Joao comes to us from Florida, and – before that – Brazil, in a city on the coast called Salvador which we all now want to visit.
His creative maturity, his joy, his sense of humor, and his rigorous attention to detail are all qualities we admire and feed off. He’s only been with us for a few weeks, but we already love him.
(For context, Taylor’s video included cardboard cutouts. The undeniably scrappy spirit of ingenuity was impressive.)
What drew you to Magneti?
Magneti’s entire team is incredible, but the design team in particular is exceptionally talented and that’s what drew me there.
Where did you grow up and where do you live now?
I was born and raised in eastern Brazil, in the coastal city of Salvador, to be more exact. I moved to the U.S. back in 2001 and I now live in Boca Raton, Florida.
What’s your favorite bad translation?
My native language is Portuguese, and I remember someone looking confused when they heard me ask my wife to pass the knife in Portuguese. It’s not a case of a “bad translation,” but the pronunciation of the word knife in Portuguese might sound profane for the English-speaking person.
When did you realize you loved design? Was there a ‘Eureka!’ moment where it all clicked, or did it happen gradually?
My father is a designer and so is my brother, so I grew up around design and designing, but it didn’t click that I loved design until I went to Advertising School where I realized that designing class not only was my favorite, but also the one where I did excel.
What’s the most prominent logo you’re dying to redesign, if only given the chance?
The current Coldwell Banker’s logo makes me cringe.
What advice would you give to your younger self?
I would tell myself that criticism can be useful.
If everything you ever lost was suddenly returned to you, what would you be most excited to see?
Loved ones who are gone.
Name one unnecessary skill you believe you’ve mastered.
Making people actually believe I was born in a small town in France.
If you could have a one-on-one dinner with any person, alive or dead, who would it be?
A dinner with Jesus.
Your future biography will be titled…
Decipher Me or I’ll Devour You (just kidding—or am I?).
Welcome to Magneti, Joao!
