Keith Kancar
CLIENT
Thomas O’Brien Aero Studios, Vice President
“Thomas O’Brien and I worked with Maria on our new Accessory Collection catalogue launch! We couldn’t have been more pleased. Maria’s organizational as well as creative skills kept us on track and ahead of schedule. Her ability to integrate multiple creative players involved in the development of our ideas, production of a schematic catalogue graphic design layout, producing a photo shoot and translating this into a final product we are thrilled with were top level. Maria’s attention to detail and keen eye in working together with another creative individual was greatly appreciated. Her ability to listen, understand and translate Thomas’ vision was seamless. The outcome of which is something we are very proud of and using the catalogue Maria produced as an example to our other partners going forward. We will definitely work with Maria again and hope to soon in the near future!”
Ali Cobb
COLLEAGUE
Revolver New York, Associate Design Director
“Maria is a thoughtful and empathic creative leader, who takes the time and effort to fully understand and nurture the unique outlook and talents of her team, whilst strategically navigating the subtle complexities of large-scale client projects. She provides a truly collaborative working environment, creating the space and opportunity for designers to tap into and evolve their individual creativity, whilst lending her refined aesthetic eye and imparting her impressive wealth of technical expertise. A recipe for ensuring delivery of the highest-calibre of design output that the whole studio can be proud of. Working in Maria’s team has been a real pleasure and has marked a turning point in my career—she has helped instill a confidence and clarity in my own process that has allowed me to create some of my most effective and rewarding work to date.”
Topher O’Rourke
CLIENT
Minor History, Co-Founder
“Maria is a fantastic designer with a great eye and an open, collaborative mindset. Working with her on the development of dozens of projects (packaging and actual product) across the gift and home market was always a pleasant experience. In the years we worked closely, I found her resolve to "get the job done" was second to none. It was clear her to-do list was long, but she never missed a deadline, never complained and never jeopardized the success of a project. To find those characteristics in a talented designer so valuable and, in my experience, so rare.”
Alia Gray
COLLEAGUE
Aesthetic Movement, Director of Sales
“Maria Pastore is an absolute gem. Always professional, planned and comprehensive in her approach to projects, Maria is a “doer” who always sees things through. Most importantly she’s likable and approachable, and truly leads by example. It’s been my pleasure to work alongside her, learn from her, and now recommend her to others so they can experience the same. Strengths and gifts: leads a project from all angles, keeping tabs on execution and timeline as well as quality; insanely creative and deep thinking in her approach to design and product development; inspiring to the team—the *want* to work for her and with her; extremely hard working, never seen anything short of stellar and complete work come from Maria and her team.”
Alexandra Thom
COLLEAGUE
Revolver New York, Executive Creative Director
“Maria is an empathic leader and an astute Design Director. She is both detail-oriented and mindful of the big picture, and her deep experience managing projects and teams is evident at every step of the process. I have worked with Maria in various capacities over many years, and I always enjoy our collaboration; she is honest and maintains a sense of humor, even in challenging situations. She is incredibly hard-working and focused on meeting project deadlines and goals. I would recommend her highly for any opportunity.”
Sierra Steifman
CLIENT
The Floral Society, Founder
“Working with Maria has been a pure joy. Her positive attitude, collaborative spirit and creativity creates an ideal relationship for creating the best possible design concepts. We've worked with her on branding and product design and could not recommend her more highly to others.”
Alice Blair
COLLEAGUE
Aesthetic Movement, Product Development & Sales
“Maria is that brilliant combination of creative and organized. I worked with Maria at Aesthetic Movement, where she led a bustling design department as Design Director. As a leader, her project management and communication skills were integral to the success of our team and an asset to the company. As a designer, her flexibility and expertise are evident in everything she does. Her work is gorgeous, high-quality and she has a knack for pivoting between brands. She led the launch of multiple collections of products to market per season, on top of branding, strategy, digital, print, and packaging projects. She can truly do it all!”
