Latte Design

Por que João Pessoa virou a nova queridinha dos nômades digitais?

latte — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 17:56:51 +0000

Last month I had the opportunity to spend 10 days in João Pessoa, Paraíba. The city was all the rage, and I decided to see for myself why so many people were in love with it.

How a city becomes a trend

Since I began my life as a digital nomad, I've been paying closer attention to what makes a city famous. Some examples: Tulum in Mexico in 2021; then came the beaches of Albania; Chiang Mai in Thailand; Bali in Indonesia… More recently, Japan and now China have gained prominence among travelers.

In Brazil, we saw Natal and Porto de Galinhas become popular in the 90s; and since the end of the pandemic, it's been Pipa and João Pessoa's turn.

Why João Pessoa?

The most curious thing is that João Pessoa isn't, in isolation, "the best" in any of its attributes. It doesn't have beaches as beautiful as Maragogi, nor tourism as well-structured as Natal, nor a culture as vibrant as Recife. Even so, it has won over many travelers, and I understand why.

The balance

João Pessoa has the infrastructure of a big city, but the soul of a small town. Less traffic, lower costs, safety, friendly people, and none of the oppressive and stressful energy typical of large urban centers.

The city offers a very balanced combination of: beautiful beaches, natural pools, good food, good infrastructure for living, and hospitality. In each aspect, it may not be number one, but when you weigh everything up, it's what gives you a feeling of completeness. And for that reason, I would easily say that João Pessoa is one of the best cities for digital nomadism in the Northeast.

The phenomenon of the "city of the moment"“

But what exactly made her the darling of the moment? Marketing? Social media? Herd mentality? Probably a little bit of everything.

It starts with one person, then an influencer on Instagram, a video on YouTube, a company promoting the destination, then a friend who traveled there, a relative who loved it… and so the place gains popularity and becomes “the destination of the moment”.

The parallel with the brands

Drawing a parallel with the world of brands, on a much smaller scale, the conclusion is similar: often, success doesn't lie in having the best product or service.
It's about finding the best balance between delivery and satisfaction, coupled with consistent promotion that multiplies over time.

Curitiba – O novo de novo

latte — Fri, 26 Sep 2025 22:47:20 +0000

The idea came from an invitation from friends who were going to exhibit at the Comics Biennial. I confess that, at first, I wasn't considering accepting: I already knew the city, I didn't understand anything about comics, and it was in the middle of the week. As a creative person, I usually make an effort to try new things and avoid repeating places I've been before.

But you know when fate strikes in your favor? The projects were in order, I could work from there, and I'd still have the chance to learn more about the comic book universe, as well as break from the routine in good company.

And the experience was unique!

At the Comics Biennial alone, I saw illustrations ranging from the cutest characters to the darkest and most sensual. The messages were diverse, many charged with emotion, with political and social critiques presented metaphorically or literally. Infinite creativity. I also met comic artists who, regardless of their age, had a youthful and curious spirit: the ultramarathoner who once ran Aconcagua (the highest mountain in Latin America); the art teacher and clown who did a beautiful job bringing joy to hospital patients; and even a comic veteran who introduced us to a sensual Turkish song about leeks, lol.

I also visited several cool cafes and tried the controversial carne de onça (seasoned raw meat in sliced bread) for the first time. We had a class on mate and tereré at a tiny shop on Rua 24 Horas. I ran in Barigui Park with the capybaras. I visited some tourist attractions I'd been to before, but this time with a fresh perspective, noticing details I hadn't seen before. It's the same, but different, you know?

Returning to a place doesn't mean there's no novelty. If I hadn't gone, I wouldn't have learned about comics, mate tea, and tereré, I wouldn't have heard Turkish music, run with capybaras, or tasted jaguar meat. All these experiences were new. Being in a different time, with a different mindset, and different company makes all the difference. That's why my fifth time in Curitiba wasn't the same as the fourth, or the third, or the second, much less the first... In other words, it's always good to see something new again.

