April 21, 2025

Hi!1I am
Daniel Kusaka,
a designer2
at Airbnb
from Rio3
living in NY.4

1. 

I always check my e-mail. I sometimes post to Instagram. And I rarely use Twitter. You can also find me on LinkedIn.

2. 

I spent the first years of my career designing everything I could. Through this process, I realized that the possibilities and the impact of my work as a digital product designer were unparalleled.

I joined globo.com, the largest media company in Brazil and the home of the best product teams in the country at the time. There I designed several products, from publishing tools to consumer-facing websites that millions of Brazilians visit daily.

At Work & Co I have designed and launched products for clients like Apple, LG, Fox Sports, and Mercedes-Benz. Every new project gives me a different challenge and new learning that goes to my repertory.

This journey has shaped how I approach and solve problems. I love to collaborate, and I believe that leading by empowering people is much more effective and rewarding. I think that familiarity is key, but we haven’t come this far relying only on it. I’m grateful to have the power to shape products that impact people and the world positively.

3. 

I grew up in Santa Teresa, the most charming neighborhood in Rio. If you find yourself in the area, I strongly recommend catching a cable car up the hill to spend the afternoon drinking beer and eating pastel de feijoada at Bar do Mineiro.

I support Flamengo, Brazil’s most popular soccer team.

I go to Búzios as often as I can. It’s a small town near Rio with white sand beaches that I never get tired of.

I love Brazil and I could tell you a lot more about it. But I’m also a designer and I don’t want to make this column taller than the others.

4. 

I joined Work & Co in 2015 as one of the very first employees in our Brazil office. I helped the company establish itself in Rio. After a year and a half, I moved to New York to work at the company’s Brooklyn headquarters.