Hey, I’m Hugo,
a Copenhagen-based designer and art director.
CHECK OUT MY PROJECTS
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Tame Branding
Tame is a work management application specifically designed for event planning.
For 2019 “re-launch” (Tame was going out of beta after 1 year being available for the public) I was made responsible for the company’s rebrand.
For 2019 “re-launch” (Tame was going out of beta after 1 year being available for the public) I was made responsible for the company’s rebrand.
Foundations
After a series of workshops with product, marketing and sales departments we arrived in the positioning we’d like the new brand to have.
Offering mainly corporate solutions (B2B), it was crucial for the brand to be seen as sound, trustworthy and credible.
On another note, considering that the outcome of our product is events, and events are all about ideas, creativity, sharing and learning, this became another important pillar for the brand personality.
Offering mainly corporate solutions (B2B), it was crucial for the brand to be seen as sound, trustworthy and credible.
On another note, considering that the outcome of our product is events, and events are all about ideas, creativity, sharing and learning, this became another important pillar for the brand personality.
Concept
After some researching and drafting, we arrived at the concept of a marble block.
A marble block is the soundest thing you can find, very heavy and stable, it’s something you would trust to build your house upon.
But also the marble block can be carved into an endless variety of things, an artist can use this heavy object to create anything their creativity desires.
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So it became clear to us that we had to show the balance of these opposing ideas, heavy/light, sound/free in the brand.
For the “soundness”, we got inspired by the clean and solid lines of Scandinavian design.
For the freedom, we got inspired by the abstract idea of a floating solid sphere.
A marble block is the soundest thing you can find, very heavy and stable, it’s something you would trust to build your house upon.
But also the marble block can be carved into an endless variety of things, an artist can use this heavy object to create anything their creativity desires.
✖︎✖︎✖︎✖︎✖︎
So it became clear to us that we had to show the balance of these opposing ideas, heavy/light, sound/free in the brand.
For the “soundness”, we got inspired by the clean and solid lines of Scandinavian design.
For the freedom, we got inspired by the abstract idea of a floating solid sphere.
Result
For the visual solution, we made a t based on Scandinavian design principles like solid forms and smooth curves.
Also, we transformed right side of crossed line to a circle, letting it float in opposition to the left, where we have the normal rectangular shape.
The gravity-defying factor of the circle helps to show how creativity is the very opposite of soundness, but can still interact with it.
Also, we transformed right side of crossed line to a circle, letting it float in opposition to the left, where we have the normal rectangular shape.
The gravity-defying factor of the circle helps to show how creativity is the very opposite of soundness, but can still interact with it.
Netflix’s Girlboss
Girlboss is a Netflix show that tells the real story of Sophia Amoruso, a businesswoman who made fortune using her fashion expertise to curate and sell vintage clothes online.
Concept
To promote the series we made a partnership with Enjoei (a huge Brazilian c2c online selling platform specialized in clothing).
We made a landing page with material from the show and a Steal the Look section.
We made a landing page with material from the show and a Steal the Look section.
Steal the look
Playing with the strong fashion appeal of the series, we wanted to show how you can use your creativity to compose awesome outfits without spending tons of money.
So we selected outfits from the actual series and tried to recreate them using only items found in thrift shops.
We semi-neatly arranged the items for a photos shoot and then matched them with the scenes.
People can use those “cards” as inspiration to create great and unique outfits themselves.
So we selected outfits from the actual series and tried to recreate them using only items found in thrift shops.
We semi-neatly arranged the items for a photos shoot and then matched them with the scenes.
People can use those “cards” as inspiration to create great and unique outfits themselves.
Nordic Creatives
Nordic Creatives is an initiative to unify and strengthen the cooperation among the creative industries in the Nordics, whilst to posion them as thought leaders internationally.
I was glad to be invited to develop their logo.
I was glad to be invited to develop their logo.
Inspiration
The aproved direction was inpired by the bulky and geometric visuals of contemporary nordic architecture.
The nordics have for a long time been seen as icons in design and good taste if I may say so, and the objective with the logo was to bring this abstract and imponent geometry, that becomes specially evident when in a beautiful building.
The nordics have for a long time been seen as icons in design and good taste if I may say so, and the objective with the logo was to bring this abstract and imponent geometry, that becomes specially evident when in a beautiful building.
Result
In the visual solution I tried to evoque the grandness and minimalism of nordic design, bringing to the front the contrast between bulky shapes and delicate balance.
