Creative Visual Solutions for Brands is what I do best.
GRAPHIC DESIGN
UX|UI & WEB DESIGN
PHOTOGRAPHY
PERSONAL BRANDING
CRISTINA ARCE, TORONTO PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, UX DESIGNER, AND BRANDING CONSULTANT
You have a BIG VISION
After many years as a personal branding photographer and graphic designer, I realized the need to bring together the worlds of brand development and visual brand communication. Today, I specialize in taking a unique all-inclusive approach to the branding process which means you will have your own Personal Branding Director to guide and help you seamlessly bring your big vision to life!
I am here to help you cultivate those genuine connections by crafting your brand’s story.
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Hi, I am Cristina Arce.
A multi-passionate creative with more than 20 years of experience.
– I am a multi-disciplinary designer. (UX|UI Designer, Graphic Designer, Web Designer, and Visual Designer)
– I am a diversified photographer. (Portraiture & Personal Branding Photographer, Product & Commercial Photography, and Landscape & Travel Fine Art).
– I am an Art and Creative Director& Content Creator of Brand Imagery for Social Media and Digital Marketing.
– I am a Personal Branding Directorguiding and helping individuals and companies bring their big visions to life.
– I have strong management skills and experience leading, planning, and managing all work done as the Department Manager of a cross-functional team of 15-18 individuals.
– I believe good communication, effective (and smart) planning, focus on individuals’ strengths, keeping a problem-solving mindset with constant feedback allowing collaboration, while building a positive work culture of mutual trust, is the roadmap to professional excellence.
–I am an unshakable optimist dedicated to helping individuals and companies to fulfill their creative needs. I am a self-starter, organized, and detail-oriented, especially when it comes to clients’ projects.
– I am a Spanish native speaker who is fluent in English. (Bilingual Costarrican living in Toronto! 🇨🇷🇨🇦)
CRISTINA ARCE, TORONTO PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, UX DESIGNER, AND BRANDING CONSULTANT
Fun Facts
ESFJ / ENFP
98% Type 1
97% Type 7
Myers-Briggs & Enneagram
(I guess it all depends on the day lol)
COSTA RICA
WILL ALWAYS BE
MY HOME
I am from sunny Costa Rica,
I now live in Toronto, Canada
DOG MOM
AND PET ADOPTION
ADVOCATE
My puppy @maggiepoochon
has more followers than me
FASHION STORE
OWNER
@PHOTOFASHIONSTORE
In 2020, I opened an online slow-fashion store and designed my first clothing line
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How can I help You?
Set your business up for long-term success. Tell your brand’s story with great custom creative visual solutions that will out-perform your competition!
I accept projects in English and Spanish.
Graphic Design
You want to produce great visuals and graphic design for your brand. Good aesthetics have been found to improve the overall user experience of a product – by creating a positive first impression. You want imagery that communicates effectively your brand’s story through the perfect selection of typography, colours, and images to elicit a positive reaction in your clients while standing out among the competition with consistent branding – print and digital.
UX & Web Design
You are a business owner who understands the importance of creating an online presence that provides meaningful and relevant experiences to your clients. You are focused on integrating branding, design, usability, accessibility, and function into your product. You want to ensure the entire user journey provides a seamless pleasurable experience to your clients while meeting their needs when using and interacting with your product.
Photography
You are an entrepreneur who needs professional branded images for your website, marketing materials, and social media. You want to have brand imagery and headshots that represent your personality and brand the best.
You want the double-tap worthy content that connects with your ideal audience. You are trying to make your business unique, trustworthy, dependable, reliable, and overall, awesome.
Personal Branding
You’re a doer. You have a vision for your business but one thing isn’t clear; which content is best for your social media platforms and how you want to be seen.
You take your online marketing very seriously and you want to build new branding content & strategies to better communicate with your target audience. You aim to publish consistently and share your personal brand across your social platforms like a champ.
I’d love to hear everything about your project!
Skills
Deliver compelling creative solutions using some of the following languages, methodologies, platforms, tools, and software:
Adobe Creative Suite
Figma
HTML | CSS
WordPress
Shopify
Trello
UX Research | Testing
Audience Profiling
Content Auditing
Prototyping | Mapping
Wireframing
UX Design | UI Design
Graphic Design
Email Marketing
Project Management
Social Media Marketing
Personal Branding
Branding Strategies
Branding Imagery
Photography
Art Direction
Video Editing
Design Thinking
Spanish | English
Other Skills | Tools:
HTML, CSS, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Mobile Marketing, B2C Marketing.
Project Management Tools like Asana and Trello.
UX Usability Testing Software: Optimal Workshop, and Treejack.
Creation of wireframes, high-fidelity designs, and prototypes in Figma and Adobe XD.
