PORTUGUESE
digital artist, Diogo Sampaio,
seeks to preserve a sense of childlike wonder in his genius image
manipulations while striving to evoke emotions of nostalgia and
familiarity in the freelance work he provides for his clients.
What first began as part-time flyer designs in college
in 2010, has since developed into a robust freelance career,
including collaborations with talented artists such as Guns N’
Roses, The Rolling Stones and Imagine Dragons.
Sampaio’s artistic journey began in early childhood, with
an inherent fascination and inclination toward video games,
where he first donned the virtual moniker “StrongSide”, which
eventually developed into his business name, StrongSide
Designs, as his skills matured.
Three years of study in the Communication Design program
at ESAD College of Art and Design in Porto, Portugal, offered
a formal foundation in graphic design that allowed Sampaio to
familiarize himself with more advanced design techniques such
as typography, composition and editorial design.
Diogo Sampaio - @strongsidesigns
During his time at university, Sampaio struggled with the
crucial decision of fighting tooth and nail as a freelancer or
submitting himself to the will and demands of a larger firm in
a more traditional design agency setting. At first, the ambiguity
and uncertainty of the freelance world proved far too daunting,
and Sampaio opted for the comfort of entry-level design
positions at local agencies.
It wasn’t long before Sampaio learned that, while he gained
financial security and job comfort, he paid for it dearly through
a diminished sense of personal creativity as his ideas and input
were disregarded to those of his superiors. The initial challenge
and amazement, which had drawn him to art in the first place,
was nowhere to be found.
Feeling unable to divulge the versatility of his design
repertoire and hindered from his full potential working for a
design firm, Sampaio faced the unnerving decision to persevere
in this hostile environment or to welcome the ambiguity of the
freelance world with open arms.