6. Nando Costa

Succinct & Objective
I'm a Brazilian Graphic Artist focused in illustration and animation living in Portland, OR.

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Long & Elaborate
I began illustrating when I was really young, but I started dedicating more serious time to it around the age of 15. For the longest time I was very obsessed with creating really intricate ink drawings, but over time I started experimenting with various other mediums like sculpture, painting and photography. I attended an art school called Parque Lage in my home town of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Many of Brazil's top artists went through there so it was a very inspiring experience.

During this phase I exhibit a lot, mostly small group shows, but also a few solo shows. Luckily I had a lot of support from my family, some of which were also artists: my mother in sculpture, my grandmother in tapestry and painting as well as her partner in life who was a film maker and set designer. My brothers chose a similar path of graphic design and advertising. The field of arts in Brazil is quite competitive and difficult to get into. I was however surrounded by all of this artistic energy, so it was natural and inspiring for me to find my way into graphic design through art.

I began working at a print design studio in Rio in 97 and learned all of the basics. It was a very small but inspiring place called Sphaera Design led by two Peruvian brothers. At the same time I followed my Graphic Design course at a local university, which I later quit to pursue more work experience in the U.S.

Arriving first in Atlanta, GA I joined another print shop where I began exploring animation by experimenting with Flash. The interest for animation and the field of interactive eventually took me to New York where I joined WDDG to art direct and design various websites and other interactive experiences. While in NYC I was introduced to After Effects, which gradually made me want to explore the broadcast field. I later ended up moving once again to Atlanta to work for Iconologic, a branding agency that had lead the design efforts of the Olympic games in 1996 as well as other years. There, amongst other responsibilities, I was meant to help built a portfolio for the agency's explorations in animation.

At the end of 2001 I moved to Chicago as a Senior Designer for Digital Kitchen and began to learn more about animation and design for broadcast purposes. It was there that I met my very talented wife and after one year we moved to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to start Nakd.tv, a small animation studio which Linn and I built from the ground up with the assistance of The Ebeling Group. During that period we directed various live-action and animated projects for clients in both the U.S. and Europe.

A little after two years, Linn and I were invited to join the staff of Modernista!, a Boston-based advertising agency know primarily for their work for Hummer. Linn and I worked again as a team to craft various kinds of projects, ranging from TV spots, to print campaigns and interactive experiences.

I later spent some time as a freelance graphic artist, designing for brands like Microsoft, Nike, Showtime Networks, Apple and FuelTV. Eventually we moved to Portland, OR and I decided to start another small animation company, Nervo.tv. At Nervo I built a small team to concept, design and produce animation projects for various advertising agencies and independent brands. We created a significant awareness around the studio's brand by experimenting with different animation techniques and had a lot of fun in the process.

In early 2009 Nervo and Bent Image Lab merged in an attempt to create richer visual experiences by combining the expertise of the two companies. "Whale Song", a music video for Modest Mouse, is a perfect example of what we were able to create during our alliance.

Nowadays I am proudly part of Superfad's team where I work as a director. I am very happy living in the Pacific Northwest and am excited to continue exploring the art field and plan on going back to my illustration roots. Let's all make more art in this new decade!


See more work by Nando Costa HERE