See the full experience on the Silvia Kia channel

O infinito universo dos Gashapons para Brand Awareness

latte — Mon, 15 Sep 2025 15:12:00 +0000

You Gashapons (Those automatic machines where you turn the crank and a surprise capsule with a collectible toy falls out) are all the rage in Japan. During my three-month stay between Tokyo and Osaka, along with my boyfriend, who collected over 100 gashapons, lol... here's my analysis as a brand strategist.

In large Japanese cities, it's impossible not to notice: there are thousands of machines scattered everywhere. And when you look closely, the variety and randomness of the available items. There are the classic and predictable, like Hello Kitty, One Peace, Snoopy, Disney, Star Wars, among others. But there are also the more unusual: cats dressed as ghosts, men with sushi heads, shooting birds, seated drink bottles, animals in the style of "The Scream," sleeping ketchup, Ultraman characters in the sauna… practically anything can be turned into a miniature gashapon.

Reflecting on this market, some findings emerge:

Japan has one of the largest urban populations in the world, that is, there is a consumer for everything;
A toy is no longer synonymous with an exclusively children's product. On the contrary: I noticed that most of the people in the machines were adults, a reflection of a trend not only in Japan but also worldwide;
If there is a constant flow of people of all ages, it also becomes an opportunity for brands are present.

And that's exactly what many companies do. I've seen gashapons from brands like Listerine, Reebok, All Star, Cup Noodles, and even the Havaianas. Maybe it doesn't matter so much how many capsules are sold, after all, there are thousands of machines competing for attention in the same space. The point is different: be present in the consumer's daily life, reinforcing brand awareness in an alternative way.

Therefore, although the focus of gashapon is to entertain, it also helps in the brand awareness strategy for make a brand memorable.

Os maiores desafios do nômade digital

latte — Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:00:00 +0000

We imagine that classic scene: working with a laptop on the beach, a dream! But many haven't been able to sustain this lifestyle. After all, is it easy or difficult to be a digital nomad?

The pandemic has undoubtedly exponentially benefited the nomadic lifestyle: the normalization of remote work, Airbnbs with fast internet, the emergence of new coworking spaces, more affordable airfare, and more. After traveling to 15 countries in four years, I'm discussing some of the biggest challenges of being a digital nomad.

Specific skills

Traveling and working at the same time requires (quite a few) skills:

Planning and organization;
A lot of discipline to balance work, leisure and budget;
Ability to adapt to environments that are not always ideal for living and working;
Open mind to new routines, cultures, people, foods, etc.;
Knowing how to deal with unpredictability and physical separation from family and friends.

These are just the basics. If any of these items are missing, you're likely to experience difficulties.

Being a nomad sucks a lot of energy

Even staying in some cities for more than a month, every move represents a bombardment of information: what items are missing from the apartment? Where is the supermarket? Do I need to weigh the fruit? How do I operate the washing machine? How does public transportation work? What words are essential in the local language? And so on. Each new place brings a huge overload of discoveries. Considering that it's rare for anyone to stay in a country for more than three months because of a visa, this cycle begins again with each move.

I've noticed that some digital nomads I follow, after about 3-4 years of nonstop traveling, have given up on the nomadic lifestyle. Fatigue begins to overcome the excitement of experiencing something new. The sparkle in their eyes fades. Having a home base becomes essential again.

The balance

Ever since I was little, I've always been passionate about travel. But in recent years, I've discovered that I also enjoy stopping every now and then and returning to my home in São Paulo, with a monotonous yet comfortable routine: walking the dogs, having my things just the way I like them without having to fit everything into a carry-on and a backpack, keeping up with my exercise routine... During my travels, my health suffered a lot. I've concluded that being a "semi-nomad" (traveling three to six months a year) is the best of all worlds: it allows me to explore new places while alternating with seclusion in the warmth of my home.