David Ortiz
CLIENT
Minor History, Co-Founder
“We hired Maria's group (Aesthetic Movement) to build our brand identity from the ground up. She performed as the lead designer and was a pleasure to work with. Not only does she have a great "eye" for branding aesthetics, but she works great under pressure and always meets deadlines. Would highly recommend.”
Hunter Harrison
CLIENT
Hunter Photographic
“On the recommendation of colleagues and a review of Maria’s work, I contacted her for a branding redesign project. More than just a logo, I needed some serious help with business branding, layout, printing, and advice. Maria delivered on all levels. Her dedication to accountability, quality, and delivery has helped ensure our success. For her work, I am forever grateful.”
Jesse James
COLLEAGUE
Aesthetic Movement & Shoppe Object, Founder & Creative Director; Sir/Madam, Co-Founder
“Maria moved to New York to accept the position of Design Director at Aesthetic Movement, and I’m forever grateful that she did. Throughout her many years in this critical role she hired and managed other designers with great care, elevating their skills and guiding their creative efforts to align with the goals of the company. She spearheaded the launch of many product collections for existing brands like Izola, Way of Will, Harney & Sons and others, and she was intrinsic in the creation, branding and development of new launches like Sir/Madam, Odeme, Minor History and The Floral Society, as well as new retail ventures like SHOP at Macy’s Herald Square, and Regular Visitors in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. As an immediate partner to me in all of these projects and more, Maria was always fastidiously dedicated to quality and professionalism, and to speaking her mind while also being committed to landing in a place that would satisfy both myself as Creative Director, and the client. Her ability to manage multiple projects with equal care was critical to our company’s output, and her willingness to jump in now and assess later was an important match to my entrepreneurial spirit. Uniquely able to work acutely but without blinders, there are countless achievements we would not have realized as a company without Maria at the helm. She is, without a doubt, one of the most consistently thoughtful and hardworking people I have ever had the pleasure of working with, and I would recommend her highly for any project or position that she is prepared to take on.”
Kate Sears
COLLABORATOR
Kate Sears Photography
“I worked with Maria on more than a dozen photo shoots while she was design director and product developer at Aesthetic Movement. Maria led inspiring, collaborative shoots and worked tirelessly, often as producer, stylist, designer and art director to carry out ambitious shot counts. She kept up momentum over long shoot days, troubleshooting brilliantly when unforeseen challenges arose. The end result—a gorgeous catalog that I am so proud to have been a part of...if I could have Maria and her artistic vision leading my team everyday I would!”
Sylvia Pedder-Khanna
COLLEAGUE
Sir/Madam, Co-Founder
“Almost seven years ago we launched a new home deco brand. Maria who was Design Director at Aesthetic Movement was with us every bit of the way—being an integral part of branding, designing the collection each season, creating supporting marketing material, the e-commerce site, and the list goes on. She was a natural at directing the project, contributing exactly what was needed to bring the collection to the next level. Maria is incredibly talented and creative, with a keen eye for detail. She is super organized and was on top of everything, which always impressed me. Wish I had some of her skills!!”
Claire Kelley
COLLEAGUE
Aesthetic Movement, Designer & Brand Manager
“Maria is an amazing creative leader. Her artistic vision paired with impeccable organization created a smooth and inspiring environment to work and grow in. She leads by example and is reliable, efficient, professional, present, positive, and encouraging. She held me to a high standard and taught me so much about design. I genuinely loved working with her!”
Cathy Hunt
COLLEAGUE
Melamed Riley Advertising, Creative Director
“Maria is truly dedicated to design! She really immerses herself in the work and it shows in the results, always a good range of solid design solutions. I had the opportunity to direct Maria on projects, as well as collaborate with her, and I found her work ethic to be invaluable. She can take a project and run with it, and she can just as easily work as part of a group effort. A top-notch designer, hard working and organized, Maria would be a valuable asset to any project or team. I used to say I wish I had more "Marias"!”