Oriana Gaeta, Super Person

Design Director at Made Thought

“As designers we have the power to make change and to do it beautifully. We can help get society to a better place. Design and communications can point people’s attention to the right things and change behaviours. It doesn’t have to be major. Small constant gestures can help.” Made Thought Design Director Oriana Gaeta speaks with vision about the possibilities of her profession. What makes design unique from art is the opportunity to solve a problem “with style.”

Oriana’s personal aesthetic is considered and daring. Her minimal designs strip back to the essentials to ensure longevity and relevance. “I’m detail obsessed. Taking the time to craft and research each element makes the outcome more meaningful. By the end you become an expert in whatever you’re working on!” Client work allows Oriana to adapt her style and take an eclectic approach. In projects ranging from design installations and systems to user experiences and brand identities, the Design Director has worked with an enviable list of clients. In her formative years at R/GA these included Nike, IKEA, and Moncler and now at Made Thought, Adidas, and Google.

Over the years, Oriana’s contributions have steadily attracted industry recognition with invitations to speak at conferences, jury awards and also win them. When recalling her career milestones, some of the most rewarding were the smaller pro bono projects that were inevitably labours of love. When working on R/GA’s Venture Studio programme, that supported sustainably-minded start-ups. Oriana remembers the emotional responses of founders seeing the message of their projects come to life through bespoke brand identities. Another project that speaks to her legacy was R/GA’s Woman Up initiative. Through work with colleagues to transform the programme into something more inclusive, the UK based project was taken up by teams at R/GA’s US offices. “It changed policy, not just awareness.”

What is most refreshing about Oriana is that inclusion in a given. Her ability to lead never fails to reach back and acknowledge the teams she has worked with. One example is the Nike Sync project in 2021, that helped women understand the power of the menstrual cycles and stay in sport. What was most satisfying for the designer was the opportunity to direct a core team of women and non-binary people. Viewed initially as a novel idea, Nike Sync’s insightful editorial featuring myth busting NAQs (Never Asked Questions) allowed the project to take the Grand Prix at Cannes in 2022.

Without noticing Oriana’s goals for the future mirror her design aesthetic – daring and considered. They combine a commitment to crafting and exploring life with balance and working with design that works to make a difference. “I’m lucky to do this work at Made Thought and with some very cool clients. At this stage in my career, I’m interested in working with initiatives that give more than they take from the world.”

Interview by: Tega Okiti

PITCH SUPER ALUMNI 2023