Creative Brand Strategist · Medellín, Colombia

Good branding lives where people use it: the sign, the feed, the shelf, the kitchen.

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What I do

I take a brand past the guidelines, into the menu, the room, the content plan and the team that has to run it.

Freelance and contract
Remote from Medellín
English and Spanish

Get in touch CV (PDF)

Four cases

And seven more projects

01
Moabet + ReunionA Friday dinner that became a product.Brooklyn · 2022–2025
02
Las CarnudasTwo burgers, written down to the gram.Medellín · 2026
03
Pulso SerenoFrom the name to the handover.Medellín · 2026
04
OnoffAppliances, shown doing their job.Itagüí · since June 2026

Santiago Arboleda and a colleague celebrating beside a candlelit event table — Case 01 / 04Moabet + ReunionBrooklyn, NY · 2022–2025Kabalat Shabbat, one Friday among roughly seventy

01Moabet + Reunion

A Friday dinner that became a product.

Brooklyn, NY
2022–2025
Operations & Brand Lead

Brand, communications, commercial planning and operations

Two concepts, one kitchen, one team

Moabet and Reunion shared a kitchen, a team and a restaurant group, but each needed its own reason to exist. I worked across brand, communications, commercial planning and daily operations, so what we promised had to match what guests found in the room.

Fridays of Kabalat Shabbat, roughly, from March 2024 to July 2025: 70
Recipes in the book, with different budgets for different events: 21
In the kitchen, four on a shift: 11
Covers in the Reunion event format, 120 in summer: 60–120

Film Moabet, Brooklyn

The room changed every week. The format didn’t.

The Friday product

I turned Kabalat Shabbat from a one-off event into a Friday product. “A new tradition” set the idea. The identity, the table, the signs, the welcome and the programming carried it every Friday from March 2024 to July 2025. DJs, comedy nights and brand partners joined the same format without rebuilding it each time. I was their point of contact.

Kabalat Shabbat campaign piece on green velvet with the line A new tradition — DirectionKabalat Shabbat: “A new tradition.”

Reunion menu beside challah and shared dishes for A Jewish Catskills Weekend — MenuReunion at A Jewish Catskills Weekend

The numbers

I built a 21-recipe book with budgets by event type, set portion standards and changed suppliers when prices moved. Guests asked for branzino. Flying it in frozen for a Mediterranean menu in Brooklyn made no sense, so we served porgy caught off the East Coast, and the floor knew how to explain the choice.

Santiago Arboleda and a colleague preparing plates together in the restaurant kitchen — PrepPrep for service · a kitchen of eleven, four on a shift

A large labeled assortment of pitas being served at a Reunion event — ServiceThe event format at Reunion · 60 covers, 120 in summer

What happened next

The group was hired to stage the format in Los Angeles, and I travelled with the owners to run it. By the time I left, it was one of the group’s five biggest revenue lines.

A gloved hand laying a slice of American cheese on a patty on the grill — Case 02 / 04Las CarnudasGuayabal, Medellín · 2026Cheese goes on at the flip, then the dome

02Las Carnudas

Two burgers, written down to the gram.

Guayabal, Medellín
Open since September 2026
With SELF Studio
Identity by SELF Studio

Brand voice, product development, recipe cards, kitchen protocol

The brief

Las Carnudas talks like the neighborhood it comes from: plain, paisa, a little cheeky. “Sin tanto visaje,” no fuss. The burger had to say the same thing without making a speech about it.

A supplier's blend, chosen over the custom 60/40 because it tasted right and cost less: 80/20
On the menu: 200g
A side on the grill: 7min
Off the grill: 60°C

No fuss on the menu meant no guessing at the grill.

A double cheeseburger with bacon and pickles on a red plastic stool — PhotographyThe red plastic stool is the A in the logo

Red Las Carnudas menu with a burger photo and the line Sin tanto visaje — Menu“Mucho sabor, sin tanto visaje.” Lots of flavor, no fuss.

The first tasting

A sesame bun toasted until it cracks, one slice of American cheese, a thick salted tomato and a garlic confit house sauce. The salt stayed open until we could measure it instead of guessing.

