CREATIVES!
3 steps. 6-figures. thriving career
masterclass
CREATIVES!
3 steps. 6-figures. thriving career
masterclass

We exist to help you Become a 6-Figure Global Designer who Grows Year After Year

We help people like you on their path to changing careers, qualifying for the international job market in the fields of UX, Design, and Digital Products. Our goal is to improve your quality of life through design and innovation, whether you’re just curious, starting out, or an experienced professional.

Manifesto

Have you ever felt left out of a world that doesn't seem to be right for you?

A world where opportunities seem reserved for the few, where success seems unattainable?

I know exactly what it's like. My name is Felipe, and I've been there too.

I know what it's like to feel that your talent is ignored, that your potential is wasted, while the market seems to be dominated by an elite that dictates the rules and closes the doors.

But I'm here to say one thing: this ends now.

I worked in a bank, earned a salary that many would consider sufficient, but my soul was tied up. I knew I didn't belong in that routine.

I knew that design was my path, but the path to enter that world was obscure, almost impenetrable.

I needed to fight to open that door, and when I finally walked in, I swore to myself that I would never let anyone go through what I went through.

Today, I earn 6 digits in dollars, live with my family in a small town in Spain, 5 minutes from the beach, and work remotely on projects in Silicon Valley, London, and New York. But I'm not here to brag.

I'm here to tell you that you can too. It doesn't matter where you came from. It doesn't matter who you are. What matters is the fire that burns inside you to break barriers and reach the top.

Here at Aela, our goal is to open the doors of design to everyone.

It doesn't matter if you're from a small town, if you've never had the opportunities that others had. We'll give you the tools, the knowledge, and the strength to get there. Because design isn't exclusive to an elite; it belongs to everyone who has the courage and determination to conquer their space.

I created Aela because I know what it's like to fight against a system that seems designed to bring you down.

I also know what it's like to invest in expensive courses that promise the world but are led by teachers with no real market experience—people who just dropped out of college and are already trying to teach you how to achieve success. That's a joke. And honestly, it's a lack of respect for you, who invest your money and your dreams.

In Aela, that's never going to happen. I made it my mission to bring the best to teach you.

Our mentors are professionals with extensive global experience, people who are on the battlefield, facing real market challenges every day. And I consider it my personal obligation to ensure that you learn from the best because you deserve the best.

What you will find is a team dedicated to helping you enter the top of the market, giving you the tools to not just get there, but stay there.

We believe in you. We believe that, with the right support, you can break barriers and conquer the design world.

So let's do this together.

Because the design market may try to be exclusive, but here at Aela, we're here to open the doors and let you in with everything.

No matter where you came from, we'll get you where you want to go. Together, let's break down these barriers and revolutionize design.

The journey starts now. And at Aela, you’ll never be alone.

We don't accept mainstreaming.

We don't accept being defined by others.

The impossible doesn't exist for us.

We define our career. Our life. Our rules.

You are one of us.

You are a Growth Designer now.

Welcome to your future in Design.

My Story with Aela

It all started a few years ago...
December 2006
I, Felipe, took courage and resigned from my job at Bradesco to start my career as a Designer (earning half the bank's salary).

It took me almost a year to earn R$1,000.00 as a Designer.

November 2007
I was invited to teach 3D Studio Max during a summer course for children. I had no idea, but I ended up falling in love with teaching.

A few months later, I became the school's official teacher, teaching all of the 3DS Max classes.

July 2009
I was invited to teach Photoshop classes, and then I started teaching several classes.

I started to be in the classroom almost every day, with courses in Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, and After Effects.

December 2015
After my move from Brazil to Ireland, while I was running the old blog Choco La Design, I received several requests and created my first online course, Photoshop Zero to Hero.

The first class was a success, with 50 students, many of whom had basic knowledge of the tool and ended up becoming specialists in image manipulation.

April 2016
My students started asking to learn what I did as a Designer, which at the time they called UX/UI Design.

This is how Mastering Interface Design was born, with a capacity of 50 people in the first class.

