The path started early. I was 10, doing small holiday jobs for the company where my dad worked. I couldn’t create much yet, but I could reproduce many things digitally — logos, flyers, presentations — by looking, understanding, and rebuilding it on the computer. That was my first contact with digital design.

By 14, I was designing websites and graphic material for local companies. Zero experience, low taste, a lot of thirst. I was guided more by work ethic and persistence than skill. Computers helped me overcome my poor drawing ability. When I first saw what was able to do digitally, I was completely hooked.

At 16, I had the unique opportunity to start what I like to call my first university. In reality, it was me working full-time for a Brazilian architect who was also a landscape designer, interior designer, and fine artist.

For two years, I began the process of learning how to draw technical plans by hand — using ink pens, razor blades to erase lines, and vellum sheets — and how to design a house, from the landscape to the interiors and styling.

During those years:

• I learned that a garden can double the value of a house and that it represents at least 50% of its aesthetic quality.
• I learned that interiors must reflect both the client’s character and the architect’s vision.
• I learned that beauty and functionality shape our mood, and that good design transforms how people experience life.
• I understood the difference between tacky and shallow design vs spaces with depth and character.
• I understood the difference between sterile minimalism and elegant sophistication.
• I learned to use space, shadows, proportions to build atmosphere and shape the emotional experience of a place.
• I also started to develop my own taste and aesthetic compass.

We designed custom elements such as pendants, wall lamps, and artworks for the houses, which gave me a broader understanding of how design connects with craftsmanship.

We spent hours studying Spanish, Italian, German, and Australian architecture and landscape magazines, and through them I discovered the balance between classical European influence and the pragmatic clarity of Australian, German, and Scandinavian design.

I had the opportunity to draft and design facades, interiors, and landscapes for amazing holiday homes in the hills near Petrópolis, Rio de Janeiro.

Luiz Carlos Xavier de Carvalho, the architect I worked for, became both a mentor and a dear friend — to this day. No university could have offered such exposure to the many expressions of design and art.

Those two years felt like ten, and remain one of the best periods of my life for how much I learned.

That experience became the foundation for everything that came later — my sense of aesthetic, a sharp eye for detail, a sensibility for design with soul and for what makes design timeless.

Before moving to Rio de Janeiro, I had already built a small studio in my hometown. At around 20, I joined Domus, a major creative agency specialising in architecture and real estate. The pace was intense and the output enormous. It taught me diligence, efficiency, accuracy, and business awareness.

We worked for the largest construction and development companies in Brazil, producing campaigns and visuals for projects that defined the real estate boom of that decade in the country. During those years, Domus became and still is one of the most renowned real estate creative agency in Brazil, shaping how architecture and property are communicated visually.

There I learned how to deliver quality at scale.

During those years, I transitioned from a self-taught digital designer to a more technically grounded professional. I studied visual communication, photography, lighting, composition, and design in depth, refining both craft and discipline.

Years later, I co-founded Studio Nuts, a creative production studio focused on the advertising industry.

Those years were really intense — long hours, impossible deadlines, and bureaucratic workflows with many decision-makers.

The amazing side of all of that was that the cracks in the industry pushed my versatility, technical skill, and creative direction to new levels. We developed award-winning pieces to large international clients of all sectors, large-scale visuals, campaigns, films, and animations for major brands and agencies worldwide, including Ogilvy, DM9DDB, Publicis, Africa SP.

However that experience is one of the reasons I moved from running a studio to building a solo practice — a model that allows for high-quality work, real depth, agility, and creative control.

I wanted to deliver highly specialised work and uncompromising quality without the noise, politics, or dilution that often come with agency structures. 

I shifted my strategy to build a focused, independent practice that collaborates directly with directors and decision-makers of small and mid-sized brands — avoiding the bureaucracy and inefficiency of large agencies and enterprise-scale clients.

This period marked the beginning of what would, years later, evolve into my solo studio in Australia.

In 2020, I started my practice in Australia, working with interior designers, furniture designers, and property developers. The strategy was simple: build a studio that unites strategy, design, and communication under one roof.

The goal was to create a practice capable of becoming an extension of my clients’ marketing departments — managing every stage of brand storytelling, from market research and concept strategy to media production, 3D animation, film, and copywriting.

I saw early that the traditional agency model was collapsing. The old, fragmented workflow between agencies and production houses could no longer meet the pace or depth modern brands demanded. I wanted to move toward a truly client-integrated creative practice — lean, adaptive, and built on trust.

In today’s landscape, no brand can afford templated content, generic campaigns, or visuals without emotional weight. There was a clear gap in the market — and the reason is simple: this model is incredibly hard to scale, both with people and, for now, even with AI.

As a result, the industry became flooded with high-cost promises and low-value output — polished material that looks great but fails to express a brand’s essence. That reality created a blue-ocean market for professionals who work directly with clients, bringing substance over hype and creative intelligence over volume.

This approach delivers tangible business value by cutting inefficiencies and working directly with decision-makers.

Today, I operate as a specialised independent consultant, producing bespoke work that blends over 25 years of experience across real estate, architecture, design, furniture, marketing, and AI.

It’s not a model built for scale — and that’s the point. The result is a win–win practice: I maintain the independence, creative freedom, and precision that define my work, while clients receive a rare combination of strategy, media, and insight grounded in genuine collaboration.

Most of them become long-term partners — and often, very good friends.