I've always been a creative/nerd person who likes technology and games. I learned how to assemble and repair PCs at 12 years old before I could even have my computer. At the time, it was an expensive item for a large part of the population in Brazil. I used to go to friends' houses to have access to technology, and on one of these visits, I was introduced to Web Design, where our hobby was making sites for our favorite games on the FrontPage software.
I always like to connect the dots.
I had the opportunity to have a scholarship for a web design and programming course. Where I learned to develop ASP systems, animated Flash websites, and edit images in Photoshop.
In the early 2000s, there was a boom in cyber cafes in my city, which made me put two things I loved: games and design. I made the vast majority of the websites of the cyber cafes in my neighborhood and installed scoreboards on servers in exchange for hours to be able to play Counter-Strike. At that time, e-sport became something relevant for me. I ended up being part of the design teams of significant news portals on this theme, such as Sogamed, Gotfrag, and MYM, where I worked remotely with the editorial team of Europe. And I created the first podcast of e-sport in my country where Samsung sponsored us.
Choosing a college was not a difficult task. I knew it would be digital design. I was fortunate with my college professors; they set up the first interaction design institute in Brazil, Faber Ludens. And topics like usability, user research, information architecture, and interaction design were part of my routine, and everything was very fresh at the time.
Another luck I had was to join a good company quickly. I joined Mídia Digital (JWT Group), one of the leading digital agencies of the time, as an intern in information architecture and usability. This experience was perfect for me. I needed to solve problems of several segments in many different ways, from interactive websites for advertising campaigns to complex retail management systems.
As my career progressed, I reached a point where I could start an international career or open my own digital products studio. I chose the second option, today HUNA is over seven years old. To do the design always was the easiest part of my day. I need to learn how to do the company's HR, financial, and business administration. Today the company works for large companies in Brazil, being recognized as the company that solves complex problems.
I have been designing and leading teams of designers to deliver great experiences to people, society, and businesses. I believe we live in an age where the designer has to think beyond the projected artifact itself.
I sought to specialize in cultural anthropology, where I learned to a better view of the cultural context that we live in. And as a designer, I'm looking to do products that are meaningful to the life of each human being. Everything we design is impacting the way people live and interact with society. We can create digital artifacts that can generate anxiety, depression, digital addition, and hate.
I've been looking for each new project and creating and inspiring designers to think about the projected social impact. As a designer, we can mediate and improve the way people interact with the world.
And for me, at the end of the day, design needs to be about form, function, and culture.