Tongs placing sliced onion on a cheeseburger with pickles — AssemblyOnion and pickles with tongs, never by hand

A person holding a sesame bun burger with both hands, mouth open for a bite — TableThe first bite

The cost call

The custom 60/40 blend tasted right. A supplier's 80/20 tasted right too and cost less, so it went on the menu: 200 g, seven minutes a side, off the grill at 60 °C.

What the team got

Four recipe cards, a shopping list and an assembly protocol for three people: the grill cook, the owner who checks every ticket, and the cashier. It starts two hours before opening.

A group practicing standing on mats along a wooden path in a bamboo grove — Case 03 / 04Pulso SerenoMedellín · 2026On the site: Philosophy

03Pulso Sereno

From the name to the handover.

Medellín, Colombia
2026
Sole author of strategy, identity and design

Strategy, naming, visual identity, web design, image production, handover manual

The brief

Pulso Sereno needed breathing, movement, meditation and silence to feel close to everyday life, without the clichés of wellness.

Illustrated notebooks, one per week of the MET program: 8
Canva handover manual, so the identity could continue beyond the first build: 1

Webpulsosereno.yoga · Home page, live · Visit the site

What I made

I took the work from strategy and naming through the visual identity, the website and original image production. Unna, DM Sans, blue ink and plenty of white space gave the practice a look and a voice people could step into.

Eri standing in the forest with her hands joined, eyes closed — PhotographyOn the site · About Eri

MET notebook cover for week two, Respirar es volver, with an engraved portrait, a violet circle and an orange crayon stroke — NotebookMET program · Week two cover

The program

Eri wrote the eight-week MET program. I turned it into eight illustrated notebooks, one per week, in the site’s type and color, with an illustration system of their own.

The handover

A Canva manual, so the identity could keep going after the first build.

A woman in a green shirt hugging an Onoff coffee maker, eyes closed — Case 04 / 04OnoffItagüí, Colombia · since June 2026Amor y Amistad key visuals, September

A woman in a pink shirt hugging an Onoff blender in her kitchen, smiling with her eyes closed — Case 04 / 04OnoffItagüí, Colombia · since June 2026Amor y Amistad key visuals, September

04Onoff

Appliances, shown doing their job.

Itagüí, Colombia
Monthly since June 2026
With SELF Studio

Creative direction, AI image production, video editing

The brief

Air fryers, blenders and fans on a white background look like every other catalog. The content had to show the product doing its job.

Every month

Since June I direct the content: formats, scripts, shoot plans and captions. I use AI to build the pieces and cut the video, and I check every piece against the real product.

Onoff post: penne boiling in a glass pot, with the line Sabe y se ve muy bien — FeedPosts from July 2026

Onoff post: iced coffee with milk in a double-wall glass mug, with the line Si es delicioso, haz que se vea — FeedPosts from July 2026

September: Amor y Amistad

Colombia celebrates love and friendship in September. The idea was “old loves, new romances”: break up with the tired appliance at home and start over with an Onoff. Every old appliance got its own breakup line.

Old stovetop moka pot under a big blue heart, with the line Tuvimos muy buenos días — Carousel“Tuvimos muy buenos días.” We had some very good mornings.

Old beige blender under a big blue heart, with the line Lo nuestro daba vueltas — Carousel“Lo nuestro daba vueltas.” What we had kept going in circles.

Old steel pot under a big blue heart, with the line Lo nuestro no estaba tan claro — Carousel“Lo nuestro no estaba tan claro.” What we had was never that clear.

Film Hot Sale, first 13 seconds

October: Hot Sale · one rule

The flame goes behind the people, never over the product.

A stop-motion film made from real product photos, with the campaign flame behind the people, and a cut for each product. The client approved the film as delivered.

Selected work

Seven more projects from 2026.

Where it says SELF Studio, the work was done with the studio and the role is mine.

