Designed for meaningful work
Our role is to bring focus to your vision. To strip it back to the core and shape it into a brand that communicates purposefully and with heart.
How we work matters just as much as what we create. We listen first, ask the right questions, and design thoughtfully. We walk alongside you as things take shape so when it’s time to step forward, you can do so with confidence.
We’re really glad you’re here.
Vera exists for founders who feel their work is part of something bigger than themselves.
Leia & Jay
Founders of Vera Creative Partners
We’ve seen countless meaningful ideas, businesses, and missions go unnoticed—not because they lacked value, but because their message wasn’t clear.
What we're built on
At the heart of every partnership are these five commitments.
We're not vendors. We're invested in the success of what you're building as if it were our own.
Partnership
We hold your brand
to the standard your work deserves and find ways to lift it higher.
Elevation
Intentionality
Every choice has a reason that's grounded in strategy and aligned with your vision.
We care about the details because the details are what people feel.
CRAFT
Truth
We listen before we lead. Finding the heart of your work is where where we start.
The people behind the work
Leia has spent 21 years in the design industry — long enough to know the difference between a brand that looks good and one that performs.
From leading global creative teams at Princess Cruises to founding her own independent studio, her career has been defined by deep attentiveness to meaning and a commitment to excellence.
Leia loves to get lost in her work, and deep dive in brainstorms while testing coffeeshops all over Southern California.
JAY mariano,
co-founder, Director of Brand Strategy
Leia mariano,
co-founder, creative Director
Design leader and former game director with over a decade of experience crafting engaging experiences and leading teams to bring them to life. Jay has designed games for brands like Disney Interactive, Netflix, and Funko, bringing a storytelling approach to branding focused on clarity, emotion, and how people discover and connect with a brand.
Outside of work, Jay is driven by a love of games and pro wrestling, drawn to the energy, immersiveness, and unforgettable moments both create. Whether designing a game or shaping a brand, he focuses on building experiences people genuinely connect with.
We work differently, and that's intentional.
Every client gets our full attention, our best thinking, and a process built around their specific vision — not a templated deliverable list.
We take on a limited number of projects at a time. Not because we can't handle more, but because the work deserves it.
It's a seamless approach to refinement that a standard agency can’t replicate.
Beyond being partners in life, we are collaborators by instinct. At Vera, your brand becomes part of our internal dialogue, evolving through a continuous flow of ideas rather than just scheduled meetings.
We don't just execute your ideas — we contribute our own. You hired us for our judgment, and we use it.
We bring a point of view
We'll push back when something doesn't serve your brand. Honest partnership means saying the hard thing when it matters.
We protect the work
Every brand we create is built to grow with the work — not just look good at launch and drift from there.
We build for longevity
Every project begins with deep discovery — understanding not just what you do, but why it matters and who it's for.
We listen before we design
The Vera Standard
A strategic system for building brands that work — and brands that mean something.
