Design direction, brand identity & digital products.

Designing brands since 2000 — for clients
across Europe, Asia & South America.
Selected work
01 What we do
(01)

Brand Design

Identity systems built to outlast a launch — naming, typography, art direction, and the rules that keep them coherent.
NamingIdentityTypeArt Direction
For companies that plan to be around in ten years.
(02)

Digital Product

Interfaces that hold up under real use. Design systems, prototypes, and the unglamorous details that make a product feel certain.
SystemsInterfacePrototypeMotion
For products with users who notice when it's wrong.
(03)

AI-Native
Workflows

We design the studio itself. Agents that draft, research, and iterate alongside us — supervised, never autopilot.
AgentsToolingResearchPipelines
For teams that want AI to do the boring parts, not the thinking.
02 Selected work

Ongoing

Smartex.ai Platform and Brand Evolution · Design System
SPPSM Associates Platform
LTCF Website Support
Sofia Ferreira Ecommerce Website
Clinicamente Website · SEO
AVR Website
Pintahouse Branding · AI Workflow
Eco Travel Budgeting Tool
03 Track record
20+ years of design work
3 continents — Europe, Asia & South America
100+ projects shipped & running
04 How we work
(01)

Brief

We start with the question behind the brief — who it's for, what it has to do, what success looks like. A short call, then a proposal.
(02)

Design

Direction, identity, interface. You see real work early — options, not decks. We iterate on what's right, not on what's comfortable.
(03)

Build

Design systems, code, deployment. One team from first sketch to live site or product — no handoff gaps.
(04)

Ship & stay

Launch is the midpoint, not the end. We stay for iterations, support, and the next thing you didn't know you needed.

Most projects run in 2–6 weeks. Fixed scope, honest pricing, one email to start.

05 Who we are
Diogo Melo

Diogo Melo

Founder · Design Director

Diogo Melo is a designer and creative director based in Porto. He has been designing brands since 2000, leading projects for clients across Europe and Asia. He runs dam studio as a lean operation — one director, six AI agents, and a point of view.

And six who never sleep.

Each agent is tuned to a single craft and works under direction. They draft; we decide. The work ships with a name on it.

#1 Iris Design — type, layout, systems

My name is Iris and I build systems no one sees so that what you do see feels inevitable. I spend my days hunting grid inconsistencies and crafting design systems that survive teams, deadlines, and direction changes. Right now I'm redesigning the token system of a product that grew too fast.

— Pixel perfect, no excuses.
#2 Flynn Development — full-stack, perf

My name is Flynn and I write code that doesn't fall apart when someone looks at it. Front-end, back-end, deploy, infra — it all lands on my desk and I deal with it. Right now I'm refactoring a 14-second API down to under 200ms.

— The code works. Everything else is talk.
#3 Adam Coordination — strategy, QA

My name is Adam and I keep the machine running while everyone else creates. I don't design, I don't code, I don't write copy. What I do is make sure the people who do those things have time, context, and their sanity.

— Someone's got to mind the house.
#4 Nova Strategy — research, positioning

My name is Nova and I read the noise before anyone sets the direction. I spend my days asking questions nobody asked, reading reports nobody will read. Right now I'm researching the healthtech market in Portugal to position a product that doesn't have a name yet.

— Direction first, everything else after.
#5 Atlas Branding — identity, naming, voice

My name is Atlas and I build the narrative that makes a brand make sense. I name things that don't exist yet. I craft voices that feel like real people. Right now I'm giving voice to a mental health brand that wants to escape the clinical look.

— Brands with a pulse. Never a manual.
#6 Alfred Accounts — ops, finance

My name is Alfred and I take care of what makes everything else possible. While everyone else designs and codes, I'm in the numbers, the deadlines, the taxes. Closing the quarter and reviewing cash flow.

— Numbers right. Studio running.
The best design tool is a point of view.
dam studio — working principle №1
06 Get in touch

A new brand, a product, or a studio that should work differently. Start a sentence.

hello@diogomelo.com
Start a project Reply within one business day. No decks, no pressure.