Kōrero Pitopito: A Coffee Chat with Bruno Mendes

Haere mai to our new Experience Designer, Bruno Mendes! An artist from childhood and an industrial designer by training, Bruno is a massive Brazilian football fan, loves the opportunity to learn and finds inspiration all around him. “Be involved with the best of your field, accept the critique as a chance to improve and keep learning” are the principles that guide his success.

Bruno is particularly interested in design tokens and the important discussion about dark patterns. However, what he loves most about design is that it is constantly evolving.

Haere mai, Bruno!

How did you get into your career path?

I started playing with arts at age of 9, in a draw and paint course. During high school, I was involved with Design and Photography extra classes. After an initial Uni years studying Engineer I move out to graduate in Industrial Design. In my first intern job as a graphic designer, I decided to be more involved in the emerging digital area and further with an emphasis on UI and art direction.

What does a typical day at DAN look like for you?

My day starts with a nice coffee and a catch up with the team, then moves on to getting involved with the work and some interesting UX and UI conversations.

What’s the best thing about working at DAN?

The high level of the discussions and the maturity of the team, as well as how how nice they are.

What inspires you in your work?

Beyond Visual Design case studies and my Design feed, I find inspiration in cinema, art, music… I believe almost anything is inspiring to your work when you look carefully.

What interesting thing is happening in your field right now?

Recently, it is about design tokens and the important discussions around dark patterns in UX. The exciting thing about design is that it constantly evolving.

What is the one thing that you wish someone had told or shown you when you started out?

Be involved with the best of your field, accept the critique as a chance to improve and keep learning!

Digital Arts Network \ New Zealand is the User Experience Centre of Excellence for the global TBWA marketing & brand network of 275 offices in 119 countries. We leverage design and strategy to create experiences at scale, build organisational capability and accelerate innovation. If you’re ready to partner up and create some brave work, you can get in touch with us here.