João with mask

I’m João Borges,
Product Designer from Portugal

I am a passionate designer with ten years of experience in a variety of fields. I’m not your typical product designer though, since I also enjoy writing code. My goal is to create beautiful user experiences that make people happy and help businesses thrive.

My story

I still remember the first time in high school I launched Microsoft Frontpage, edited some random website HTML and the magical moment that followed. My mind was blown away. I could write code and see it come to life. From that moment on, I started exploring the internet and eventually started to learn how to animate inspired by the amazing 2advanced studios.

Learning, exploring, and having a lot of fun.

Apart from the design, I like to improve myself every day more and more as a person and as a professional. I like to invest time in learning new creative things. Drawing and illustration is a long-time passion that I've put on hold for a while and something that I'm currently exploring more and more.

Random tidbits about me

  • Doing a student exchange program was one of the best decisions of my life.
  • I'm an ambivert.
  • Tried to become a vegan. Failed at it.
João's vacation in Switzerland
Design booksLink, my awesome doguser flows

My values

People always come first

I value honesty and kindness, this is something indispensable to achieve the best possible results. I believe low egos and a collaborative iterative mindset are the best way to achieve great results.

Eagerness to learn and grow

Every aspect of life has room for improvement. I don't rely on anyone else to set my course or hold me accountable.

Having fun along the way

Life is hard and shit happens. I embrace inconsistencies, mistakes, and flaws as opportunities to grow and have fun along the way.

My fuel

2021 was a tough year. Living alone in an apartment with little to no social interaction made things even worst for me. Thankfully, having gamer friends and several discord communities to connect with made things easier.
Illustration, videogames, and music festivals are always in my heart and my way to break the routine and get my energy back.

Random thoughts

  • I love music festivals. Paredes de Coura is my paradise!
  • Destiny is my favorite videogame of all time.
  • Traveling to Iceland is a long-time dream.
Part-time illustrationsLove to party with friendsDestiny and Overwatch are my favourite games

Take a look at my resume

Strydal & Classcamp

Product Designer

Out 2020 - Dec 2021

Solo designer for both teams, I worked closely with the founders to design solutions from concept to code.

Freelancer

UI / UX Designer

Jan 2014 - Sep 2020

Design consultant for several startups all over the world. Focus on building product MVPs and UX improvements.

7Graus

UI / UX Designer

Apr 2013 - May 2014

Helped close the gap between founders and developers designing SEO optimized experiences for millions of users.

T-Dispatch & Lokalli

UI / UX Designer

Sep 2012 - Feb 2013

Solo designer for MVP concept to beta launch. I provided scalable design documentation for web and mobile apps.

Beltico Group

Web Designer

Mar 2011 - Aug 2012

Designed marketing campaigns, websites, and front/backend dev for the Beltico and Marriott websites.

Marriott Hotels

Graphic Designer

Mar 2011 - Aug 2012

I designed several creative marketing campaigns for Marriott Hotels, following strict branding guidelines.

Need to see where I've worked? Download my resume or check my Linkedin profile

My skills & software

design icon

Design

UI/UX Design
Product Design
Web Design
Branding
code icon

Development

HTML & CSS
jQuery
Git
No code tools
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Tools

Figma
Illustrator
Photoshop
Notion

Let's work together

If you have a project or job opportunity in mind, feel free to schedule a call or get in touch, I will be happy to chat!

Book a callGet in touch