About

Lisbon, 1979.Oslo, since 2005.

Bio

I’m a designer and product leader. Since April 2026 I’ve been VP of Product Design at CatalystOne.

For 28 years, since my first posters and record covers in 1998, my work has sat where design meets technology: brands, digital products and services, and the teams that make them. I lead product design end to end, from strategy and discovery to hands-on interface work. Some of it has won awards along the way.

Before CatalystOne I led design for the Core and AI teams at Flowcase, built the design team at Club (formerly Brandbassador) from scratch as Head of Product, set up the business design practice at TietoEVRY, and co-founded the product consultancy We Are Int. I started in Oslo at Bleed, and later grew the digital department at Scandinavian Design Group from 2 to 20 people, until it brought in half the studio’s revenue. My first job was as a junior designer at LAB Design in Lisbon, in 1999.

Since 2016 I’ve also taught at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design (AHO), alongside full-time work. More on teaching.

Outside work I make experimental electronic music, most recently with In Her Space.

Outcomes

Selected work

Head of Product
Club (formerly Brandbassador)
Shaped the first MVP with the founders in 2015, then came back in 2020 to take it from startup to scale-up: built the design team from scratch and led the product team.
We Are Int.
Godtlevert
Designed the business OS behind the operation (product information, recipes and content) to cut churn and grow sales. Over the 18-month project, revenue tripled.
We Are Int.
Statoil (Equinor)
Led Statoil Innovate, an open innovation platform that produced five major innovations and a collaboration with GE. Lead consultant on Statoil’s Innovation Labs and the innovation centre in Stavanger.
We Are Int.
Widerøe
A 15-month digital transformation with the VP of Marketing: a customer-centred strategy and a redesigned digital ecosystem, from system architecture to the sales channels.
Creative Director
Scandinavian Design Group
Built the digital department from 2 to 20 people. By the time I left it accounted for half the studio’s revenue.

Colleagues

In their words

“Diogo has a great methodology to go from the problem to a great product. He built our design team from scratch, and led the team in producing beautiful designs with good practices and amazing UX. He sees the high-level vision of the product and keeps the team focused on the direction, while paying great attention to detail.”

Amir Bengherbi Tech lead, Club (formerly Brandbassador)

“Diogo is an incredible designer. He has a unique ability to combine great conceptual ideas, stunning visuals and excellent craftsmanship in whatever media the task requires.”

Eirik Seu Stokkmo Designer, colleague at Bleed and Scandinavian Design Group

Before the job title

Diogo as a child, drawing in a workbook in front of a large world map — First brief

School portrait of Diogo as a child in a striped shirt against a dark backdrop — School portrait

Diogo as a child in a yellow striped shirt standing by a front door — Front door

Diogo as a boy reading a comic book on a ferry — Research phase

Studio portrait of Diogo at fourteen, long hair, black t-shirt — Fourteen. The hair was a decision.

Teenage portrait of Diogo in a dark sweater — School portrait, later

Now.
Same pose,
same backdrop.

Portrait to come

1980s and 1990s · Lisbon

Experience

Roles

2026–CatalystOneVP Product Design
2023–2026FlowcaseHead of Product Design
2016–AHOAssistant Professor
2023MoodifyHead of Products
2020–2023Club (formerly Brandbassador)Head of Product
2019–2020TietoEVRYBusiness Design Director
2011–2019We Are Int.Co-founder, Business Design Director
2007–2011Scandinavian Design GroupCreative Director, Digital
2007Jimmy RoyalSenior Designer
2005–2007BleedDesigner
2003–2005Undo.tw / RE:, LisbonCo-founder, Creative Director
2002–2004Formas do PossívelSenior Designer, Creative Director
2000–2002Washing MachineDesigner
1999–2000LAB DesignJunior Designer
1998–1999FreelancePosters and record covers

Clients

Worked with

Statoil (Equinor) · Spirit Energy · Normod Carbon · Telenor · Netcom (Telia) · Sony PlayStation · Pepsi Nordic · Diesel · Levi’s · Gjensidige · NSB · TAP Air Portugal · Eidsiva Energi · Space Group Architects · Widerøe · Godtlevert · Politiet · Brandbassador · SevenSix Tenis · Hyundai

Recognition

Awards and juries

Red DotStatoil rebrand and statoil.com, with Scandinavian Design Group
2010–2013Jury member, DOGA Award for Design Excellence, Interactive
2007Jury member, Grafill Visuelt, Interactive
2004Clube de Criativos de Portugal, Bronze, Web Design: Krypton Productions website, with André Gonçalves at Undo.tw
PublicationDesign Document Series 30, “Untitled 2000–2008”
AwardsRed Dot · European Design Awards · DOGA Design Excellence · Grafill Visuelt · Awwwards

Education

Studies

2004–2005MPhil coursework, New Media, Interaction and Interfaces. Universidade Nova de Lisboa
1997–2001MA, Design and Visual Communication. IADE, Lisbon

Toolkit as listed on the 2004 CV: Director 8.5, Freehand MX, QuarkXPress Passport, Corel Draw 5, Max/MSP + Jitter. Listed with pride at the time.