489 - Marijana Pavlinić

Marijana Pavlinić is part of the team at LiveKit, shaping the future of real-time connection. She focuses on branding and the livekit.io website, while recently diving into frontend to help refine the details.

Prior to this, she was a Brand Designer at Supabase.

She also co-runs Buka Studio, helping startups bring ideas to life through design and code. Her work centers on branding, web design, and illustration, creating work that’s cohesive and impactful.

Website → marijanapav.com
Twitter (X) → x.com/marijanapav
Bluesky → bsky.app/profile/marijanapav.com
LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/marijana-pavlinic

Marijana's Workspace Tour

Workspace Items

• 14” Macbook Pro M3
• Studio Display
• Ikea Övraryd bamboo table top combined with Hilver and Alex Drawers
• Ikea Kallax storage unit
• Herman Miller Aeron Chair
• 12.9-inch iPad Pro and Pencil
• Logitech MX Anywhere 3S
• iPhone 16 Pro
• AirPods 3
• Sony WH-1000XM6
• Ikea Solklint and Ranarp lamps
• Aranet 4
• Print by Strautniekas
• Print by Posterlad
• my moms 1982 Beier Beirette Electronic
• 1981 Revue X-4M (a rebranded Mamiya ZE-X)
• 3D printed Buka Studio logo
• HAY neon tube
• Mathmos 1960s Lava Lamp

Coffee Gear

• La Marzocco Linea Micra
• La Marzocco Pico Grinder
• 1zpresso JX Pro
• Aeropress

Digital Tools

• Figma
• Linear
• Affinity Photo
• Notion
• Raycast
• Procreate

How do you spark creativity?

I work from a home office with my partner, which means we often inspire each other. He’s a software engineer interested in design, and I’m a designer interested in frontend—so we often bounce ideas off of each other and share inspiring stuff we find online.

Beyond that, I collect inspiration everywhere—mymind, pinterest, are.na, or our own WIP Chrome extension EchoTab for bookmarking links. I've also built a private system in Notion to store and connect ideas, jotting down half-formed thoughts whenever inspiration strikes. It's a gallery of random sparks waiting for the right moment.‍

What does your typical day look like?

Since I work remotely with a team based mostly in San Francisco while I’m in Croatia, my mornings tend to be pretty relaxed. While they're offline, I either dive into deep focus work to prepare for the day—or I take it slow, enjoying a quiet morning with coffee.

One of the things I appreciate most about my schedule is the freedom to take breaks whenever I need to—whether it’s stepping back to reset and return with fresh eyes or leaning into a wave of momentum and working deep into the night when everything just clicks! I spend a lot of time working, but because I love what I do, it never really feels like a chore. Beyond my day-to-day work, I often work on side projects too, I pour a lot of energy into it simply because I enjoy it.