Ivo Sousa Martins: Design, Photography, Video

Design.
Photography.
Video.

I help brands communicate with purpose through design, photography and visual content. With more than two decades of experience spanning branding, digital and creative direction, I have worked with clients ranging from luxury travel brands to national political parties, creating work that is thoughtful and engaging.

Hello, I'm Ivo.

I work at the intersection of brand strategy, creative production and digital communication, helping brands show up with purpose across every channel.

Over 20+ years I've worked with luxury travel brands, restaurant groups, energy companies, city councils and national political parties, to name a few, on billboards, websites, social feeds and election campaigns, including the visual identity for two of Portugal's most-followed political campaigns in 2024.

I enjoy having a helicopter view on things, then drilling down to what matters: strategic thinking and hands-on ideation and design, from first brief to final delivery.

Services

It has never been easier to produce, and never harder to be remembered. Anyone can generate a logo, a video, a landing page or a piece of content in minutes. I think I've done well at making sure all of those outputs can hold a strong point of view and build brand equity.

Strategic planning and creative strategy decide where a brand should play and what makes it worth noticing.

Brand strategy and creative direction turn that decision into a world: a tone, a look, a way of moving.

Design carries it everywhere attention lives: feeds, pages, screens, events.

Web and UX give the brand a home built to convert, not just impress.

And content, video, and presentations make your voice heard with any audience.

I've done the math and can safely say there is not one single discipline that matters most. The key is how to make all of it work together: a plan that shapes an idea, an idea that shapes a film, a film that feeds the feed, a feed that lands on a page, a page that is able to attract and convert, and a healthy brand as a result.

I've had the fortune (along with some hard work) to be at the core of some really cool ideas, campaigns, projects and organisations, in settings where I was able to connect the dots in brand building, marketing development and integrated comms.

Making things feels cheaper these days (depending on how many tokens you spend). I feel I can add the right energy, tools, craft and experience, wherever this is all headed!

Branding & Creative

Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Event Design
Digital Design
Editorial Design
Content Creation
Video Production & Editing
Corporate Presentations
Catalogues & Brochures

Strategy

Creative Strategy
Strategic Planning
Content Creation
Content Management

Web

Design & Implementation
Content Management
Social Media Design
UX/UI
Landing Pages

Case studies

Lightfoot Travel

Digital design for a global luxury travel company: landing pages, Meta ads, stationery and brochures for an international, Asia-facing audience.

Digital Design · Web · Campaign

Kitchennete

Full creative partner for restaurant and hospitality brands: strategy, identity, photography and content across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.

Branding · Content · Social

Praça Beato

Identity rebuilt from the ground up for a Lisbon food market: social, menus, signage and a family of on-brand pop-up events.

Branding · Print · Events

Partido Socialista

3.5 years leading visual and content strategy across every major platform, plus outdoor and lead design for the 2024 legislative and European elections.

Branding · Campaign · Social

Academia Socialista

Bold, modern identity for a leadership programme for young progressives: typography, colour and layout across digital, print and video.

Branding · Events · Campaign

Câmara Municipal de Lisboa

UX/UI redesign of Lisbon's official city council website: new architecture, simplified navigation, refreshed visual identity.

UX/UI · Web

50 Anos do Direito em Portugal

Visual identity for a Provedoria de Justiça book launch marking 50 years since Portugal's return to democracy.

Branding · Editorial · Events

UTPR Seminar

Visual identity and digital strategy for an academic tax-law seminar at the University of Lisbon's Faculty of Law.

Branding · Events

Video

Two produced-and-directed documentary series, plus video production and editing for brand and hospitality clients, from campaign films to short-form content that runs on their own social channels.

Documentary series