My most recent roles

Over 20 years of design leadership across the United States, Europe, and Latin America. I’ve led teams, shaped strategy, and guided organizations through growth and change, from global companies to early-stage startups. Here’s a look at the work that shaped my perspective and approach.

My Resume

Areas of Expertise

• Executive Design Leadership
• Brand Strategy & Development
• Design Systems & Visual Identity
  

• UX/UI & Product Design
• Growth Design & Experimentation
• Design Strategy & Innovation

• Global & Multicultural Team Management
• Creative Direction & Innovation
• Remote Team Operations

Work Experience

All Turtles

All Turtles is a product studio that helps build and scale tech-driven solutions in productivity, health, and communication. It supports entrepreneurs and teams with design, engineering, marketing, and strategy.

Remote, United States
May 2022 –  July 2025
www.all-turtles.com

Sr. Design Director

• Led a multidisciplinary team of over 11 designers, scaling design operations to support four concurrent product workstreams while maintaining a 95% talent retention rate.
• Directed the design strategy for a high-impact portfolio, fostering cohesive brand identities and UI/UX excellence from seed stage through Series D funding.
• Developed cross-functional design systems and agile workflows that reduced design-to-development handoff time and ensured smooth stakeholder alignment across executive leadership.
• Built a high-performing design culture through structured mentorship and a measurable improvement in team output quality.

Shopify

Shopify Inc. is a Canadian multinational e-commerce company that offers a platform, payments, marketing, shipping, and customer engagement.

San Francisco, United States
November 2020 – Jan 2022
www.shopify.com

UX Design Manager

• Co-orchestrated the rapid 328% scaling of the Global Growth Design org (14 to 60+ headcount). 
• Directed a multidisciplinary team of up to 20+ designers, spearheading the Organic Growth roadmap. Spearheaded high-velocity A/B testing across email ecosystems and free-tier tools to optimize the top-of-funnel conversion path. 
• Drove a 130K increase in annual merchant retention by designing and launching data-driven product initiatives focused on long-term user stickiness and lifecycle engagement.

Mozilla, Firefox

Mozilla creates browsers, apps, code, and tools that prioritize people over profit. Its mission is to keep the Internet open and accessible to all.

San Francisco, United States
June 2019 – Sept 202
www.firefox.com

Head of Brand Design

• Built and directed a high-performing, trans-Atlantic design studio of 11+ multidisciplinary specialists (UX, Brand, Motion, Illustration), fostering a culture of creative excellence across US and EU time zones.
• Led a comprehensive global brand audit and competitive teardown, identifying critical market gaps to architect a multi-year strategic roadmap for the Firefox visual identity.
• Served as a strategic design partner in redefining the Firefox brand positioning, translating high-level business goals into a differentiated, market-ready visual narrative. 
• Built and scaled the Firefox Design Systems, implementing a quarterly release cycle that increased design agility and ensured 100% visual parity across global marketing touchpoints.
• Directed the strategic redesign of flagship web properties, optimizing conversion funnels that drove a measurable surge in global downloads and user acquisition. 
• Conceptualized high-impact product features for Firefox Monitor, prioritizing engagement-led interactions that were integrated into the core product roadmap to drive long-term retention.
• Standardized cross-functional workflows between Product, Marketing, and Engineering, eliminating silos and increasing project velocity through shared design rituals and transparent roadmap alignment.

Waggl

A real-time transparent engagement platform that crowdsources and prioritizes Employee Voice around topics that matter.

San Francisco, United States
Jan 2018 – June 2019
www.waggl.com

Design & Strategy Consultant (contract)

• Served as one of the Founding Design Leads, establishing the end-to-end design function across Brand, Product, and Marketing for a high-growth organization.
• Orchestrated a comprehensive UX audit that identified critical friction points, resulting in a prioritized product roadmap and the implementation of 10+ high-impact usability enhancements. 
• Acted as a strategic design partner to the Product team, leveraging user-centric data to influence product direction and de-risk feature development.
• Co-authored the centralized brand identity and messaging framework, ensuring a cohesive and professional market presence across all customer touchpoints.
• Developed a scalable asset library and multi-platform UI kit, accelerating design-to-production speed and maintaining visual excellence in all marketing and product collateral. 
• Conceptualized and launched the flagship company website, optimizing the user journey to increase lead generation and brand authority. 
• Championed a design-led culture by facilitating cross-functional workshops, fostering collaborative problem-solving across Engineering, Marketing, and Operations.

