Industry, Melbourne

Press Publications

2020. Escriptura i sensibilitat by Jordi Ribas
2020. Lettering Artwork. Typism Book Six, Australia
2019. The Heroine’s Journey Website by Peter De Kuster
2019. L’univers de Maria Montes by Anna Vilamú Bosch, surtdecasa.cat, Spain
2019. La lletra esdevé art by Gloria Aznar, Diari de Tarragona, Spain
2019. Interview with Maria Montes. Type@Paris, France
2019. Green Fairy Font. Typism Book 5, Australia
2019. Lettering Artwork. Typism Book Five, Australia
2018. Interview with Maria Montes. Design Feast by Nate Burgos
2018. Stop Feeding The Beast. Nibster Mag, Spain
2018. Ten, Skateboard Design. Typism Book 4, Australia
2018. Letterpressed Illustrated Cocktails. Scripted Book, China
2018. LOVE. Good Type The Book Volume Two, USA
2018. Green Fairy Font Family. Available commercially at MyFonts
2017. Green Fairy Font. Typodarium, Germany
2017. Cocktail Cards That Pack A Punch. Neenah Papers, USA
2017. Entrevista con Maria Montes. Puentestudio, Argentina
2017. Fresh Illustration by Maria Montes. Communication Arts, USA
2017. Lettering and Illustration by Maria Montes. The Design Files, Australia
2017. Scare Shitless: Facing fear and getting out of your comfort zone. Alphabettes
2017. Interview with Maria Montes. Typerie, Australia
2017. Five Typographers Share Their Treasured Finds. Communication Arts, USA
2017. Shit Just Got Real with Maria Montes. Typograph.her, Australia
2016. Hidden Gems in Melbourne: Renaissance Bookbinding, Alphabettes
2016. The Richardson Family. Good Type The Book Volume One, USA
2016. Introduction to Calligraphy. Lettering Hub, Australia
2016. Profile Interview. Lettering Hub, Australia
2015. Lettering Artwork. Typism Book Two, Australia
2014. Profile interview. Baronmag
2014. Our First Six. The Loop, Australia
2014. Profile interview. Magic Timeout
2013. Homage to JMP Lettering Artwork. Typism Book One, Australia
2011. Miłosz Italic Typeface Design. Desktop Magazine, Australia

Education

2021. Italic Variations with John Stevens
2020. Copperplate Flourishes with Nina Tran and Suzanne Cunningham
2020. A Journey into Blackletter with Luca Barcellona
2016. TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, Melbourne
2014 – 2018. Fraktur, Italic, Brush Roman Capitals and Copperplate calligraphy with Amanda and Keith Adams
2012. Typeface Design Condensed Program at Type@Cooper, New York City
2011. Postgraduate Course of Advanced Typography. Eina, Barcelona
2003 – 2004. MA in User Interface Design (UI). Elisava, Barcelona School of Design
1996 – 2000. BA (Hons) Graphic Design. Eina, School of Art & Design, Barcelona