Karl Smyth is an Irish designer based in Coimbra, with more than 25 years’ experience across branding, advertising creative, product and digital design. Most recently Head of Design at a Series A FX fintech based across Ireland, Portugal, the UK and Malta, he now helps small businesses, startups and scale-ups with branding, product design and design leadership, from first MVP through to investment and growth.
Before the world went digital, Karl spent many years in brand and creative work for clients including Coca-Cola, Vodafone and Sony, as well as cultural figures such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Michael Flatley. Along his journey, he’s built creative studios, brands, and startups; design systems, products, and teams; worked with some very big brands, and learned a great deal from the ones that didn’t quite make it; and spoken at events such as Web Summit, The Next Web and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
Karl looks to work with ambitious startups and scale-ups where he can bring together the things he’s spent a career learning: brand, product, strategy, craft and leadership. Ideally, good people with interesting problems, who still believe good design requires judgement, curiosity, a little bit of bloody-mindedness, and have a healthy disregard for corporate waffle.
Karl is always glad to connect with Irish and Portuguese businesses working between the two countries, and happy to meet for a coffee in Coimbra or Dublin, or a call anywhere else.