I'm Maria Finelli, a seasoned product designer based in NYC.
I have a deep curiosity for how people think, feel, and engage with the world around them. I studied psychology extensively in college, fascinated by how our brains (particularly the prefrontal cortex) process information, make decisions, and respond to experiences. Today, I channel that curiosity into creating thoughtful, intuitive designs that blend cognitive psychology and user behavior. I've been fortunate enough to spend the last decade crafting brands and engaging user experiences for companies around the world.
I’m currently a Senior Product and Brand Designer at Runwise in NYC, where I help shape how people interact with the future of smart building technology. Before this, I spent years crafting brands and digital experiences for companies like Radar, Refine Labs, and Datadog, honing my ability to design solutions that resonate logically and emotionally.
Beyond the pixels, I can be found teaching myself piano, tending to my 22 plants, or experimenting with a new recipe.
Freelance project? Email me
How I Work
“Maria has redefined my expectations on what a Designer can do. To any Designer in the future who finds my expectations difficult, you have Maria to blame. To call her a Designer is a massive under representation, she is a humble master of visual communication in the most comprehensive way. Be it ads, websites, product UX/UI, sales decks, internal presentations, brand explorations, stylescapes (I only know what this is because of her), you name it - she can effectively communicate and amplify the most nuanced ideas and user experiences, she makes the complex simple.”
Scott, Director of Demand Gen
Demand & Performance Marketers
“You might not know this, but if you've engaged with Refine Labs in any way, you've probably encountered Maria's design or creative work. From the website, to presentation imagery, to charts and graphs in sales decks. I personally leveraged a lot of Maria's designs in my sales process, and her constant refinement and improvement of various things from the website to random images was immensely helpful.”
Erik, Director of Sales
Sales Team
“Maria has wowed me since day one with her ability to think outside the box, be a team player, and inspire her peers! Her ability to do web, branding, motion, and AI DESIGN well speaks volumes. Every challenge or hurdle I've seen her overcome with grace, strength, and a new skill set.”
Triana, VP of Creative
Executives
“Maria has somehow managed to strike the balance between being an absolute joy and an absolute force to work with. Her smarts, savvy, and design style make her a powerful addition to any team, and her design skills are best in class. In addition to collaborating on brand strategy, website creation, and visual identity work for the broader business, where Maria was a quick, responsive, and proactive partner, Maria was also a design partner for our B2B SaaS / subscription product. In that regard, she contributed to everything from UI / UX work related to the product design and platform itself (creating prototypes, wireframing, interaction design, solving for issues within userflows, etc.) to the visual system and user experience specific to various assets within the product itself (which were the main way users would derive value from the product).”
Victoria, Growth Strategy & Product Marketing
Product Marketers
Creative Directors
“She is a creative powerhouse, always impressing us with her outstanding design skills and ability to deliver top-notch work on every project. Working with Maria was a true inspiration, as her drive and commitment motivated me to improve my own design and leadership skills.”
Marcel, Associate Creative Director
“As a copywriter, having a positive relationship with designers is critical in terms of finding way to bring complex concepts to life. Maria is that magical designer who can not only take a concept and run with it, but give it a fresh and creative spin that makes it even STRONGER. She has a fundamental understanding of design principles and best practices—and knows exactly when to either follow or BREAK those rules in order to create genuinely interesting work that compels people to lean in a bit closer.”
Lex, Senior Copywriter