Independent

Worked as a design consultant 
for several organizations.

San Francisco, United States
2017 – Present
www.Designstgy.com

Design & Strategy Consultant

• The Hungry Post, Flow Kana, Areppas, MOMO Racing, Avilab, José Hoek
• Delivered branding, art direction, product innovation, and environmental design.

Creatium

Design and Creative Studio.

Caracas, Venezuela
2005 – 2016
www.creatium.net

Founder and Director

• Founded and scaled Creatium, a premier creative studio, positioning the firm as a strategic design partner for a global portfolio of Fortune 500 clients and high-growth startups. 
• Built and directed high-performance cross-functional teams of up to 15 specialists, implementing a flexible staffing model that allowed the studio to scale rapidly for enterprise-level engagements.
• Spearheaded all business development and client relations, securing long-term partnerships with industry leaders (Heinz, Pfizer, HP, Mondelez, Johnson & Johnson,...) through expert contract negotiation and a value-driven approach to account management.
• Directed all operational and financial aspects of the studio, maintaining P&L responsibility and ensuring long-term fiscal health through optimized resource allocation and project scoping.
• Translated complex business objectives into award-ready brand systems and multi-channel campaigns, bridging the gap between high-level strategy and world-class visual execution.
•  Selected Client Portfolio:
  • Pharma/Health: Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Janssen Cilag, Carrot Fertility
  • Consumer Goods: Heinz, Mondelez International, Del Monte, Parmalat, Cerveceria Regional
  • Tech/Finance: Hewlett Packard, Digitel, DirecTV, Barnett Capital Bank, CAF (Development Bank)
  • and more...

Education

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, USA.
Degree: Master’s
Area of Studies: MBA in Design Strategy (DMBA)

Scuola Politecnica di Design

Milan, Italy.
Degree: Master’s
Area of Studies: Visual Communication

IESA

Caracas, Venezuela.
Degree: Diploma
Area of Studies: Managerial Training Program

Instituto de Diseno de Caracas

Caracas, Venezuela.
Degree: Bachelor’s
Area of Studies: Design

Skills

Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, Sketch, Jira, Asana, Notion, Webflow, Slack, Miro Artificial Intelligence, Logic and more.

Language Skills

Spanish: Native
English: Fluent 
Italian: Proficient

What people I've worked with say about me

Chris Ploeg - All Turtles

Clio reported directly to Chris Ploeg

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more positive, empathetic, or passionate design leader than Clio. He brings a rare combination of structure and heart to his work—detail-oriented while remaining attuned to the needs of his team. Clio brings intentionality to his work, from the way he facilitates collaboration to how he nurtures a culture of creativity and collaboration. Through thoughtful design rituals and collaborative practices, Clio empowers its teams to co-create the culture they want to be part of. Clio leads with both precision and care, and any team would be lucky to have him.

Colleen McGarry - All Turtles

Colleen was senior to Heraclio but didn't manage Clio directly

I worked closely with Clio at All Turtles, and couldn’t have enjoyed our working relationship more. Clio is an experienced and kind manager for his direct reports, and a thoughtful collaborator for his peers. He is responsive and adaptable, does well in ambiguous situations, and never loses his cool. He also gives and receives feedback regularly and well. He’s committed to creating meaningful rituals to build cohesion in a remote environment and support people who are struggling in ways that are appropriate to their needs. I’d be honored to work with him again in the future, and I hope I get the chance.

