Maria Carbone

Maria is an independent designer, artist, and creative force. As a kid, she daydreamt… a lot! She liked fast cars and found great pleasure in creating works of art. She believes her curiosity about the world and being left-handed in a right-hand centric world have shaped her keen ability to look at problems and their solutions from every angle. 

In 1994 Maria joined DeFrancis Studio working along side Lisa DeFrancis and in 1998 she took over the studio to which it became DeFrancis Carbone. Her career experience in product design, environmental graphics, branding, and publication design has given her a wide range of skills that enable her to create a strong, consistent brand message across a variety of touchpoints. Maria excels at managing teams, collaborating with project partners and overseeing the various stages of a project. She also serves as a trusted advisor and consultant to in-house teams. 

Her award-winning work has been recognized over the years by numerous design organizations and industry magazines including the New England Museum Association, New England Bookbuilders, ReBrand 100, Communication Arts and Print to name a few. She is a graduate of Syracuse University’s School of Art and Design. 

When not coming up with creative design solutions for her clients, Maria can be found creating personal works of art; whipping up delicious meals in her kitchen for family and friends; or enjoying the great outdoors. She has a passion for the Italian language and culture and travels to Italy frequently and often pretends she is there when she is not.

As a small nonprofit organization, we value collaborative working relationships, especially those that help us to build our inhouse capacity and learn. A colleague referred us to Maria when we were in a crunch wrapping up a publication. Maria stepped in quickly and nimbly, providing expert guidance as she worked closely with our team to complete the project within a tight deadline. Her patient, skillful approach transformed a stressful situation into a positive learning experience and foundation for future collaboration. —Anne-Marie Lubenau, Director of the Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence, Bruner Foundation

I have had the privilege of knowing and working with Maria for over twenty years. She is creative, talented, reliable, and a fun person to work with. I always trust her knowledge, experience and common sense, and enjoy her clever wit. She has a great eye for classic quality, but isn’t afraid to put a fresh and interesting twist on things. Anyone would be lucky to have the opportunity to work with her. —Eric Roth, Owner, Eric Roth Photography 

Maria’s excellent designs and commitment to quality redefined the organization's brand, transforming its image from a distinguished but somewhat stodgy old museum into a lively, exciting, creative and accessible place of great interest to a broad public. I look back on the fifteen plus years I worked with Maria as one of the most satisfying experiences of my career. —Nancy Curtis, former Publications Manager at Historic New England

Our annual reports are crucial to the success of our fundraising efforts in the US and Europe. Maria and her team have taken this responsibility very seriously to ensure that each piece is the best representation of our organization. Their great work has contributed to our growth and ability to serve the communities where we work. —Jacob Lief, President & Founder of Ubuntu Education Fund

It’s hard to overstate the value of working with a true collaborator. As an art director and designer, Maria carefully thinks through each assignment and identifies the feeling you are after, and then conveys the appropriate message through outstanding design. All with the utmost attention and care. —Cathy Armer, former Managing Editor of The Mary Baker Eddy Library magazine

Services

Creative Direction
Art Direction
Strategy
Design
Production
Print Management & Consultation
Project Management

Representative client List

AIDS Action Committee
Amos Tuck School of Management at Dartmouth College
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
Beansprout Network
Bruner Foundation
The Concord Museum
Consolidated Service Corporation
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Eric Roth Photography
The Forum Corporation
Hercules Chemical Corporation
Historic New England
Ingalls Cronin
Krent/Paffett Associates
Lesley College School of Management
MacMaster Music 
The Mary Baker Eddy Library
Massachusetts Health and Human Services
Mead Paper
Merlin Metalworks
Montshire Museum of Science
North Bennet Street School
Optikos Corporation
Pan-Massachusetts Challenge
Physical Sciences, Inc.
Quixote Press
ResourceNet International
Simon Pearce
Teak Media Communications
Trinity Repertory Theater
Tufts Medical Center
Tutor Perini Corporation
Ubuntu Education Fund
Vermont Castings 
Walnut Hill School for the Arts 
The Writing of Mary Baker Eddy
Xpedx 
Workplace Essentials