← BACK TO THE WORK
ABOUT, EVENTUALLY.SERGIO BARROS / BACKGROUND

OK. THIS PART
IS ABOUT ME.

25+YEARS MAKING THINGS.
15+YEARS LEADING TEAMS.
ONEBELIEF IN THE IDEA.
Sergio
Barros↗

CREATIVE DIRECTOR / HEAD OF CREATIVE
SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

THE FULL STORY ON LINKEDIN ↗

A career in craft.
A belief in ideas.
A head for business.

25+ years connecting craft, ideas and business. From global agencies to building in-house teams at SumUp and Y42, co-founding businesses and leading creative work at MAGENTA.

Creative Director / Art Director. São Paulo, Brazil. Working across brands, campaigns and experiences.

THE STORY SO FAR.

Different sides of the table.
The same curiosity.

AGENCY SIDE

F/Nazca, Lowe, Leo Burnett, Y&R, Africa, novaS/B, DM9DDB and Gael BBDO.

BUSINESS SIDE

Creative leadership at SumUp and Y42. Co-founder of Pixel4 and The CoffeeShop.

STILL MAKING

Creative leadership at MAGENTA. Recent art direction with YouDare, Lola\TBWA and Lew’Lara\TBWA.

THE CAREER, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER +
2025 — NOW

Still making. Still exploring.

Senior art direction with YouDare, Lola\TBWA and Lew’Lara\TBWA. Campaigns, brand activations, film and photography production, with AI-assisted imagery as part of the creative process.

2023 — 2025

Art direction becomes creative leadership.

Head of Art, then Creative Director at MAGENTA. Visual direction for XP Investimentos, followed by creative leadership for Cinemark and Loja do Mecânico, connecting campaign ideas with creative operations.

2019 — 2022

Inside the business.

Head of Creative at SumUp, building a creative team, leading LATAM brand design and contributing to global brand guidelines. Then Head of Creative at Berlin-based Y42, bringing brand identity, narrative and product design teams together.

2011 — 2019

Building teams. Building companies.

Co-founded Pixel4 and The CoffeeShop. At Innova, led a team of more than 35 creatives across branding, advertising, activations and events. Later, creative direction at Gael BBDO and art direction at DM9DDB, including Stayfree’s My First Pad.

2002 — 2010

From images to bigger responsibilities.

Head of Art at Lowe and novaS/B, with senior art direction roles at Young & Rubicam and Africa. The work spanned automotive, finance, consumer brands and a global anti-tobacco campaign for the World Health Organization.

1997 — 2002

It started with the craft.

From trainee to Junior Art Director at F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi, with early international recognition for Pulligan. Then Lowe and Leo Burnett: visual ideas, global brands and the foundations of a career in art direction.

A LITTLE RECOGNITION.

The work got noticed.

MORE RECOGNITION +
  • FIP Festival3 Gold · 1 Silver · 2 Bronze2016
  • FIP Festival2 Grand Prix · 3 Gold · 1 Silver · 3 Bronze2015
  • New York FestivalsPrint recognition · PADI — Five Stars2015
  • FIP FestivalMarketing Cup · 5 Grand Prix · 2 Gold · 3 Silver · 2 Bronze2014
  • Clube de CriaçãoSilver Star · Gafisa — Square in the Sky2014
  • FIP Festival1 Grand Prix · 5 Gold · 2 Silver · 4 Bronze · 1 Merit2013
  • El Ojo de IberoaméricaGold / Print & Bronze / Film · Casas André Luiz2005
  • Cannes LionsSilver Lion · Pulligan2000
  • Clio AwardsBronze · Pulligan2000
  • London International AwardsRecognition · Pulligan2000
  • New York FestivalsPrint recognition2000

Cannes Lions shortlists: Fiat Palio (2002) and Toyota RAV4 (1999).

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JUDGING TABLE.

El Ojo de Iberoamérica · Direct Jury · 2014 & 2015

WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE.

From the first thought
to the thing that happens.

Creative Direction / Art Direction / Brand Strategy / Team Building / Integrated Campaigns / Brand Experiences / Film & Photography / AI-assisted Imagery / AI-assisted Website Prototyping

ALL CAPABILITIES +

01 / LEADERSHIP

  • Creative Direction
  • Leadership & Team Building
  • Managing Creative Teams
  • Creative Operations
  • Coaching & Mentoring

02 / STRATEGY

  • Brand Strategy
  • Brand Positioning
  • Creative Strategy
  • Integrated Marketing
  • Growth & Performance Marketing

03 / CRAFT & EXPERIENCE

  • Art Direction
  • Visual Storytelling
  • Brand Identity & Systems
  • Campaign Development (360°)
  • Film & Photography Production
  • Brand Activations

04 / DIGITAL & DELIVERY

  • UX/UI Integration
  • Digital Content
  • AI-assisted Image Production
  • AI-assisted Website Prototyping
  • Pitch & Presentation
  • Global Brand Guidelines

SOME OF THE BRANDS ALONG THE WAY.

Bosch / Samsung / Unilever / Kimberly-Clark / Johnson & Johnson / Nissan / Google / Telefônica–Vivo / XP Investimentos / Cinemark / SumUp / Doritos / iFood

EDUCATION & CONTINUED LEARNING

FAAP · Marketing & Advertising
Board Academy · Lean Governance for Startup
Board Club · Member since 2022

LANGUAGES

Portuguese / English
Native or bilingual proficiency