AKQA Promotes Carlos Matias to International Design Director

AKQA announces the promotion of Carlos Matias to International Design Director, effective immediately. In his new role, Carlos will oversee the design and branding practices across AKQA’s offices in the US and Europe. He will be based in New York, reporting into both Duan Evans, International Executive Creative Director and Giles McCormack, International Managing Director.

Carlos has been with AKQA since 2011 and prior to his promotion, served as Design Director in AKQA’s London office, where he built up the company’s design team. Together with his team, Carlos developed the visual language for the iconic Nike Rise House of Mamba basketball initiative – AKQA’s most awarded project, with over 50 trophies. His work for Nike’s Language of Football, Ice Kings and Zoom City Arena for the New York All Star Weekend 2015 has also been widely recognised.

Duan Evans said: “Carlos is one of the most talented designers working in the industry and he embodies all of the great things about being an artist. He lives and bleeds his craft – and the body of work that he and his team are responsible for is a testament to his vision, talent and leadership. I’m excited to see how Carlos continues to expand his influence and build out his team across the network whilst being based in New York.”

Before joining AKQA, Carlos worked in art direction roles at agencies and design companies in his home country of Portugal. He also followed his entrepreneurial spirit and formed his own boutique design studio, Dialectica, servicing clients in the fashion, arts and media sectors.

On his promotion, Carlos said: “This is an exciting opportunity to reinforce the exquisite craftsmanship of AKQA on a global level and further elevate the brand and design capabilities for our clients. At the same time, I am thrilled to be in the US, discovering some of the best creative talent and collaborating with them across the AKQA network.”