Social Media marketing and community management of platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Social Media Scheduling tools like Planoly, Later, and Plann.
Digital Editing and Photography Manipulation in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom.
Experience Art Directing and planning photography campaigns.
Video Editing using Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Personal Branding, Branding Strategies, Brand Development, and creative visual solutions.
Strong knowledge of the Design Thinking methodology and process.
Administrative tools like QuickBooks, MS Office, Keynote, and PowerPoint.
Build Your Brand with Strategy + Design
Go well beyond a logo. Create a brand your customers will love.
CRISTINA ARCE, TORONTO PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, UX DESIGNER, AND BRANDING CONSULTANT
Featured Projects
Case Studies of some of the projects done by Cristina Arce, Toronto Personal Branding Photographer, Graphic Designer, and UX Web Designer
Graphic Design, Web Design, and Photography for Town Shoes
Town Shoes Ltd. was a Canadian chain of shoes stores founded by Leonard Simpson in 1952. It was Canada’s largest branded shoe retailer, including Town Shoes, The Shoe Company, Sketchers, Freedman, Shoe Warehouse, and Sterling, to sponsor of Toronto Fashion Week for an impressive 25 seasons. In 2014, DSW, Inc., now Designer Brands, Inc., acquired Town Shoes.
Cristina Arce did graphic design, web design, email marketing and newsletters, social media graphics, design of magazines and catalogs, and product photography for Town Shoes, The Shoe Company, and Sketchers during the several years of the business relationship. Cristina was also involved in the planning and creation of the first informational website and later the first eCommerce website for Town Shoes and The Shoe Company.
Women’s Fashion Apparel Store (eCommerce) for Photo Fashion Store
Cristina Arce was in charge of the entire UX research and analysis, UI design, and graphic design for the e-commerce store of a women’s fashion apparel store based in Toronto, Canada.
She conducted extensive UX and industry research for an unexplored market in Canada to use as a reference point for the visual strategy, designed a complete brand identity for the brand, complementing an audience profiling with flow diagrams and journey maps, to finalize the project with the creation and design of an e-commerce store on the platform Shopify, where Cristina presented a few options for the Website Architecture, low-fidelity, and Hi-Fidelity Wireframes, designed all the IU elements, and run a website prototype.
Graphic Design, Branding Identity, Web Design, and Photography for Style Artist
STYLEARTIST was founded by Catherine Abela in 2017, offering Canadian women a fresh approach to shopping. STYLEARTIST is a personal styling and shopping service, born from the idea that busy women shouldn’t have to spend hours at the mall or online to look fabulous. With STYLEARTIST, women get just what they want, when they want it, without a subscription fee and without having to go down the rabbit hole of endless online scrolling just to purchase an outfit for date night.
As the senior designer and content creator, Cristina did all graphic design for STYLEARTIST, including the brand identity, business cards, invitations for events, design of the store’s bags and packaging, and signage for both of their retail stores. Cristina also did the photographs of products including styling and image compositing, using the ghost mannequin style or on models, and created and styled several flat lays focusing on the store’s products. Cristina was also involved in the content creation and images for STYLEARTIST social media channels.
UX Research and Usability Study for Félix and Norton
Cristina and a team of another 5 UX Designers conducted an extensive UX research and Usability Study for the store Félix and Norton, a gourmet cookie delivery located in Quebec, Canada.
The project started with an UX Audit, and an industry and market research, including Audience Profiling and the creation of journey maps.
Félix and Norton was launching their new site redesign to help meet its main objectives of increasing revenue and online sales. The product to be tested in this usability study was the Félix and Norton new website.
The objectives of this usability test were to get user feedback while interacting with the product (website) and determine if users behave as expected.
Book Registration Mobile Prototype
Simple wireframe and prototype of a mobile website, to show how a reader can input their basic details to register and to select their favourite genres so the website can curate book recommendations curated for them.
Food Ordering Prototype
Design of an interactive prototype of a food ordering app/website, where users can browse different food items, order them, customized their orders, and get them delivered to their door.
Unofficial Trailer of the Cult Film and Horror Film “Carnival of Souls” (1962) – Video Editing
Carnival of Souls is a 1962 American independent horror film starring Candace Hilligoss. The film was produced and directed by Herk Harvey for an estimated $33,000, and it was filmed in two weeks. Carnival of Souls did not gain widespread attention when originally released as a double feature with The Devil’s Messenger. Today, however, it is regarded as a cult classic.
The plot follows Mary Henry who ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted when Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town and gets haunted by a phantom figure…
This video is edited with Copyright Free (Public Domain) footage from the original 1962 “Carnival of Souls” film, for a Post Production and Digital Video Editing project.
VIDEO EDITING WITH ADOBE PREMIERE PRO AND ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS, SOUND EDITING
Post Production – Video Editing – Movie Vernal (2020)
This video is part of the post-production and video editing of the film Vernal (2020), for a Post Production and Digital Video Editing project.
