How Mercedes Márquez built Avellana Studio on clarity over noise

Mercedes Márquez started her career in finance – a path she describes with self-awareness as “a slightly absurd choice” given her skillset. That detour, though, left its mark. Working in communications for a lifestyle brand, she developed an acute understanding of how positioning and perception shape a business, and it is this strategic instinct that underpins Avellana Studio, the Madrid-based creative studio she founded in 2016. Since then, Márquez has refined the practice into something deliberately small and selective, guided by a belief that branding operates emotionally long before it operates rationally. “A font can signal authority or fragility,” she explains. “A visual system can suggest confidence… or overcompensation.” In this interview, she discusses why most briefs are clarity problems rather than design problems, how her team’s diverse backgrounds expand the work, and what it means to lead with both rigour and kindness. TBI: Hi Mercedes! How are things at Avellana Studio? MM: Hi! Thank you for asking. We’re busy, in a good way. We’ve worked very hard the last few years and have been quite demanding with ourselves, refining our perspective and raising our standards.