A wearer of many creative hats, Fernanda de Uriarte is hard to categorize. Simply calling her an “artist” – and a gifted one at that – would be an understatement. As a child, she was always creating: painting, drawing, building, designing…surefire signs of an artist, yes. But this early penchant for arts and crafts soon developed into a strong fascination of something more than just art. Her creative spirit became enamored by industrial design. It was in this field that she felt she could excel—engaging her visual mind and artistic panache and channeling it into something more ‘practical’, something more experiential.
Today, Fernanda fuses her diverse expertise and experiences in the world of Design with her seasoned artistic skillset to offer various services as both a designer and graphic scribe/facilitator. She has joined the ranks of an increasing pool of women and men, artists particularly, and works independently. She loves the work she does and so do we.
Although originally from Mexico City, Fernanda also considers herself a Londoner. And rightfully so. After studying Product and Furniture Design in Mexico City, she moved to London in 2008 to pursue a Masters Degree in Narrative Environments at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design. This degree allowed her to continue exploring exhibition design – something she had dipped her toes into prior to leaving Mexico – as well as several other mediums of experiential design and storytelling. London quickly won her (and her boyfriend-now-husband) over, so it was only a matter of time before they planted their roots for the long-term.
Fernanda de Uriarte’s Design Background
In 2011, she became an associate of, the Incidentals a multi-disciplinary, participatory arts organisation, made of musicians, designers and programmers, to explore “ideas of sound, place and the creative experience.” At the same time, she continued work as a freelance designer, working between Paris, London and Mexico. In 2012, however, her world of design branched into another industry: that of graphic scribing and facilitation, where she jumped from sketching to illustration, in a process of un-learning and re-learning.
Need a Graphic Facilitator?
Innovation Arts gave Fernanda the opportunity to wear her collection of creative hats, synthesizing all of her past experiences in Design to ultimately create her position as a truly versatile team member. In addition to live scribing and graphic facilitation of collaborative sessions pre- and post- workshop, Fernanda also helped produce and manage internal and external content and materials with her unique graphic design know-how. She quickly grew from Junior to Senior Graphic Facilitator and Designer during her three years with the company.
After the birth of her son in 2014, Fernanda left Innovation Arts to become completely independent. As a freelance scribe and designer, she finds she has more time and space to pursue a greater diversity of projects; and, most importantly, more time to spend with her family.
Graphic Scribing and Designing as a Freelance
Today, Fernanda works between a panoply of industries – from the public sector to the private sector, from academia to NGO to corporate – providing her skills at conferences, workshops, and other events that demand her visual expertise in design and facilitation.
“You’re in touch with really interesting and diverse topics and people not only from the point of view of the clients or participants, but mainly from the point of view of the team—especially in workshops.” – Fernanda de Uriarte
Fernanda, like many of our affiliates, is amongst a tightly-knit network of artists and workshop facilitators. The same network Starfish Taylor is a part of. Zoe Palmer, Transformation Consultant and Starfish Taylor veteran (also based in London), connected Fernanda and Starfish in the summer of 2017; a connection that quickly brought Fernanda into the Starfish clan, and we couldn’t be happier.
Scribing as a Designer
As a designer, “Design Thinking” is Fernanda’s natural way of thinking and processing information. She is more than what one would call a “visual learner”, she is also a visual listener. She describes her method of capturing content as a sort of total presence, an amalgamation of tunnel vision and sound…”it feels like a different kind of listening…when you’re scribing you kind of zone out…it instinctively comes to you.” Many times, she witnesses presenters building context or telling a story before they actually make their point. This is where the talent comes into play. Using her trained ears and proclivity towards design, Fernanda is able to sift through complex vernacular and create a more palpable elucidation of problems’ causes and effects.
As another Starfish scribe, Tikka Hun, previously mentioned, being an ‘outsider’ allows you to read in between the lines and pick up patterns companies portray more easily. Many organizations are facing the same or very similar problems, thus enabling Fernanda and other graphic scribes alike to better gauge the essence of the issue(s) at hand and ideate towards solutions.
Knowledge wall created in collaboration with Abbie Burch © Cranfield University
While Fernanda relishes her artistic juvenilia, her tool belt has become more digital these days. Today she regards software like ProCreate an indispensable tool to her career – as well as any kind of chiseled-tip pen.
When working at home, music is also something Fernanda attributes to her creative process. Her most common choice lately is the jazzy, orchestral, genre-defying soundscapes of artists like, The Cinematic Orchestra or Quantic.
Our thoughts? Fabulous music that reflects her fabulous artistic track record.