Namika Hamasaki- All Turtles

Namika reported directly to Clio

Clio is an exceptional manager. Since joining All Turtles, he’s helped shape our culture and build a strong sense of team bonding, even in a fully remote environment. He’s also a thoughtful and supportive coach. When I was uncertain about how to grow in my career, he offered valuable feedback and helped me build a clear growth strategy.
I’d love to work with Clio again – any team would be lucky to have him!

Gloria Lu - All Turtles

Gloria reported directly to Heraclio at All Turtles

Clio is a dream to work with. He is an empathetic people manager who cares deeply about his team and is an exceptional strategic leader who is always able to find solutions to any problem with enthusiasm and positivity.

I have witnessed Clio go above and beyond what I expected from a design leader. It seems as though his mind is always spinning up creative business strategies. I have learned so much about design strategy and business development from Clio, and I hope I may be lucky enough to work with him again in the future.

Tim Murray - Mozilla

Clio reported directly to Tim Murray

Clio methodically led the development of the Firefox brand system by engaging the unique expertise of each designer on his team, inspiring them with possibilities, crafting a transparent process of exploration and adoption, and always leading with listening and kindness. Meanwhile, he built bridges to other collaborators in the organization, kept leadership apprised of new developments, and became the internal champion for consistency and distinctiveness. The result is a system that's comprehensive, smart, beautiful to behold, and flexible enough to serve Firefox as the brand evolves. From insights-driven design to passionate team leadership, Clio would be an asset to any organization that seeks to grow their business through the power of design. 

Michael Ham - Mozilla

Michael reported directly to Clio

A unified brand system, productive designers, strategy-led campaigns, and harmonious cross-org partnerships – just a few of the many desirable outcomes of having Clio’s design leadership at Mozilla. Clio embodies Mozilla’s ethos of “people over profit” – whether it’s the folks he’s working with to implement design strategy or the users he is designing for – his focus on people is at the forefront of his work. As a designer under Clio’s leadership it’s inspiring to experience his passion for the craft, his talent for creating experiences, and his thoughtful approach to mentorship. Clio’s expertise as a user-centered problem solver comes into focus whenever he collaborates across the organization, bringing with him a sound, design thinking approach. Above all, Clio is a delight to work with and for – Clio draws all those around him into his vision and, in turn, spurs them on to do their best work.

Mary Ellen Muckerman - Mozilla

Clio reported indirectly to Mary Ellen

I had the pleasure of working with Clio at Mozilla. He joined the team and immediately made a positive impact. He breathed life into a nascent brand identity system, making it sing across platforms and channels. He championed consistency and elegance across our many web experiences. He quickly became a valued partner across the entire design community, from marketing to product, and a respected leader within the brand team, known for empathy and generosity. Plus, he's a damn fine musician! 

Carolyn Jaeger - Mozilla

Carolyn reported directly to Heraclio at Mozilla

Clio was aasas great Design leader, mentor and brand steward during his time at Mozilla. Through his leadership came elevated work and consistency in brand expression across Mozilla's marketing channels. Clio encouraged the team to share work and document progress on the brand's evolution. He provided each team member with valuable feedback on a daily basis and always found time to meet one on one during periods of intense work. I was impressed by Clio's attention to detail, and organizational skills. He introduced new design tools to our team that helped us work better together. Clio's superpower is his empathy. Through my career, Clio stands out as the most kind, warm and supportive manager. He is a great listener, actively unblocking obstacles, supporting his reports' career growth, and drawing great advice from his own work experience. He's an integral part of team culture because he sets a tone of respect and takes joy in his work. Clio will succeed in any role he takes on and will positively impact those who have the privilege of working with him. 

Jascha Kaykas-Wolff - Mozilla

Clio reported indirectly to Jascha Kaykas-Wolff

Clio is a warmhearted and clear-eyed creative leader. In addition to being a great person and team leader his eye for system design is unmatched. He was instrumental in maturing the Mozilla and Firefox Brands while we were working together. If you appreciate the accessibility of the brand systems at Mozilla you will love working with Clio! 

heraclio@designstgy.com