Is it still worth being a digital nomad?

Without a doubt! Everyone already knows the good part: it's a unique experience to experience different cultures. But it doesn't have to be all or nothing. You can start in "homeopathic doses": a little in each city, back and forth, gradually increasing the distance and length of stay, until you discover the best way to live for you. If you have the opportunity, don't hesitate to try it!

O simbolismo do Godzilla

latte — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 12:42:29 +0000

Many people see Godzilla as just a "monster," a giant lizard that destroys everything in its path and has become an icon of Japanese pop culture. But what few know is that his origins carry a deep historical and symbolic weight.

The director of the first film, Ishirō Honda, revealed that the idea arose from concerns about the hydrogen bomb tests carried out at the time, which caused major impacts on the environment.

In the original 1954 film, Godzilla emerges from the ocean as a creature awakened by nuclear testing. He's not just a villain; he's a force of nature deformed by human action. A kind of punishment, a consequence of what we are capable of causing.

Godzilla is the result of humanity messing with forces beyond its comprehension.

The launch of Godzilla a few years after the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, coupled with the frequent fear of natural phenomena such as earthquakes and typhoons, led many to interpret the monster as a metaphor for society's fear of major disasters in general.

During my three-month trip to Japan, I had the opportunity to visit the exhibition Godzilla 70, in celebration of the character's 70th anniversary. It was there that I learned more about this story. The exhibition featured works by various artists, each interpreting Godzilla from a different perspective.

According to the curator, Godzilla should not be seen as just a standard character, he is a living concept, which takes on different forms, meanings, and emotions depending on who observes it. It is precisely this multiplicity of interpretations that makes the character so present in Japanese culture to this day.

Therefore, Godzilla is not a simple villain, he is a mirror of human fear.

As Expos continuam sendo palco de inovação?

latte — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 21:53:43 +0000

For those who don't know, the Expos are large-scale international events that bring together countries from around the world to present their innovations, cultures, ideas for the future and solutions to global challenges. I usually affectionately call them “Fair of Nations with a lot of investment”, lol…

To give you an idea of the historical importance of Expos, the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated at the Paris Expo in 1889. That same year also saw the introduction of the telephone and electric street lighting. In 1970, at the Osaka Expo, the Shinkansen (bullet train) debuted, among many other great inventions.

I had the opportunity to visit two Expos: the one in Dubai in 2022 (called Expo 2020, but postponed because of the pandemic), and the one that is taking place now in Osaka. I will tell you a little about my experience.

Expo Dubai 2020

It was my first time at an Expo, and I was thrilled! A grand, exuberant event, with several pavilions designed by renowned architecture firms such as Foster + Partners, Santiago Calatrava, and others. The theme was “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”, focusing on Sustainability, Mobility and Opportunities.

You explored the spaces as if you were visiting several countries in a single day, immersing yourself in the culture and learning about their future plans. There wasn't one major project that stood out in isolation, but there were several new and clever solutions from all areas. I went for two days and didn't even get to see half of it, just to get a sense of how big the event was.

Brazilian Pavilion

Expo Osaka 2025

This time, I was so excited that I visited the Expo for three days, lol… I went to the opening (which was quite hectic), and then another two days that provided a good experience. Less grand than Dubai, but still huge. I managed to see about two-thirds of the pavilions.

The theme is “Designing the future society for our lives”, focusing on health, well-being and innovation for humanityThe space is organized around the Grand Ring, the largest wooden structure in the world (which entered the Guinness Book of Records!). It was built primarily with joints (common in Japanese construction) and serves both as a circulation area and as shelter from the sun and rain.

The project that caught my attention the most was the creation of an artificial heart tissue that pulses on its own, with the potential to revolutionize the treatment of heart disease.

