Paulo Mariano | Senior Art Director, Creative Lead & International Jury Member in Europe

Paulo Mariano is an award-winning Senior Art Director and Creative Lead based in Lisbon, Portugal, with 23+ years of experience developing integrated advertising campaigns, brand activations, brand identity systems and visual storytelling for global brands including Netflix, Emirates, EDP, LIDL, Gatorade, Delta Cafés and Bank of Brazil. Selected for Lürzer's Archive 200 Best Digital Artists Worldwide 2025 and recognised by ADC Europe, EFFIE, CCP and Lusófonos Awards. International advertising jury member at NYF New York Festivals, Mad Stars Busan, FIAP, AdForum PHNX, AIVA and Clube Criativos Portugal. Working with Generative AI tools including Midjourney, Sora, Gemini and Adobe Firefly for concept development, moodboards and visual exploration. Work featured in Lürzer's Archive — All About Francis, Lürzer's Archive — Paulo Mariano, Ad Age — The SkinBook, Best Ads on TV — The SkinBook, ADCE / ADC Europe 2024 and CCP — Clube Criativos Portugal. Full biography and jury history.

PAULO MARIANO
WORK    




Stranger Things

Activation + Content


Direção de Arte e Storytelling Visual — Projeto Netflix Stranger Things Subway, ideation, design, photography, Creative Director, Art director

When the Upside Down took over Lisbon’s Metro, STRANGER THINGS HAPPENED IN LISBOA. The universe of Stranger Things came to Portugal, thrilling thousands of fans with a story they could step inside.


An action that turned  upside down one of the most important metro stations in the country's capital: Marquês de Pombal.

Each area of the entire station became instagrammable. A buzz worthy activation, commented on social networks by Strange Things lovers and many others.


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MY ROLE / Concept, Art Direction
WHERE / Solid Dogma
TEAM / Pedro Pires, Alex Couto, Ana Castanho, Carla Capela
CLIENT / Netflix


Stranger Things activation Portugal marketing campaign




TRUE TAKEOVER //

According to MOP, Marquês de Pombal Station has the highest number of advertising impressions (monthly average of above seven million).
It was the largest  takeover of a metro station, with a set of 505 OOH (Out of Home static or digital) faces, as well as 296 vinyl positions (organically arranged throughout the station).


Netflix experiential marketing campaign Europe



SECURITY CAMERAS  // PROPOSAL
Fiction and reality blended. Stranger Things scary creatures roamed throughout an upside-down metro station. The portal is open. 





SECURITY CAMERAS  // PROPOSAL
The entire hallway turned blue. Heavy clouds on the ceiling emitted bright rays and the floor was covered in vines.






LABORATORY  // PROPOSAL
Remnants of the Hawkins National Laboratory, where experiments still linger. 'Eleven' accidentally left the gateway to an alternate dimension open.





THE HOUSE STATION  // PROPOSAL
A homage to a new location revealed in the fourth season: The Creel House. Through the window, lights reveal the 'Mind-Flayer.





STRANGE THINGS STREET ART  // PROPOSAL
RESULTS // 
More than a million impressions throughout Portuguese Netflix social media accounts.
Half a million individual engagements from the Upside Down Station activation.
The campaign made Upside Down Station a trending topic on Twitter.

Direção de Arte e Storytelling Visual — Project, Netflix, Stranger Things, Subway, Portugal
Stranger Things, Netflix, Direção de Arte e Storytelling Visual — Projeto La Casa de Papel with Xutos Netflix, ideation, design, photography, Creative Director, Art director