UNDER

CONSTRUCTION

Rara Matter is a design and strategy studio specializing in branding, visual, and UX solutions for arts, culture, and change.

We collaborate with purpose-driven brands and creatives to craft work that is both deliberate and designed to matter.

BASED IN: Los Angeles, Calif / Tongva, Chumash, & Fernandeño Tataviam Land

ACTIVE: Los Angeles & Worldwide

AVAILABILITY: Open to Collaborate

Services

Web & UX Design

Brand Identity & Strategy

Visual & Print Design

Speaking From Experience

  • “Finding the right graphic designer and brand strategist as a small business owner proved to be wildly difficult, but I am so grateful for having found Jessy as they helped make the entire process much easier. Their patience with my initial ideas was crucial to the development of a cohesive brand identity for my tequila brand. Jessy not only listened to my ideas, but took the time to understand my vision, values, goals, and gave valuable input to help develop the spirit that I wanted my brand to reflect. I could not be happier with their help and hope to be able to work with them on future projects!”

    Diana Bellaluz, Orgullo Ajeno Tequila

  • “Jessy’s collaboration in establishing our project’s visual identity was key to our success in reaching the communities we aimed to serve. Jessy approaches their work with the fundamentals of a solid designer: problem solving and intuitive solutions. They ask thoughtful questions and build genuine connections to cultivate an understanding of their client’s mission, style, and needs. During our time working with them, Jessy showed themself to be attuned to updates in the visual language and aesthetics of the subcultures that make up our target audience which led to solutions that felt fresh and relevant.”

    Valeria Velazques Dueñas, Across Our Kitchen Tables

  • “Jessy is a thoughtful designer that can easily connect the big picture to the intricate details of a design project. They supported our team in creating unique and bright designs for our annual fundraiser, designs that bring vibrancy and life to our work. Jessy also takes their time in asking thoughtful questions and sharing invaluable design knowledge, making design accessible to our small team. We are grateful for the collaboration with Jessy and look forward to working with them for future projects.”

    Jasmine Sánchez, Las Fotos Project

  • “To support communications and fund development efforts, YWFC needed a design partner who was consistent, reliable, innovative, and with a deep understanding of the criminal, social, and gender justice spaces across California. Jessy came on as a contractor, and has been a great support - developing creative assets for projects, fundraising, internal and external communications! They have a great capacity to visually represent our work in a thoughtful, dynamic, creative, innovative, and meaningful way.”

    Thabile Makue, Young Women’s Freedom Center

  • “I worked with Rara Matter to update my branding and website and it was one of the best decisions I've made for my art business. Jessy was thorough and thoughtful; she communicated clearly every step along the way and carefully considered my feedback. I am thrilled with the end result and would recommend Rara Matter to any creative who is looking to elevate their digital presence.”

    Nandi Jordan, Artist

  • “Jessy was great to work with throughout the entire process and provided us with a great data visualization art exhibit. They have excellent project management skills, are very organized, and provide clear expectations and timelines. Jessy is a great communicator and highly flexible. We loved the concept process and were impressed by the collaborative approach taken during the creative process. We had a positive experience working with Jessy, characterized by mutual respect and a friendly environment. We appreciated that they are fun to work with and are very personable. Also, Jessy’s unwavering commitment to racial and social justice shines throughout the entire design process.”

    SoCal Grantmakers

  • “We absolutely love the designs Jessy created for our company. We can’t express how thrilled we are with them. Working with them was always inspiring and very productive. Jessy is incredibly talented and skilled. They ensured that each step they laid out moved us closer to the final product and their approach to communication is clear, direct, and collaborative. I would definitely work with Jessy again.”

    Dy Cano, R/D Record Cabinets

  • “Jessy was a wonderful partner to work with on our Gender Equality Toolkit. Creatively, they were engaged and responsive, skillfully bringing out a coherent design identity from our team’s varied input and, at times, ill-defined direction. They were knowledgeable about the topic, which wasn’t a requirement, but helped immensely in bringing our vision for the project to life. As a project manager, Jessy was organized, timely, and flexible, confirming details and keeping us within the bounds of our tight timeline. Overall, they were a pleasure to work with. I would recommend Jessy widely and be delighted to work with them again.”

    Holly Millburn-Smith, CHANGE

  • “Creating my website with Jessy was the best decision I made! Jessy is an expert at communication and listening - I could not believe how well they understood my vision and implemented it so quickly and so beautifully. Every suggestion I had or detail I mentioned they paid attention to and it was such a seamless process because of this. Not only that, but they are extremely well organized and helped me understand every step along the way. I could not be happier with the way the entire design process happened!”

    Maria Stacey Maxfield, Opera Singer & Instructor

  • “Absolutely delightful and unparalleled to any experience I have ever had with a graphic designer on a book/catalogue project. Jessy's administrative and interpersonal skills are top-notch. I wouldn't be surprised if they accepts an artist raisonné project at this stage in their career. Our books with Jessy have been our largest print project at The Latinx Project since launching in 2018. They are an important milestone for us and exemplify the urgency and commitment we have to share the voices of Latinx Artists.”

    Nicole Mouriño, The Latinx Project at NYU

Get behind-the-screens.

Quarterly updates on new projects, what we’re wondering about, and studio happenings. We’ll keep it minimal, meaningful, and always curious.