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In today’s creative economy, versatility is the new standard. As the boundaries between industries dissolve, the most compelling artists aren’t those who stay in one lane — they’re the ones who build their own. Actors launch fashion lines, influencers become entrepreneurs, and designers become cultural tastemakers. In this landscape, a strong personal brand isn’t just a bonus, it’s a necessity.
For Swiss actress and style influencer Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen, crafting that brand meant developing a visual identity as dynamic as her career. It was the perfect opportunity for multidisciplinary designer Ela Villarreal to bring that vision to life.
Holthuizen’s trajectory is emblematic of the modern creative’s path. After her breakout role in Blue My Mind (2017), followed by a supporting part in Killing Eve (2018) and an anticipated lead in Mädchen Mädchen (2025), she could have comfortably stayed in the acting world. Instead, she branched out — collaborating on two capsule collections with fashion brand NA-KD and cultivating a social media presence that now reaches over 300,000 followers. As her influence expanded across film, fashion, and digital culture, a question emerged: how do you maintain a coherent identity when your career spans many different worlds?
This evolution isn’t unique to Zoë, it reflects a broader cultural shift. Today’s creative figures aren’t just artists, actors, or influencers. They’re brand-builders. And in a world that moves at the speed of content, consistency has become currency. A fragmented identity can dilute even the most talented voice, while a cohesive brand acts as a foundation, anchoring the audience’s perception across mediums. But coherence doesn’t mean rigidity. For modern creatives, branding must be flexible enough to evolve alongside them without losing its essence.
That’s where Ela Villarreal came in. Known for her ability to translate complex identities into compelling visuals, Villarreal partnered with Zoë to craft a brand identity that could evolve alongside her expanding creative career.
Villarreal approached the collaboration with a mix of intuition and precision. The result was a bespoke typographic wordmark — minimalist but never cold, refined yet subtly expressive. It captured the dualities at the heart of Zoë’s image: elegant without being fragile, strong without feeling rigid. In a visual culture dominated by trends, the mark stood out for its timelessness and individuality.
What started as a logo quickly grew into the foundation of a more extensive visual system. Villarreal’s design language began to appear across Zoë’s campaign materials, social media presence, and press assets. It didn’t just tie everything together visually, it underscored Zoë’s credibility as a creative force beyond acting. The brand became a shorthand for her evolving ethos: thoughtful, stylish, and unapologetically multidimensional.
Perhaps the clearest sign of success? The collaboration didn’t stop there. Ela and Zoë have since built an ongoing creative partnership, with new projects already in development. It’s the kind of synergy that speaks to the power of branding done right — when design becomes more than aesthetic and becomes a tool for growth, reinvention, and long-term storytelling.
Her hybrid background informs Villarreal’s unique approach. With a foundation in business strategy and visual communication, she brings analytical rigor to her creative process. Past collaborations with brands like Adobe, Pantone, and Cosmos have sharpened her ability to navigate complex identities, while her design-focused content has reached millions online. A recent appearance at Adobe MAX London further cemented her growing influence. Currently expanding her expertise into interior and experiential design through studies at Parsons, Villarreal’s mission remains to help creatives build identities as ambitious and versatile as they are.
Zoë Pastelle Holthuizen’s story is more than a case of celebrity diversification. It’s a testament to what’s possible when artistic vision meets intentional design. Together, she and Villarreal have crafted a brand that doesn’t constrain, but liberates. In an age where creatives wear many hats, the most powerful brands aren’t built around what someone does. They’re built around who they are—and how far they’re willing to go.