Icons
In adition to the logo I also developed icons for each of the creative industries.
Tame Illustrations
At tame we use illustrations with the following objectives:
- As a form of image that brings familiarity and ownership, creating brand awareness and recognition in a way that stock image wouldn’t be able to do.
- As a comfort used to soften and lighten pain points like error screens.
- As a way to easily show abstract ideas and metaphors (like effectiveness or connection).
- In the platform’s empty states to avoid the user being overwhelmed or unmotivated when they arrive in some module and don’t have their own data yet.
Style
explorations
When developing the style, there were some characteristics we knew we wanted in the illustrations:
- To be colorful. Tame brand uses a lot of white and the illustrations should also work a vibrant splash of color in some points.
- To be humanized and relatable. We wanted some level of accuracy to the human body and naturally relaxed poses to make it easier for people to relate with the characters.
- To exist inside the design. We didn’t want the illustration being closed in a square frame like a photo, Instead we aimed for a way to show the characters interacting with the interface, almost bringing it to the physical world.
Selected
style
The selected style has tame’s colors (marine blue and pink) plus 2 extra colors.
We went for no facial expressions to give more importance to the expressions on the body.
We went for no facial expressions to give more importance to the expressions on the body.
The proportions are considerably accurate, but with some distortions to turn the character into a cartoon.
The lines are organic and flowy, with natural postures.
We used noise shadows and highlights to bring texture and feel.
The lines are organic and flowy, with natural postures.
We used noise shadows and highlights to bring texture and feel.
Absolute
Will
Plenitud makes disposable underwear for people with urinary incontinence. It might seem like a rare thing, but 1 in every 4 people over 40 has some level of incontinence and we never talk about it.
So far this subject was never touched lightly, to be fair even Plenitud’s own communication used to have a gloomy tone, like in “life must be hard for you and we understand that”.
Well, when my partner Renata (the copywriter) and I were assigned for a campaign for this new client, we couldn’t share that old speech anymore, so we decided to celebrate life and positivity.
The online campaign had 3 phases:
So far this subject was never touched lightly, to be fair even Plenitud’s own communication used to have a gloomy tone, like in “life must be hard for you and we understand that”.
Well, when my partner Renata (the copywriter) and I were assigned for a campaign for this new client, we couldn’t share that old speech anymore, so we decided to celebrate life and positivity.
The online campaign had 3 phases:
Phase 1
In the first phase we made some inspirational ads asking people to share things they’ve done after 50. Things that usually are only associated with younger people.
This phase includes static ads and an inspirational video made entirely with stock videos.
The concept of this first phase was going beyond the surface, showing how what’s inside can be different from what people see and assume. So the visual solution was overlaying images, one being a close portrait and the other being a broader scene, showing the endless possibilities and experiences someone can live.
This phase includes static ads and an inspirational video made entirely with stock videos.
The concept of this first phase was going beyond the surface, showing how what’s inside can be different from what people see and assume. So the visual solution was overlaying images, one being a close portrait and the other being a broader scene, showing the endless possibilities and experiences someone can live.
Phase 2
We got dozens of real stories, that we transformed into posts and even more people shared and interacted and supported each other.
In the end we had hundreds of comments
In the end we had hundreds of comments
Phase 3
Some people shared stories from hard times. Of all sorts of things they gave up doing for various reasons and that now they consider themselves too old to get back to. Our team went through the hundreds of stories and finally selected one to make a difference.
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The selected story was Niceia’s.
She used to perform playing the accordion and loved it, but after getting married, she had to sell it when times got hard.
Now, 30 years later, she thought it was too late to get to it again.
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We thought differently.
So we contacted her, got her a brand new accordion, provided accordion lessons so she remembers it and finally as a surprise she played with the accordion orchestra of São Paulo in a small concert.
We also recorded all of it and made a small documentary about her life, so she’ll continue to inspire people and show that age is just a number that doesn’t define you in any way :’)
✖︎✖︎✖︎✖︎
The selected story was Niceia’s.
She used to perform playing the accordion and loved it, but after getting married, she had to sell it when times got hard.
Now, 30 years later, she thought it was too late to get to it again.
✖︎✖︎✖︎✖︎
We thought differently.
So we contacted her, got her a brand new accordion, provided accordion lessons so she remembers it and finally as a surprise she played with the accordion orchestra of São Paulo in a small concert.
