About me

Portfolio: paulomariano .com

Senior Art Director & Creative Lead with 23+ years of experience creating internationally awarded work for global brands including Netflix and Emirates. Currently Senior Art Director at O Escritório, one of Portugal's most awarded agencies.

I specialize in creative concept development and strategic brand projects. My work focuses on visual communication and narrative — particularly in crafting integrated campaigns, brand activations, and product development.

I've collaborated with international creative teams at global agencies like DDB and TBWA, and design studios like Solid Dogma. Clients include NETFLIX, EDP, Emirates, Benfica, Gatorade, Super Bock, LIDL, Sogrape, Nacional, and Bank of Brazil. My work has been recognized internationally by ADCE, EFFIE, CCSP, CCP, M&P, Lusófonos, and Lürzer's Archive — most recently featured in the "200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide", Editions 7 and 8.

Alongside my professional practice, I serve on international jury and pre-selection panels, including MAD STARS (Final Jury), New York Festivals, FIAP Awards, the Communicator Awards and Clube da Criatividade de Portugal, contributing to the evaluation of creative work across diverse markets.

Innovation & AI: I actively incorporate Generative AI (Midjourney, Sora, Adobe Firefly) into my workflow to develop visual concepts and storyboards. I believe creativity thrives when integrated across disciplines, collaborating closely with strategy to ensure ideas are bold and business-aligned.

INTERNATIONAL JURY EXPERIENCE

MAD STARS - Final Jury, Traditional - 2026
Ad Black Sea - Jury, Classic - 2026
White Square - Jury, Branding - 2026
Lusófonos - Jury, Design - 2026
PHNX Awards - Jury - 2026
NY Festivals - Pre-Selection Jury - 2026
AIVA Communicator Awards - Jury - 2026
FIAP - Jury - 2025

SPEAKER

MAD STARS 2026, Busan: keynote "The I Behind the ."

WRITING AND PRESS

adobo Magazine: "The I Behind the ."
The Stable: interview "The Siren Call of Average"
MADTimes (Korea): series "Babel Upside Down", Parts 1 and 2

INDUSTRY RECOGNITION

Lürzer's Archive - 200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide**, Editions 7 and 8**

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL AWARDS

ADC Europe - Gold, Bronze
Effie Awards - Bronze
Lusófonos - Gold, Bronze
CCP - Multiple Gold, Silver and Bronze

BACKGROUND

Post-graduate studies in Creative Writing and Business Administration
Portuguese (native) | English (professional proficiency)

Exploring generative AI tools to support concept development and visual storytelling.

Check out my portfolio.

Paulo's work

Artisanal Intelligence

THE FLIGHT OF LIGHT

THE SKIN BOOK

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