Medellín2026
LAKI
Role
Partner · all the branding: strategy, naming, identity, design system
Elements
Rename from Lucky Dogs · logo system with six official versions · two type families · “Same Energy” campaign · design system with tokens · 23-piece graphic kit · master files and usage rules
Medellín2026
Pompos
Role
Creative direction and AI production, with SELF Studio
Elements
Campaigns built from the client’s own jewelry photos · AI images and video checked against the real piece · JCK trade show materials · social posts, mailings and invitations
Medellín2026
PAYÓ
Role
Operations and menu consultancy, with SELF Studio
Elements
Site visits to five stores · diagnosis of service and kitchen flow · menu redesign recommendations · sales read by store
Medellín2026
821 Green Capital
Role
Brand strategy and visual territory, with SELF Studio
Elements
A sustainability investor moved away from ESG clichés · reference benchmark · strategy and visual territory deck · logo approved in October 2026
Medellín2026
ÁLORA
Role
Naming, with SELF Studio
Elements
Name for a makeup retailer becoming a curator · research wall · layered clearance with legal review · creative direction for the store, in progress
Medellín2026
Fundación Clínica del Río
Role
Presentation system, freelance
Elements
14-layout PowerPoint template · curves taken from the approved identity · usage guide
Medellín2026
SELF Studio
Role
Editorial direction and design
Elements
Pinterest Predicts, TikTok Next and D&AD 2026 read side by side · Instagram carousel · screen recordings of the real reports · public guide

Santiago Arboleda, black and white portrait in a kitchen — Santiago Arboleda Mesa · Medellín, Colombia

About

Agencies, kitchens, a studio.

I spent my first years in branding agencies in Bogotá and Medellín on strategy, naming and identity, then eight years in New York kitchens, the last three running brand and operations for a restaurant group. Now I’m independent, working with SELF Studio and my own clients.

Brand strategy
Naming
Verbal identity
Creative direction
AI image and video production
Design systems
Menu and operations

MA in Branding and Packaging, BAU Barcelona, 2013. Graphic and Advertising Communication, Universidad de Medellín, 2011.

Bogotá and Medellín2010–2016

2015–2016Creative DirectorPlasma Nodo, MedellínTeam of six; branding, naming, brand and space
2014–2015Brand Strategy DirectorGrupo IRIS, BogotáTeam of ten; naming from creation to identity
2013–2014Art DirectorAgencia Básica, MedellínÉxito, Unicentro, Kikes, Familia, Sura
2011–2012Social Media CreativeEl Grifo, MedellínLotería de Medellín, Vive Vinos
2010–2011Graphic DesignerAlianza Gastronómica, MedellínPieces for the group's restaurant franchises

New York2017–2025

2022–2025Operations & Brand LeadMoabet + Reunion, BrooklynBrand, communications, commercial planning, costing
2020–2022Executive ChefLemons and Olives Catering, BrooklynWeddings, banquets and private events
2017–2020Pastry Sous Chef · Line CookBien Cuit · Fat Cat Kitchen, New York

Medellín2026–

2026–Creative Brand StrategistSELF Studio, Medellín

How I work · Brand to Floor

When I hand a brand over, the next person knows what to make, what to say and what to leave alone.

ReadI start with what already exists: the brief, the identity, the files and the things the team has already tried.
ChooseA name, a line, a hierarchy, a behavior. I make the call on what stays and what goes, with the people who will live with it.
MakeI carry that choice into the page, package, sign, script, template or service standard people will use. I use AI to produce images and video, checked against the real product.
Hand overI leave working files, rules and examples. The team can pick them up the next morning and know where to begin.

Bring me into your next project.

hola@santiagoarboleda.co LinkedIn CV (PDF)

Available: Freelance and contract, remote
Works with: Agencies, brand teams and founders. White-label is fine.
Languages: English and Spanish
Based in: Medellín, Colombia · UTC−5

Good branding lives where people use it: the sign, the feed, the shelf, the kitchen.

I take a brand past the guidelines, into the menu, the room, the content plan and the team that has to run it.

Four cases

The room changed every week. The format didn’t.

No fuss on the menu meant no guessing at the grill.

The flame goes behind the people, never over the product.

Seven more projects from 2026.

LAKI

Pompos

PAYÓ

821 Green Capital

ÁLORA

Fundación Clínica del Río

SELF Studio

Agencies, kitchens, a studio.

Bogotá and Medellín2010–2016

New York2017–2025

Medellín2026–

When I hand a brand over, the next person knows what to make, what to say and what to leave alone.

Bring me into your next project.