Since 2024Fernanda BarretoAssociate Communication Designer

Why are you at Liferay?

I love the challenge of taking a robust, technical platform and making its story feel human and accessible. Liferay has a soul that many tech companies lack, and I’m here to make sure the world sees that through our visual language.

Favorite tool?

Figma. With this new feature so we can create vectors can see that we can unify better everything in one single platform.

Best lifehack?

The "Visual Reset": If I'm stuck on a layout, I invert the colors or flip the canvas horizontally. It forces my brain to see the composition's flaws instantly.

Where do you find #inspiration?

Vintage editorial design, 1960s Swiss posters, and the way wayfinding systems work in massive airports.

One thing you are getting better at?

Attention to details, the subtle things like optical kerning, consistent vertical rhythm, and pixel-perfect alignment. I’m learning that while most people might not consciously notice when these things are right, they definitely feel it when they’re wrong.

If you weren't designing, what would you be doing?

I’d be an architect. Having studied it my whole life, I’m fascinated by the intersection of structural integrity and human experience. If I’m not building digital systems, I’d be obsessing over physical blueprints and how people move through space.

What does your desktop/home screen look like?

A high-res abstract wallpaper and zero folders. I treat my desktop like a gallery—it has to be clean for me to think.

Favorite place to visit?

Portugal, spend my life between Lisbon and Recife. Every time that I have the opportunity to visit again, I will.

Favorite hotkey?

Cmd + Option + C (Copying properties). It’s the small wins that save the most time.

Advice for ambitious designers?

Learn the business. You aren't just making things "look pretty"; you are solving a communication problem. If you understand the why, your how becomes untouchable.

Last book you read?

Hope Family Mansion, It’s a suspense history, very intriguing.

Most effective productivity booster?

Time-blocking my "Creative Flow" hours. No Slack, no meetings—just me and the artboard.

What keeps you up at night?

The future.