A few months later, several people began to be hired as UX/UI Designers in their first positions.
February 2017
Aelacast, a podcast about a global career as a UX/Product Designer, was born in Brazil.
August 2017
Aela launches as a company.
November 2017 - June 2023
Focus on our students and results.
Over 9,850 people have undergone free training at Aela, and more than 1,035 have enrolled in paid courses. The MID alone helped train and certify around 500 professionals who are now in the global market, some already in leadership positions.

I helped students get hired as UX/Product Designers at global companies in Brazil, Ireland, Portugal, the United States, Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom, such as Udemy, Toptal, Facebook, TOTVS, IBM, Globo.com, SEEDRS, MJV, Itaú, Outsystems, Netguru, Natura, CI&T, Accenture, and many others.

July 2023
Internal focus on building many new features and preparing for expansion.
August 2024
Novo Website and global training.

Aela Coaches

Meet our high-level team with international experience working in companies such as Microsoft, Nespresso, Pivotal, VMware, SAP, Thoughtworks, Toptal, Santander, Globo, and others.

Felipe Guimaraes

LinkedIn
FOUNDER, MENTOR & DESIGN LEAD
Residing in Europe since 2015, Felipe is a Lead Designer with more than 15 years of experience in the field, a certified master in UX by the Nielsen Norman Group, and is currently attending Design Management at Northumbria University. He has worked with world-known enterprises (Pivotal Labs, VMware, SAP, Microsoft, and CEMEX) and startups in the UK, Europe, Mexico, the US, Australia, Canada, and Brazil.

Rick Freitas

LinkedIn
MENTOR, PRODUCT DESIGN
Designer with 12 years of experience, currently living in Dubai/UAE. He is a consultant and mentor, serving major brands in various markets, driving strategy projects, and developing digital products and services. He is specialized in strategic business management by FIAP/SP, and besides being our lead mentor, Rick also works as a Senior Product Designer at Property Finder.

Naima Barbosa

LinkedIn
MENTORA, PRODUCT DESIGN
Naima is one of our mentors and a UX Specialist at ING France. She has been working with design since 2004 and currently lives in Paris. She previously worked as a UX Specialist for Bla Bla Car, Paris, and in Brazil, UX Lead at Santander Bank. Naima is also a specialist in Soft Ergonomics.

Guilherme Rodrigues

LinkedIn
MENTOR, PRODUCT DESIGN
Guilherme has lived in Dubai for the last decade, and worked as a designer at TOTVS, HP, and TOPTAL. He currently works at First Abu Dhabi Bank, the most preeminent banking institution in the UAE, where he leads the design team of Payit. He firmly believes in collaborative work to develop better digital products. Guilherme has an academic background in software but chose to specialize in design thinking.

Diogo Álvarez

LinkedIn
MENTOR, PRODUCT DESIGN
Lead Experience Designer at Thoughtworks. He has 15 years of experience working in areas such as Design, Creation, Advertising, Retail and E-Commerce and has worked both in advertising agencies and in the creation house of a large online retailer. She has a passion for user experience and dedicates her days to getting to know more and more about the topic. He has worked with major players in the market, including: Itaú, Bradesco, FIS, Next, Netshoes, Samsung, LG and Zattini.

Hanry Kluk

LinkedIn
MENTOR, PRODUCT DESIGN
I am a Designer and Anthropologist with over 10 years of experience in UX, passionate about understanding people's needs and creating digital user experiences. Design Lead at Rangle.io in the Netherlands

Get ready to be hired

We are proud to, every month, have alumni being hired in large companies, in countries such as
🇺🇸 USA, 🇬🇧 UK, 🇮🇪 Ireland, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇳🇱 Netherlands, 🇪🇸 Spain, 🇵🇹 Portugal, 🇦🇹 Austria, 🇧🇷 Brazil, 🇨🇿 Czech Republic, 🇳🇿New Zealand and 🇨🇦Canada.

Real-World Training Focused on Results, Not Just Diplomas

Are You Ready to Turn Your Passion for Design into a High-Paying Career, Earning $137,000+?

Kickstart your journey by downloading our free ebook, 'Career Change to UX/Product Design,' and get ready to enter one of the most rewarding careers out there.
We use cookies to make the Aela website a better place. Cookies help provide a more personalized experience for you and web analytics for us. Learn more.
Accept