Turning what you mean
into what people see.
STUDIOBossa is a founder-led brand and product design studio. I help venture firms and early-stage startups turn complex ideas into brands, decks and products people understand on first read.
BEHIND THE STUDIONiley Barros.
Founder & Creative Director
Hi, I'm Niley 👋 (pronounced Knee-Lay). I grew up in Brazil, where design is about how you make people feel as much as how things look. That perspective has stayed with me, and I bring it into every project.
Before starting Bossa, I worked across graphic design, global event production, and UX and product design. I've built experiences for thousands of people at tech conferences, designed pitch decks for founders heading into fundraising, and shaped brands that needed a clear story to stand out.
I lead every project myself. When the work calls for more, I bring in trusted developers, UX specialists and content partners, so you get the right expertise without agency overhead.
Selected clients: Hannah Grey VC · Forbes Councils · Afference · SAS Recovery · Amesa in partership with Microsoft . GOTO Conferences . Lean Startup . Botanie Soap . UW Hospitals
"I design in English and think in Portuguese. Translating every day taught me to hear what a founder means before they find the words for it."
WHERE BOSSA COMES FROM
Design is translation.
The name comes from bossa nova, the Brazilian sound that took samba and jazz and made something new that still feels timeless. The wave pattern comes from the sidewalks of Rio.
I carry that into the work. Every project moves an idea from one place to another: from a founder's head to an investor's screen, from a technical product to a buyer who needs it in one sentence, from Portuguese to English. When the translation is right, people understand you faster and trust you sooner.
SERVICESWhat I offer.
Brand strategy & identity
Positioning, naming and a visual identity built on a clear story. You leave with guidelines your team can use from day one.
RecentAuditSUITE360 for SAS RecoveryBotanie Soap
Pitch decks & storytelling
Investor and sales decks that make a complex business easy to follow. I shape the narrative, then design every slide around it.
RecentHannah Grey VCAfferenceTriangle Health
Product & UX design
UX flows, dashboards and design systems for software products, grounded in research and built in Figma.
RecentAuditSUITE360 dashboards
Websites
Websites that tell your story, built in Webflow or Squarespace, or custom-coded with my development partner when you need more.
RecentAfference (Webflow)Hannah Grey VC (Squarespace)
Editorial & content
Ebooks, reports and social assets that keep your brand consistent everywhere it shows up.
RecentGoTo Connect ebookAmesa ebookHannah Grey VC journal
Ongoing design support
A monthly partnership for teams that need a senior designer on call without a full-time hire.
RecentAfferenceHannah Grey VC