Maria Shanina is an award-winning designer and strategistwho creates research-based sustainable solutions for impact.

She successfully blends European design practices and leading New York strategic approaches. Her expertise includes product and experience design, design audits, consultancy, systems design, design strategy, and research.

Projects and clients

Maria led user experiences and created visual designs for companies such as Shopify, Shop Pay, Meta and Google, Braun, King Activision, Mars, P&G, NYU, and Centre for Eye Research Australia, among diverse startups and organizations. She also co-founds a boutique decor firm, Studio Alma.

In addition to her client work, Maria's self-initiated projects include designing healthcare and mental care experiences, strategies to run zero-waste businesses, an upstream approach to recycling, and other socially and environmentally impactful initiatives.

Education and research

Maria holds an MS (STEM) in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, a BS and postgraduate diploma in information design, and a UX certificate from NNGroup. She continues her education in visual art and design.

Her research interests focus on co-designing experiences with stakeholders, advocating for the ubiquitous role of design in driving change, delivering a positive impact through design, sustainability, and social impact, and aesthetics for wellbeing.

Awards and honors

Honorary master's degree from Parsons School of Design, AICAD Post-Graduate Teaching Fellow nominee, Good Interventions Economic Design Exhibition '23 winner project, DesignTO '24 window installation design award, spotlight speaker and juror at Behance Portfolio reviews 2015, user interface winner at Awwwards, Mobilemosaic, CSS Winner.

Valuable, impactful and sustainable solutions.

Contact: hello@mariashanina.com