Earlier in March, we decided to change things up a little, although “a little” in this case turned out to be a pretty big deal for us: Since last week, our website has been adorned with new illustrations by the absolutely brilliant artist Andrea Vollgas, giving our team an all-new face!
A few months ago, while sitting together and pondering Valeriana’s future, we quickly realised that — as part of our rebranding — we also wanted to do precisely that which we feel we’re best at: support great women. That is why we decided to bring an artist on board for our makeover that shouts empowerment into the world just as much as we do (nicely and politely, of course — you know us): Andrea describes herself as an artist, illustrator and storyteller who uses her work to question societal norms and gives unique perspectives a brightly coloured voice. She has created a variety of different types of editorials pertaining to themes ranging from body acceptance to diversity, feminism and queerness. These include collaborations with the organisation Body Respect Switzerland and with The Guardian on women in sports. And now with Valeriana, too — woohoo! Valeriana_women.png581 KBDownload
“Valeria is a project that I wholeheartedly support because, like me, it questions the status quo and supports people that are often left behind by our system. Its focus on equality and fair working conditions makes this project really special. That is why I am so excited to be part of it. When it came to the illustrations, it was especially important to me that they communicate joy and community. I wanted to make it clear that people here really work together, support each other overcome the hurdles of everyday life together hand in hand.” Wow — so we’re pretty much in love! And if you think Andrea seems just as great as we do, then we encourage you to check out her Website and follow her on social media (Facebook & Instagram). Let’s all support our local kick-ass artists!
Next to all the excitement, we don’t want to forget to mention that the rebranding also marks the end of an era of sorts. The era of our early days, so to say. When Valeriana first saw the light of day, it was through the eyes and illustrations of our tech guru Rodrigo. He gave our start-up its first face, with lovingly crafted drawings that you should be familiar with from our flyers, posters and social media content. At this point, we would like to say a big thank you to you, Rodrigo, and a heartfelt “Adé merci” to our “very first Valeriana woman”.
