What led you into design?
I finished high school and like most teenagers, I had no idea what I was going to do. But since I was "creative" and liked drawing most people agreed I should go for graphic design. So I started my first year in the university, and it was not at all what I thought it would be... but it was for the best! I fell in love with the idea of visual communication and the concept that design skills are not something you are born with, but that you can train and improve.
What does a typical day look like?
I wake up between 7 and 8. The days I go work out, that pretty much keeps me busy until 10. Otherwise, I brew some coffee and start some deep work, since I'm most productive in the morning. I never skip breakfast though, and it's just as important as coffee. Then my day goes back and forth between Linkedin, Emails, Figma and Framer now that I'm full-time working on design events. In the afternoon when my energy starts dropping I use the time for meetings, or doing some non-computer-related stuff that needs to be done.
What's your workstation setup?
Where do you go to get inspired?
I pretty much follow the same process I learned in my studies where if you surround yourself with enough visual material inside the "universe" of what you are trying to solve, then it will eventually all make sense in your head. So I have always a board of references, as well as a good collection of books I keep coming back to. Then I let all that marinate in my head and inspiration tends to come during more meditative stages. Sometimes during a walk, or during my morning coffee.
What product have you recently seen that made you think this is great design?
I used to make music and I've learned on lots of analogue gear, so the transition to doing things in a DAW was always hard because I was feeling that response that controllers didn't give you. Then a few years ago I found ROLI, a company that creates all this great hardware. Some of it it's intended for people learning to play, but they also have these incredible programmable blocks and keyboards, all modular and with tactile and visual responses that make the process of playing and figuring out what you want to do so much more enjoyable.
What pieces of work are you most proud of?
I'm very happy on how the Hatch Conference brand for 2024 turned out. To start from zero and have to conceive how a brand works not only in digital, but also spatially, in motion, etc. is super interesting. Especially because, as I own the process, there is no need to have everything ready and "deliver" it to a customer. Instead, it's all being developed through the months leading to the conference, allowing me to tweak things and once the event is actually there, it can really be showcased at its best.
What design challenges do you face at your company?
Since my solopreneur journey began with Hatch, a lot relies on myself and that sometimes can feel a bit lonely. Through the years I've been lucky enough to have been joined by different collaborators but there's still a big chunk of the ownership that is hard to give away, since it will probably be a while until it's not just me the only one working full time on this. This year two of my collaborators had to take some time off for personal reasons, which made parts of organizing and making decisions pretty boring. So going into the next year I'm trying to build a better structure of collaborators, and people giving feedback more often, to avoid having to carry the whole weight of the decisions on my shoulders.
What music do you listen to while designing?
Any advice for ambitious designers?
You can love the craft without neglecting the business. Learn from other disciplines because if you are really ambitious, you're unlikely to find what you are looking for in someone else's project, and then you'll have to do not only design but business, marketing, sales, PR, and a lot more.
Anything you want to promote or plug?
If you have been a senior for a while and want to join events that are really tailored for those with experience and who are looking for what's next, I recommend joining our yearly Hatch Conference (the next one taking place September 10-12, 2025). You won't be disappointed. I suggest following us on Linkedin to hear announcements for the new year.
If you are someone who is transitioning from IC to Manager or thinking about it, we are doing for the second time in 2025 our event called Leadership Ateliers. A boutique training event to get better at all of those skills you need as a leader that they won't teach you in design school. Next edition will take place in Lisbon (April 23-24), Barcelona (May 5-6) and Berlin (May 21-22).
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