Pasona Natureverse Pavilion, where the artificial heart tissue was presented

Japan invested heavily in pavilions focused on health, food, robotics, housing, and sustainability, which ended up clashing with the pavilions of other countries, which mostly presented few projects and promoted their culture, like the Brazilian pavilion. Not to mention some other countries that may not have fully understood the purpose of the Expo, like the Turkish pavilion, which only sold kebabs and carpets, lol...

Brazilian Pavilion

Conclusion

I believe Expos continue to be a stage for innovation, but I have a feeling it's difficult to maintain this as the main focus. In this latest edition alone, there are around 158 participating countries... and, let's face it, it's unlikely that all of them have projects to present or the budget to set up a beautiful pavilion.

Still, the event ends up functioning as a diplomatic and cultural presentation space, which is certainly interesting!

Visiting an Expo is a unique experience, and if you have the opportunity, go with time and calmly. explore the world in one place.

Note: The next Expo will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2030.

O Japão está mesmo em 2050?

latte — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 13:34:53 +0000

We often imagine that Japan is living in the future, where everything is super-technological, and that we're light-years ahead of their current status. I went to see it for myself, more calmly, to analyze the current situation.

I spent three months, mostly between Tokyo and Osaka. I experienced moments like a digital nomad who needs a minimum of routine to work: going to the supermarket, buying everyday items like rice, meat, soap, etc., using the washing machine, using public transportation… In short, the typical routines of ordinary life, of someone who actually lives there. Of course, tourist mode quickly kicks in on the weekends, with that endless thirst for life as if there were no tomorrow.

Well, with this, I had the opportunity to observe details that, on a normal tourist trip, there wouldn't be time or point to notice. And then I discovered that there are more than ten types of nail clippers (!); that the shampoos that went viral on TikTok aren't even popular among Japanese people; that there's an eraser with several corners and different thicknesses on each end; that there's a clothes dryer inside the shower stall... and so on.

Analyzing the market in general, the answer to the question in the title is: noWhat best defines Japan is:

There's a lot of everything!

There's a huge variety of products, but they don't always differ much from what we're used to. There are global brands like Kellogg's cereal, Coca-Cola, Nivea moisturizer… and many other local brands as well. Many products are different, but only different, not necessarily more innovative.

Perhaps the most futuristic image is conjured by bullet trains. But there are equally fast and comfortable trains in other parts of the world. Except for the Master Blaster toilet, which cleans your toilet with different jet levels, angles, and temperatures, and even plays music... the rest are standard fare, but well-made, of better quality, with some more thoughtful details. And many variations on the same theme, like the ten types of nail clippers, the seven-story stationery store, and so on. After all, we're talking about a country that, despite being relatively small, is home to the most populous city in the world.

In contrast, tradition is very strong. Skyscrapers share space with temples in large cities. There are many products with centuries-old aesthetics. Because one style doesn't need to overshadow another, there's room for everyone.

Another point: what works well stays the same for decades. I had the opportunity to visit Japan 10 and 20 years ago, and many things they didn't change ANYTHINGThere are several old trains, especially in residential neighborhoods and smaller towns. TV shows seem to have stopped in the 1990s. Many establishments still accept cash only.

Therefore, Japan does have quite technological aspects, which coexist with ancient and traditional elements. Overall, this does not define it as a futuristic country, but rather as a country that has a lot of everything.

A Inteligência Artificial é uma ameaça para os designers?

latte — Fri, 09 Aug 2024 17:57:41 +0000

I’ve been thinking recently about the boom in Artificial Intelligence (AI) that is significantly transforming the work of designers. But will we soon become an expendable workforce?

It's a lot of things at once!

We blink and suddenly there is AI for everything: writing and translating texts, creating images, mockups, slogans, videos, programming websites, among others. Suddenly, countless options have emerged to make our work easier. It is even a little difficult to keep up with so much evolution in such a short time, to test and understand how we can incorporate these technologies into our daily lives.

For now, I would say the biggest impact is efficiency.

