About
I’m Marcelo. Most people call me Cello. I’m a product designer and design engineer in Portland, and I like carrying an idea through the details: what people need to do, how the interface helps them do it, and what has to work behind the scenes.
I came to product design through visual journalism and brand systems. In 2021 I started my own practice, Cello.Design, with brand and web design. Mantera was my first client. Asheville Dispensary followed, then The Green Phial, VegAvengers and River Phoenix Center for Peacebuilding. Legal Impact for Chickens is also part of my client work.
The practice grew with the work. Brand systems led into reusable interfaces, content platforms and internal tools, and in 2024 I began shipping production code collaboratively. Today I work across design and implementation, with attention to accessibility and to the people who will maintain what ships. At Asheville that means connecting three brands across websites, packaging, sales materials and production workflows. At VegAvengers it means giving two editors control of their own publishing platform.
I also make products of my own. Ghosted helps people manage their job search and tailor resumes with AI changes they can review. Daybreak is where I explore planning across Mac and iPhone. They give me room to follow a design decision through implementation, feedback and the next release.
View ResumeHow I Build
I build what I design, so the system reaches production intact. Code does everything it can, the model gets the smallest job it can be trusted with, and a person approves wherever the consequences are.
Code First
A script checks for new product drops before any model runs. An idle day costs about $0.30 instead of $12.
Proof: Asheville automations →A Small, Checkable Job
The agent edits the resume, but every change arrives highlighted and versioned, for the person to accept or reject.
Proof: Ghosted →Approval Where It Matters
An AI checker proposes festival updates as ordinary CMS drafts. Editors publish; the AI never does.
Proof: VegAvengers →Let’s Talk
I’m open to full-time product design and design engineering roles where I can focus deeply on a product alongside a team, remote in the US or in Portland. The fastest way to reach me is email.