Graphic Communication Design graduate from Universidad de Guadalajara (2012), with over a decade of experience spanning product design, branding, editorial, signage, packaging, and illustration. Japanese-born, Mexican-raised, and fluent in the visual language of both.
My career began in architectural design studios, where I developed a strong foundation in branding, editorial systems, and wayfinding design across large-scale projects. This transitioned into two years of freelance work that taught me something invaluable: design is a business first, a creative practice second, and understanding both sides makes the work significantly better (and the client conversations much less painful).
That perspective carried into my time at Wizeline, where my lateral thinking and end-to-end experience made me an effective client-facing designer. I gradually moved into UI design, working on products for clients like Walmart and Rappi, before landing at MiSalud (a bilingual telehealth company serving the US and Mexico) where I eventually became the sole designer. From product strategy and feature definition to user research, prototyping, and brand assets, I've basically become a one-woman design department. I've grown to love it.
Outside of work, I co-created the graphic design and illustration for Cute and Aggressive Capybaras; a board game that started as a crowdfunding dream and is now a real, physical thing you can buy in stores, with expansions coming.
I'm also developing my personal illustration practice through single images, fanzines, and short comics. Follow the chaos at @chisae_tanaka.