I remember early in my career, back in the 2000s, when I heard a designer say that he had spent hours adding water droplets to an image of a soda can in Photoshop. Today, it's hard to believe that we spent so much time on something that can now be solved in seconds!

What is definitely making designers’ work much faster is the efficiency that AI provides. Need a mockup? Three prompt attempts and voila! Want a different effect on the website? A few more words in the prompt and it’s ready! Optimizing time for the more “manual” work, execution, has been one of the biggest advantages for us designers. Now, we have more time to dedicate ourselves to the ideas, intelligence and creativity of our projects.

But will AI replace designers one day?

It’s hard to predict, with so many changes occurring in such a short space of time, but I would say that, in part, it is. AI can replace the work of designers who specialize in more technical and repetitive execution, such as those who focus on image processing, layout replication or creating websites based on ready-made templates. AI can easily take the place of designers who follow a more mediocre style, who follow the trend and copy models that are already saturated in the market.

However, AI is not yet capable of bringing soul or intelligence to a project. It is trained to do what everyone else does, but is more generic. If the focus of branding is to position itself differently in the market, with a unique personality, it will be very difficult to obtain good results with AI alone. In other words, designers who are more strategic, creative and who focus on giving personality and telling unique stories will continue to be essential to the market.

Even with many tools, most companies do not know how to use them to obtain better communication solutions.

Although there are already many AI tools, many clients who are not in the design field do not have the necessary know-how to define what they really need in a prompt. AI is just a tool, and to extract a good result, it is necessary to have a minimum of expertise in communication. Let me give you an example: suppose a company needs to renovate its website. If they ask the AI to create it, ok, it creates it, but it will probably be a ready-made model or very similar to that of many competitors. However, if there is a strategic designer involved, he or she will give more intelligent direction so that the website stands out and becomes more memorable to the public, bringing more results to the business.

But for now, only joy.

I admit that I am very impressed with the developments in AI every day. There is still a lot to improve, such as in the generation of images that often have a very artificial appearance, but the extent to which this technology has helped to speed up the execution part (putting together presentations, writing texts, mockups, image processing, etc.) is truly impressive.

And as ChatGPT itself says:

AI is not replacing designers, but rather augmenting their capabilities and opening up new creative possibilities. The true value will continue to lie in the human ability to tell stories, create emotions, and connect people through design, now with the powerful support of technology.

So be it, amen!

Por que pequenas empresas deveriam investir em Branding

latte — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 20:28:43 +0000

Branding is essential for the promotion and perception of value of small businesses. Although investing in branding can be financially impactful, especially for those just starting out, it is important to emphasize that it is not just about creating a beautiful image, but also about communicating better with your audience.

Brand personification to build customer loyalty

Branding allows small businesses to create a unique, personable identity with a more human tone, as people connect more easily with people. This can create emotional bonds with customers, increasing the likelihood of loyalty.

Convey more credibility

Branding offers many other important benefits for small businesses. For example, a well-thought-out and implemented brand helps establish a company’s credibility and reputation, conveying professionalism to potential customers.

Much more than just a logo

Another important point is that branding is not limited to just creating a logo. It is about the visual identity of your company in a broader spectrum, which involves the brand's personality, how it will speak to different audience profiles (personas), highlighting its purpose, tone of voice, operating strategy, how to align with design trends, among other aspects.

Stand out from the competition

Finally, it is common for small businesses to copy their competitors, instead of finding an original way to stand out. This increases the risk of being “just another one” and the competition being based on price details, which may not be profitable depending on the business.

Therefore, it is essential to develop a strategic branding project, to start on the most prosperous path from the beginning.

muxarabi

latte — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:39:47 +0000

What was done

Branding
Brand Book

muxarabi

Creation of the new Muxarabi brand, a company that produces metal panels with mash-arabi-style patterns. Its logo is inspired by the panels' openwork, minimalist but impactful to cater to the public that values sophisticated decoration and architecture.