Filmed in Toronto, Canada
VIDEO EDITING WITH ADOBE PREMIERE PRO AND ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS, SOUND EDITING
Cristina Arce is a Toronto personal branding photographer and graphic designer helping professionals to elevate their brand with creative visual solutions.
I’d love to hear everything about your project!
Portfolio
Cristina Arce’s portfolio encompasses brand strategy, creative direction, and the production of visual solutions for both printed and online projects, with a focus on design and brand cohesion.
Pick which portfolio you want to visit, or click any of the buttons below
“You deserve brand imagery that makes your business stand out, and I am here to help you!” – Cristina Arce
AS YOUR BRAND
PHOTOGRAPHER…
I go beyond the headshots. I invest a great deal of up-front time to collaborate and develop a social media strategy focusing on the creation of images and lifestyle content to empower my client’s brand, incorporating their unique personality and style.
AS YOUR
DESIGNER…
I create functional and visually appealing solutions that drive innovation, based on client or user feedback while meeting accessibility and best practice requirements. I will focus to tell my clients’ brand’ story with great custom creative visual solutions that will out-perform their competition!
AS YOUR BRANDING
DIRECTOR…
I am dedicated to guide individuals and companies to fulfill their creative needs and bring their big vision to life. From fine-tuning brand messaging to creating visual representations of a brand to providing guidance and marketing insights, I am here to help other businesses to thrive and to better communicate with their audience.
CRISTINA ARCE, TORONTO PERSONAL BRANDING PHOTOGRAPHER, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, UX DESIGNER, AND BRANDING CONSULTANT
Testimonials
“Cristina Arce is a brilliantly capable and enthusiastic person who everyone can learn from. She has great skills as a graphic designer and finds quick solutions for a company’s need for design, prints, and online. Her deep technical skills not only make her a strong graphic and web designer, but also strategic marketing professional. Cristina is an extremely organized, highly effective, and very helpful individual. It has been my pleasure to work with her.”
Barbara Shayan
M.A., Business Owner
“Cristina Arce is a colleague of mine at PRODUCT, a local Toronto magazine. Her adaptability, willingness to contribute to last-minute projects, and ability to draw out creativity from the artists/features that she photographs are absolutely noteworthy. She displays participant leadership skills in tackling various projects at the magazine. With a work ethic that encourages dedication, teamwork and innovation, I happily recommend Cristina to any employer in her industry.”
Ana Opulencia
MSc, CCP, GRP, BScN, RN
“Cristina is a very talented professional, both areas, as a Digital Studio and as a photographer. During the time I had the pleasure of working with her, complementing my work as a programmer in an excellent manner, promptly and with unsurpassed quality. His photographs speak volumes about your dedication and attention to detail.”
Rolando E. Quiros
Information Technology and Software Development Manager
“Cristina’s work Is impeccable, she utilized her creative skills to provide exceptional results. I highly recommend Cristina Arce for her great personality and high professional commitment.”
Gabriela Ureña
Project Manager
Get in Touch
You deserve great brand imagery and visual graphics that make your business stand out, and improve your customer’s experience with your brand… and I am here to help you! :)
I accept commissioned photography work. Either headshots, personal branding, commercial product, or photoshoots on location, I will create a one-of-a-kind photo experience for you and your team. I’ve helped hundreds of professionals create their best portraits and personal branding photography for their offices, websites, digital marketing, and social media. If you are interested, book an introductory call.
If you would like to hire me to create custom creative visual solutions that will out-perform your competition! Or if you would like to set up a one-on-one consultation about any design work for your company; please book a call, and I will get back to you as soon as possible!
To inquire about a collaboration, an editorial project, or any general inquiries, send an email, and I will be in touch with you shortly.
Please make sure that you give plenty of details about your project.
I accept projects in English and Spanish.
*Please Note: We only book limited clients per month to give you all of the 1-on-1 attention you deserve. Your message is important, so if you feel I might have missed your email, feel free to drop a note again.
Book an Introductory Call
This form helps determine if we’re the right fit for each other. After you book your call, Cristina will review the details you’ve provided. If it seems we may not align well, we’ll notify you and cancel the call. To ensure we make the most of our time, please provide as much detail as possible in your responses. This will help us better understand your needs and see if we’re a good match for working together. Thank you!
About Cristina
Photographer, Graphic and UX Designer, and Personal Branding Director. Cristina Arce is a multi-passionate creative with more than 20 years of experience.
Location
Cristina Arce is based in Toronto and the GTA, Ontario, Canada. She is available for remote projects and worldwide travel.
Contact
For any general inquiries or questions, please contact us by email and we will be in touch with you shortly.
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