Mariana D’Ornellas

Senior Experience Designer

Hometown: Curitiba – PR, Brazil

Last book you read / listened to: Stillness is the Key, by Ryan Holiday

What was your career path to Zynga?
I’ve always been drawn to everything artistic and creative, so choosing Visual Design as my degree was an easy decision. By my final year of university, I knew game development was where I wanted to focus my career, and UX/UI design seemed like the perfect blend of creativity and logic. Right after graduating, I started working as a UI Designer in a game studio, which confirmed that it was the right fit for me. I consider myself lucky to have known my career path early on and for all the support I got along the way. A year later, I made the big move from Brazil to Canada to study Game Art & Design.

Over the next ten years, I worked as a UX/UI designer on several indie titles across various platforms. Then, about a year ago, I joined Zynga as a Senior Experience Designer and relocated from Vancouver to Toronto to work on the Game of Thrones Legends team, which I’m super excited to be part of!

What’s the best advice you can give to someone that’s started their career?

Progress isn’t linear, if something feels especially challenging just trust the process and keep doing your best. 

What do you enjoy most about working here?

It has been a great experience to work with so many creative and talented people! I personally really appreciate the strong collaboration between different disciplines early in the process and how it helps create a better final product.

How do you celebrate and showcase your cultural heritage within the professional environment?

I helped organize a Brazilian festival called “Festa Junina” at our Toronto studio this year! It translates to “June Party” and it’s full of traditional food, drinks, and lots of colorful decorations. It was great seeing others enjoying my favorite Brazilian snacks as much as I do!

As an individual in the tech industry, what are some difficulties or obstacles that you’ve faced, and how did you overcome them?

One significant difficulty was adjusting to a new culture and environment after moving from Brazil to Canada. Initially, I often felt like the odd one out, being one of the few women and non-native English speakers in many rooms. Over time, I’ve learned to turn those experiences into something positive! Being the only woman in the room gives me the opportunity to create space for others, while my cultural background allows me to bring unique perspectives to the table.