Valerie Sara Tonolli
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Valerie Sara Tonolli

Product & Brand Designer in Italy & New Zealand, She/Her

Open to freelance collaborations.

3 months ago

About

Hola, ciao, kia ora 🌚 I help organisations challenge conventional thinking by creating digital experiences and products that combine technological advancement, environmental responsibility, and social impact. I craft strategic solutions that drive positive change by addressing human needs and business goals while staying grounded in ethics and purpose, leveraging my expertise in digital product design, UX/UI, and brand design.

I'm intentionally offline when not working. You'll likely find me cycling, writing, reading Robin Wall Kimmerer, or falling in love with the ocean—over and over again—through scuba diving and surfing 🐚


Note on availability: I'm Italian-Dominican citizen currently working from Aotearoa New Zealand while maintaining European and North American business presence.

Projects

2021

Meeters, a travel startup specializing in adventure and leisure activities worldwide, needed to revamp its discovery section—one of the website's most visited areas. The new release garnered hundreds of positive user responses within days, with customers praising the discovery section's improved navigation.

2020

Valori, an editorial hub focusing on ethical finance and sustainable economy, partnered with Moze—a design and development studio where I was employed—to revamp its web experience. Valori saw a threefold increase in readership within two months of the relaunch.

Side Projects

2024
Editorial Design at Souvenir

Souvenir is a magazine documenting peoples and places through intentional and off-the-beaten-path tourism, a creative collaboration between my partner, Alessandro, and I.

Work Experience

2022 — Now
Italy

I deliver end-to-end digital design solutions across product, UX/UI, and brand design. Working with startups, established companies, and non-profits, I bring expertise in e-commerce, SaaS, social platforms, and native mobile applications.

2022 — 2024
Remote

At Holi, a social impact platform enabling collective action for the common good, I designed complex core features including chat systems, event management, user onboarding, and recommendation engines. I also led user research initiatives and facilitated co-design sessions to ensure inclusive, user-centred solutions.

2020 — 2021
Verona, Italy

With Meeters, a travel and leisure startup, I spearheaded the e-commerce platform redesign and optimisation while revamping their internal back-office application. I led co-design workshops and managed relationships with external partners developing iOS and Android applications.

2017 — 2020
Milan, Italy

At Moze, a leading digital product design studio, I evolved from designing websites to crafting complex UX/UI solutions for desktop and mobile applications. I contributed to multiple rebranding projects and facilitated over 20 co-design workshops and user research sessions, demonstrating my growth from intern to experienced designer.

Education

2013 — 2017
Bachelor Degree, Graphic Design at LABA
Italy

Grade: 110/110 Cum Laude

Certifications

2024