Miranda Mora: From Small Town to Globally Inspired
Freelance Graphic Designer
by Elizabeth Lavis
|25 Jul 2022
Miranda Mora’s humble roots in Texcoco, Mexico, inspired her to search the globe for new design ideas, and she finds them in the most unconventional places.
“Growing up in Texcoco has shaped my work in so many ways, but the main thing is that being from such a small town, I could only think of moving forward and aiming bigger than what I was used to,” she says. “When I started high school, I decided to study in the city. When that was over, I decided to study abroad, and after that, I decided to move to Switzerland and start college.”
The freelance graphic designer found her way back to Mexico with a host of new international design ideas, to which she credits her success. “I think that if I hadn’t been based in such a small town, I would’ve found comfort in just the things immediately around me,” she says.
Travel is Mora’s biggest passion and a neverending wellspring of creative inspiration, where she can tap into different cultures and designs. Although Mora gets plenty of ideas from international museums, she also delights in visiting their souvenir shops to recharge her creative batteries.
“I love visiting museum souvenir shops because it’s like a design bomb,” she says. “Everything in there is curated specially by art directors, designers, and creative thinkers.” Mora even scoops up tickets and museum maps to add to her ever-growing file of design inspiration.
Although Mora’s passion for design is evident in everything she does, it wasn’t her first career love. “I actually wanted to be a fashion designer,” she says. However, her true calling was revealed after taking a graphic design class in Lugano, Switzerland, where she got her initial taste of hands-on design.
“I was given creative assignments such as designing a brand or using mockups, and I remember it was pretty fun to do,” she says. “ After that, I started applying to international design schools. Everything changed from that moment on.”
In addition to design, Mora loves creative writing and firmly believes in the power of education. “One of my long-term dreams is to create a design school in Mexico City to help young national designers with incredible talent get recognition and create fantastic work,” she said.
She also believes in taking care of your soul and only taking on projects you care about with people you enjoy working with and for. “I only accept clients or products that I really like and can connect with because if I don’t, I won’t enjoy it, and it shows,” she says. She pairs her judiciousness and self-care with plenty of work ethic, though, pushing through her creative ruts by working on each project for an hour every day.
As for inspiration, Mora is a massive fan of Instagram. “I couldn’t live without it,” she says. “I absolutely love it, and it has become the most helpful learning tool for finding new studios, trends, designers, or events.” In addition, Mora sees Instagram as a nearly universal tool, helping her with work, socializing, and learning.
Additionally, she devotes several hours a week to perusing design literature, magazines, and different studios. For Mora, this valuable research time is vital to her success. “It’s become one of my favorite parts of the day because I get to discover all this fantastic content that I wouldn’t have if I just designed all the time.”
Miranda Mora’s ability to find inspiration from a plethora of local and international sources gives her a serious competitive edge. It makes her a freelancer to keep a sharp eye on as she continues to make waves.
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