Serena Obligato
VERO’s designer talks graphic design, working across multiple platforms and shares her creative influences.
What does it say on your business card?
Serena Obligato. Graphic Designer at VERO.
I’m responsible for the design of the VERO, VERO Music, and Brand websites. I also design the artwork for editorial and social content, and I work on UI design for new features.
Where is home?
In Provence, South of France. I love the sea, the countryside, the sun, and the tranquility of this place.
I have moved a lot these past few years, for my studies and then for work. But, I finally put my suitcases where I grew up, in Provence.
What’s your background in design?
At the end of my studies, I moved to Canada to work in a multidisciplinary design studio. It was a very enriching experience both on a human and professional level. During my time at the studio, I discovered different disciplines in the world of design - including space design, industrial design, and interactive design.
The team was across many varied projects and it was thrilling to be a part of such a dynamic environment. This experience helped me to evolve my creative portfolio and experience of working with heterogeneous professions and personalities. These skills are essential to work at VERO.
After this, I moved to Paris, because I dreamed of living in this magical city. I joined the Communication department of the Paule Ka fashion house, where I mainly worked in collaboration with the Community Manager on digital editorial content.
Each month, we organized a photoshoot with a French celebrity and I was responsible for the design of the digital content and the newsletter. During this time, I also started to work as a freelancer on several brand projects, plus editorial designs for cookbooks and culinary illustrations. One of my passions is books!
In 2018, I worked for a short time at SelectWorld Paris, an advertising agency who builds premium brands. This is where I started to learn motion graphics. Shortly after joining this company, I got a call from VERO Creative Director Alistair to discuss an opportunity with VERO .
I didn’t hesitate for a moment and I gave up everything to move in Nice and join the team.
“I find my inspiration from contemporary illustrators such as Malika Favre and Marylou Faure.”
How did you end up at VERO?
In 2013, I ended up in Nice, interning for Alistair’s then Communication agency Subtract. We stayed in close contact and collaborated together on projects for years. It was an organic transition to join the design team at VERO once established.
What aspects of design do you cover?
My work at VERO is diverse! I collaborate on marketing projects including the design of websites, e-mail templates, and editorial and social content. Then there’s the product side. I’m continuously evolving the design of existing and new features with the rest of the design team to enrich the experience of our Members.
How big is the VERO design team and how do you work together?
There are five of us: Alistair, Dylan, Stéphane, Fred and myself.
Alistair encourages us to discuss and debate innovative ideas. I love to listen to the other members of the team and collaborate on our road map.
Everyone has their own values and techniques that they bring to the design floor. Dylan and Fred are very talented UI and UX designers, while Stéphane is always developing new and unique ideas for our marketing communication.
I believe that what makes us an effective team is that we trust each other, on each other skills. Without this, we wouldn’t be able to accomplish all we have done so far.
What designers/artists are you inspired by?
I am passionate about beautiful typography and I am always on the lookout for new discoveries. I love the work of Sagmeister and David Carson. They hugely influenced my work when I was a student and my vision of graphic design in general. Today, I find my inspiration from contemporary illustrators such as Malika Favre and Marylou Faure, especially when I’m seeking vibrant color palettes.
What gives you the greatest satisfaction as a designer?
Every day is different! That’s what makes working at VERO such an interesting and stimulating job. I’m constantly challenged by new projects or solutions to find.
What’s the biggest challenge in your role?
I would say that being multi-skilled is a real strength nowadays. A great graphic designer not only needs to be creative and have expertise in typography. They need to have the hunger to learn new skills in other disciplines like UX, UI design, or motion graphics.
“I’m constantly challenged by new projects or solutions to find. ”
Is there a particular design you’ve created that stands out for you during your time at VERO?
I love all the projects I work on, but if I had to choose one, I would probably say the MyVERO series.
Each month, a VERO Member shares their 5 favorite VERO accounts. It's a very fun project that I'm working on in collaboration with Jon. He liaises with the community members, and I take care of the artwork for the editorial and social campaign. We feature different personalities month to month, which has included podcasts hosts, painters, musicians, and actresses.
It’s a new challenge for each volume, and I have the trust of the marketing team to take full control of the design, which allows me to be quite free in my graphic choices.
If you could design your dream project, what would it be?
When I was a student, I had developed a prototype for an interactive cookbook. I am passionate about cooking and baking and, at the time, I even considered doing a cooking course.
Since then, I gave up on the idea (for now) but I still like the culinary edition. More broadly, I love art publishing, creative papers, bookbinding, and the smell of ink when you walk through the door of a printer... It made me fall in love with graphic design.
The Internet and the digital world have changed our perception of the classic book: I believe it has to be redesigned and go through a serious transformation towards new uses and towards different qualitative content. If I had to carry out the project of my dreams, my desire would be to bring these two worlds together (print and digital) in order to create new interactions.
What’s your favorite VERO feature?
I would say the audience selector. It allows me to keep control of the visibility of my posts (Close Friends, Friends, Acquaintances, or Followers).
Where can we find you on VERO?
‘Hello Stranger’ Album Deep Dive