About me
A humanist designer with a 360º approach to problem solving. Inês uses design as a shifter of society, through visual identity, concept and community. Recognized by Forbes for the list of 30under30. Born in São Miguel Island in the Atlantic Ocean between Europe and America, she graduated in 2016 from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon in the Communication Design course, where in the final year she was part of the development team of the finalist exhibition and collaborated with the atelier TVM designers. In 2017 she left for Berlin to do an internship at Superunion.
After this period in Germany she decided to embark on a volunteer project at a school in Thailand. On her return to Portugal, she came back with greater motivation to invest in new social initiatives such as Decoding Creativity Barcelona, High Potentials ADCE, The Design Kids Lisbon, OFFF Academy powered by Adobe, Próxima Geração Apolitical Academy, Girls in Tech Columbia University and United Nations SDG. Programs that influenced and defined her path to build her independent design atelier, founding Studio Ayer in 2019, a practice that in 3 years of existence has already collaborated with 12 countries in building +80 projects. She has also pursued a Post Graduation program in Applied Management and Economics at the NOVA business school in Lisbon to reinforce her leadership skills. She holds an MFA in Design Entrepreneurship from School of Visual Arts and Master in Design for Distributed Innovation, a Worldwide experience from Fab Academy and Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia.
Currently she is based in New York working as a Senior Designer at Instrument and worked before at Pentagram. She is also developing project Aliquoti, focused on reducing neonatal mortality for BIPOC women in the U.S. She keeps her scope of interests broad with a keen interest in culture and engineering biotech. Advocating to generate discussions about democracy, climate change and social equity. Inês is also a member of Global Shapers Lisbon, an initiative of the World Economic Forum.
Talent you might be interested in
Positions
Senior Designer
• Led multidisciplinary design projects across technology, culture, education, and consumer brands
• Managed 5+ high-profile projects, from strategy to final delivery and production
• Directed and collaborated with teams of designers, developers, and stakeholders
• Created impactful brand identities, UX/UI digital platforms, packaging, retail, exhibition and editorial
• Mentored junior designers and refined team processes
Founder & Creative Director
• Built 80+ projects and growing
• Led the rebrand of one of Portugal’s biggest universities, Iscte
• Directed and inspired diverse stakeholders, creative and technical teams
• Wide-ranging projects, from culture, fintech, business & hospitality, f&b, health and services
• Developing projects from end to end, since the inception strategy to final development
• Collaborated with design agencies such as Fuel Lisbon at Havas Group, Afton Klein Group,
Win Brands and With Company
Freelancer
• Worked on large-scale international branding projects in a collaborative and creative environment
Clients: FIFA World Cup, FIBA, Tokyo Olympics 2020 and Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation
Junior Designer + Art Director
• Won 2 pitch competitions, developing and iterating diverse concepts
Clients: Microsoft, Carlsberg, Somersby, SANA Hotels, Audi, Huawei and Vanguard Properties
Design Intern
• Worked independently on creative assignments • Research for market and competitor audits
Clients: Campari Group, KPMG and Sanofi
Designer
• Set the tone and identity for the 25TH of April, Portuguese Freedom Day in 2017
• Streamlined closely with a team of 3 designers
Clients: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portuguese Republic Assembly, Pasta do Dia
and Católica Lisbon University.
