About me

Hi, I am Aivé.

Brand designer and creative director based in Mexico. I help founders and emerging brands build a visual identity and digital presence that actually performs. Not just looks pretty.

A
MEXICO FOUNDER
My story

Design with intention.

I started Moon Flare Studio because I was tired of seeing beautiful brands that did not perform. Pretty logos with no system. Stunning websites that no one could find on Google. Brand books that ended up in a folder nobody opened.

My approach is different: strategy first, beauty second. Every visual decision serves a business goal. Every color, font, layout choice has a reason. The end result still looks gorgeous, but it also works.

I work with founders and emerging brands across the Americas and Europe. The kind of clients who are building something they actually care about. Not just another business.

My biggest ongoing partnership is with Upgraded Formulas, a US wellness brand for whom I have produced 3 landing pages and dozens of high-performance ad creatives. We have been working together since 2024.

Beyond Upgraded Formulas, I have helped local brands like Clear Choice (water purification, Tijuana), Color Norte (printing company in Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua), and 4 Elementos (a pre-hispanic restaurant in Playa del Carmen) build visual identities that actually represent who they are and what they do. Plus a steady stream of selected logo and stationery work for brands across categories.

I also have a background in photography, which deeply informs my design work. The way I think about light, composition, and storytelling comes from years behind a camera. That sensibility is in every project I touch.

My path here was a bit unconventional. I studied Graphic Design at UACH in Chihuahua, where I fell in love with the craft. Then I went to Vancouver for a year to nail my English at ILSC (B2 to C1, which now lives in every bilingual project I touch). After that I landed in Barcelona, where I did two masters back to back: Multi-device Web Design at EsDesign, then Digital Marketing at Eude Business School. Yes, I overdid it. No, I do not regret it. That combo is exactly why my work is also strategic.

Living in Spain unlocked years of traveling across Europe and Southeast Asia, which is when my obsession with landscape, travel and architecture photography really took off. I am also a hopeless museum nerd, especially modern art and European history. Now I am rooted in Playa del Carmen, plugged into the local creative community. I have been a panelist and speaker at PDC Community Events and Web Reviews, in both English and Spanish. PDC is a constant mix of digital nomads, founders and creatives from everywhere. Bilingual is not a feature on my CV, it is just how I work.

My path

How I got here.

A year in Canada
Vancouver, BC
My first big jump abroad. I went to learn English, came back with a second language and a different way of looking at the world.
BA in Graphic Design
Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH), Mexico
Where it all began. Typography, layout, branding, print fundamentals. The place where I fell in love with the craft.
First steps as a designer
Mexico
Right after graduating I started my design career. First clients, first lessons, first reality checks.
Documentary Photography
Diploma · Guadalajara, Mexico
A documentary photography diploma in Guadalajara. This is where my eye for storytelling and composition really took shape, and it has informed every design I have made since.
Master in Multi-device Web Design
EsDesign · Barcelona, Spain
Off to Barcelona. A master focused on responsive design, UX, design systems and front-end fundamentals across screens. The shift from print thinking to digital thinking.
Master in Digital Marketing
Eude Business School · Barcelona, Spain
Stayed in Barcelona for a second master. SEO, paid media, content, analytics. The marketing brain behind the design hands. This combo is the secret sauce.
Travel years across Europe and Southeast Asia
Based in Spain
While living in Spain I traveled like crazy across Europe and Southeast Asia. Landscape, travel, architecture, museums. Every trip rewired the way I see and design.
Back to Mexico, hello Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen, MX
After Barcelona I came back home and chose Playa del Carmen as my base. The mix of nomads, founders and creatives passing through is exactly the energy I wanted around me.
Independent Brand Designer
Freelance, Mexico and beyond
Branding for clients across restaurants, services, retail and tech. Portfolio includes Clear Choice, Color Norte, 4 Elementos and others.
Panelist & Speaker
PDC Community Events, Web Reviews
Active in the local creative community. Panel guest sharing insights on design, brand strategy and digital. Both English and Spanish.
Lead Creative Designer at Upgraded Formulas
Remote · USA
Integrated creative partner with a US wellness brand. Landing pages, ad creatives for Meta and Google, ongoing visual direction at scale.
Founder & Creative Director
Moon Flare Studio · Playa del Carmen
My own studio. Brand and web design for founders. Clients across the Americas and Europe. Brand identity, landing pages and ad creatives, end-to-end.
Off the clock

What I am into.

01

Minimalism & contemporary design

Less but loaded. Designs that breathe, communicate fast, and survive longer than a trend cycle.

02

European history

Total geek for it. Living in Spain unlocked a years-long obsession with the way Europe layers stories on top of each other, century after century.

03

Travel & landscape photography

Years of traveling Europe and Southeast Asia with a camera. Landscape, architecture, the geometry of unfamiliar places.

04

Modern art & history museums

If you give me a free afternoon in any city, I am at the museum. Modern art, contemporary, history, all of it.

05

Movement in design

The way micro-animations, transitions and rhythm guide the eye. Movement done well is invisible. Movement done poorly is everywhere.

06

Communicating clearly

My one rule above everything else. Pretty without clarity is decoration. I am not in the decoration business.

Selected work

Brands I have built with.

Upgraded Formulas
USA · Wellness & Biohacking · 2024-Present
Lead creative for landing pages and high-performance ad creatives. Ongoing partnership.
4 Elementos
Playa del Carmen, MX · Pre-hispanic Restaurant
Restaurant with pre-hispanic theme and unique mixology. Photography and social media management.
Mr. Burro Café
Colorado, USA · Café & Restaurant
Full branding, menu design, and website. Bringing Mexican café energy to Colorado.
Tres Marías
Chihuahua, MX · Restaurant
Complete brand identity for a restaurant in Chihuahua. From logo to applications.
Clear Choice
Tijuana, MX · Water Purification
Complete brand identity and website. Live at clearchoicemx.com.
Color Norte
Cuauhtémoc, MX · Printing
Logo and brand book for a printing company serving the Mennonite community.
Speakeasy Mastermind
Playa del Carmen, MX · Live Events
Event photography for a high-level entrepreneurial mastermind held in Playa del Carmen.
Personal Project
Mexico · Service-Based Business
Brand identity and website design for a service-based business launch.
Toolkit

Tools & expertise.

Design

Figma Photoshop Illustrator Lightroom

Web & Build

Framer Webflow Wix Studio Shopify GoHighLevel WordPress HTML/CSS

Marketing & AI

Meta Ads SEO Claude ChatGPT Higgsfield Manus

Want to work together?

If you are building something you care about, I would love to hear from you. I respond fast and I am honest about what I can do for you.