We also recorded all of it and made a small documentary about her life, so she’ll continue to inspire people and show that age is just a number that doesn’t define you in any way :’)
Nespresso
Recipe
Responding to an increasing interest in food (and coffee) towards a premium yet accessible experience, Nespresso suffered a rebrand in 2017 positioning itself as the most consistent luxury coffee provider globally.
As the digital agency, we developed a sub-identity for short coffee recipe videos that were shared mainly in Nespresso social media channels.
As the digital agency, we developed a sub-identity for short coffee recipe videos that were shared mainly in Nespresso social media channels.
Visual solution
The visual solution was to use bold close-ups, dramatic lighting and black backgrounds to isolate the elements. By placing the recipe elements in those conditions we gave them a spotlight and removed the background from sight. The objects are then in an ethereal "nowhere", a blank space that anyone would be able to fill with their own house/office background when watching it.
Graphic solution
Also, by isolating and giving importance to the objects, like items in a museum, we showed people how every step in the preparation of your Nespresso can be a unique premium experience if you stop to notice it.
The graphic solution was to use stroke squares to highlight specific elements of the scene. The squares are a reference to the Sleeves (the elongated boxes in which the capsules come) and to Nespresso's short logo, that's contained in a square.
The graphic solution was to use stroke squares to highlight specific elements of the scene. The squares are a reference to the Sleeves (the elongated boxes in which the capsules come) and to Nespresso's short logo, that's contained in a square.
Team Picture
In 2018 Tame’s team was growing and we decided to fly the remote workers in and make a team picture showing all of us.
Concept
Our main objective at Tame, being an event planning software, is to allow the event planners to shine while doing their best. We are helping, but we are not the stars here, the planners are.
We mixed that with the idea of an event and arrived in the concept of BACKSTAGE.
We mixed that with the idea of an event and arrived in the concept of BACKSTAGE.
Visual Solution
With the backstage concept in mind, the visual solutions developed were:
- Use very functional and even improvised furniture like boxes and a ladder. Stuff that would be around in the backstage of an event.
- Use tame’s pink color as a backdrop, but at the same time showing the border of the backdrop and the space around it. Giving this idea of being behind the backdrop.
- Dressing in functional and casual black clothing like t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies. We wanted to be seen as the folks who set up the stage before a big show, or the people that build the stands in a conference. With our software we are helping to execute events like them, just not so physically.
Paper Game
Little side project of a game I developed when I was doing a course on the basics of game design.
All the elements are cut out and photographed then animated digitally.
All the elements are cut out and photographed then animated digitally.
Walk
Run
Jump
Oreo McFlurry
Oreo and McDonalds are 2 loved food brands and when they finally got together for the Oreo McFlurry in Brazil, we were assigned to make a small digital campaign for the social media channels.
#1
Have you tried to eat an Oreo with a spoon?
The first piece made a reference to a popular meme video of people using forks to easily dip oreos in milk cups.
Playing with that and using a barely recognizable McFlurry spoon (we didn’t want to give too much away at first) we went for this simple meme-like ad with the question “Have you tried to eat an Oreo with a spoon?”.
#2
Conspiracy theory
For the second ad we wanted to start linking the 2 brands together somehow.
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We used as reference the popular “illuminati meme”, by closing in and distorting part of the cookie until it links to the McDonalds logo.
#3
I’m glad you came
For the third add we made a reference to the check-in feature in Foursquare, that was having the first big boom of usage in Brazil at the time (yes I’m old).
We made a piece personifying the 2 brands by making Oreo check-in at a McDonalds store and McDonalds answer with their lovely slogan “I’m glad you came”
We made a piece personifying the 2 brands by making Oreo check-in at a McDonalds store and McDonalds answer with their lovely slogan “I’m glad you came”
Netflix’s Luke Cage
In the Marvel universe, while the Avengers are busy defending the planet from the giant evils, the Defenders protect the neighbourhood in New York against smaller crimes.
Concept
For the launching of Luke Cage’s series on Netflix, we developed an interactive NYC map where people can see key events in the story, including the new netflix series and the old comic book.
In the end we got an impressive 12 min average time spend on the website.
In the end we got an impressive 12 min average time spend on the website.
Check the video case:
Tame
Website
Exploration
This is one of the directions I tried when developing the new website identity for Tame.
Inspiration
Starting with the idea that event-planners are creative before all, this direction is inspired by the color interactions of printmaking processes, specially risography.
Result
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