# Ricardo Costa — Designer, artist, builder

> Portfolio of Ricardo Costa: product and brand design, presentations, illustration and front-end. Five case studies, three disciplines and the products that are online.

Source: https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/
Language: en

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Product/Brand/Front-end
# I design products, brands and stories — then I build them.
I’m a multidisciplinary designer and builder with 6+ years across product, brand, illustration, presentations and digital experiences. I take ideas from concept and visual direction through interface, implementation and launch — including the AI feature inside my own product.
View selected work →
About / experience
![Pholu — the home screen and the Ask Pholu screen from the shipped app](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/Pholu%20%E2%80%94%20hero-stage.png)
Ask Pholu · AI, shipped
An AI that answers from your own memories — and asks before it reads them.
Read the case study →
FEATURED · PHOLU
6+
Years across creative roles
5
Case studies, start to finish
Ask Pholu
AI feature I designed and built
Design → Build
From Figma to working product
Selected work
## Selected work.
Six case studies across AI, product, brand and visual systems — a mix of shipped work and self-initiated concepts that show how I think, design and build.
View all work
![Pholu](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/Home%20%E2%80%94%20hero-image.jpg)
Shipped / Founder
01
Product · Brand · Mobile
Pholu
A private memory app for couples and families, taken from brand and UX through React Native implementation and launch on Google Play.
View case study →
Founder · Brand · Product · Web
2024 → Present
![Lingoway](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/Home%20%E2%80%94%20Lingoway-Banner.jpg)
Product / Learning
02
Product · LearningLingoway
A Mandarin learning concept built around tones, useful conversation and short daily practice.
View case study
![Jade Dynasty](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/Home%20%E2%80%94%20Jade-Dynasty-Banner.jpg)
Brand / Concept
03
Brand identity · E-commerce conceptJade Dynasty
A self-initiated Chinese tea brand and storefront exploring identity, packaging and digital retail.
![Kairova](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/art/Home%20%E2%80%94%20Kairova-Banner.jpg)
Product / Systems
04
Product strategy · Gamified systemsKairova
A self-initiated life-OS concept exploring habits, progression and game-inspired interface systems.
Capabilities
## Design. Build. Communicate.
My work moves between product, brand, code and communication — depending on what the problem actually needs.
### Product & UX
Research, flows, interfaces and systems that make digital products easier to use.
UX/UI · Prototyping · Design Systems
### Brand & Illustration
Identity, illustration and art direction that give ideas a recognisable visual language.
Brand Identity · Illustration · Art Direction
### Front-end Build
I take selected designs into responsive, working interfaces instead of stopping at mockups.
React · Next.js · TypeScript
### Presentations & Storytelling
High-stakes decks that turn dense information into something clear, visual and easy to follow.
PowerPoint · Think-cell · Information Design
More Projects / Playground
## More work.
Smaller products, websites and experiments that show what I make when the brief is mine.
Explore the playground
Illustration ↗
Presentation Design ↗
![Faction](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/covers/home-hero.jpg)
IP / Web
Illustration · Web · Universe
FACTION
A fictional universe and reader site combining writing, illustration, character design and front-end.
faction-alpha.vercel.app ↗ — https://faction-alpha.vercel.app
Web · IP · Illustration
![OpenQuiz](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/covers/openquiz.png)
Web app
Product Design · Front-end
OpenQuiz
A small quiz platform I designed and built end-to-end.
openquiz.xyz ↗ — https://openquiz.xyz
![YohuroBox](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/covers/yohurobox.jpg)
YohuroBox
WEB APP · MUSIC · UI
A custom web player I built for my music catalogue, exploring interface, playback controls and visual identity.
yohurobox.vercel.app ↗ — https://yohurobox.vercel.app
Web app · Player
CLIENT · UX · WEB · 2026
OGLA
Take away the checkout. Keep the sale.
Catalogue-first retail · enquiries over checkout
A catalogue-first redesign for a Leeds appliance retailer, built around enquiries instead of checkout.
ogla.online ↗ — https://ogla.online
Client · UX · Web
![Ricardo Costa](https://ricardoportfolio.xyz/covers/ricardo.png)
Ricardo Costa
李启达 · Multidisciplinary Designer
Leeds, UK
Open to China / Shanghai
( About )
I’m a Portuguese multidisciplinary designer based in Leeds, working across product, brand, presentations, illustration and front-end — and planning my move to China.
I studied Animation at the University of Huddersfield, then moved through freelance illustration, graphic design and presentation work for international teams. Along the way I taught myself product design and front-end development and started building my own digital products, including Pholu.
Now
Presentation Associate, Williams Lea · Founder, Pholu Labs
Education
BA (Hons) Animation · University of Huddersfield
Languages
English · Portuguese · French · Spanish · Mandarin (learning)
Tools
Figma · Adobe CC · PowerPoint · Think-cell · React · Next.js
( Contact )
## Let’s build something people keep.
I’m open to design roles in China, freelance collaborations and interesting products. If you think we’d make something good together, send me a message.
Email me →
LinkedIn ↗ — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-lourenco-da-costa
WeChat · ricebe
Download CV
Product · Brand · Front-end
© 2026 Ricardo Lourenço da Costa
Designed in Figma · Built with React
Leeds, UK · Open to China