TIAGO RUSSO
LUXURY PRODUCT DESIGN INTELLIGENCE
Senior judgement before expensive product decisions
Product value | Material intelligence | Ritual | Production reality | Market credibility
Advisory, diagnostic sprints and fractional creative leadership for founders, investors, packaging groups and premium brands making high-stakes product, packaging and market decisions before serious capital is committed.
Tiago Russo helps leadership teams pressure-test whether a product, packaging direction, material strategy or market expression truly carries the value the brand wants the market to believe.
This is not freelance design execution. It is senior strategic judgement shaped by globally recognised work across premium spirits, product experience, packaging and production-ready innovation.
130+ INTERNATIONAL AWARDS | PREMIUM SPIRITS CREATIVE LEADERSHIP JURY, SPEAKER AND EDUCATOR | PRODUCTION-READY EXPERIENCE
THE PROBLEM
The most expensive product mistakes happen before production begins.
In premium and high-value markets, weak product decisions are rarely just aesthetic. They affect perceived value, investor confidence, production feasibility, launch credibility, user experience and long-term brand equity.
A bottle can look impressive in a render and fail in production. A closure can appear distinctive and damage the ritual. A box can look expensive and still communicate the wrong price point. A story can be rich and still fail to keep the product as the protagonist.
The cost is not only design correction. The cost is lost credibility, wasted capital and a product that does not justify the value it claims.
Tiago Russo Advisory exists for the moment before those decisions become expensive, public or difficult to reverse.
WHO THIS IS FOR
For leaders with capital, reputation or launch momentum at risk
This work is designed for situations where product decisions need senior judgement before the brand commits further time, budget or production effort.
01
Founders and CEOs
For founder-led premium and high-value brands preparing launches, relaunches or major product decisions.
02
Investors and family offices
For investors, validating whether a premium product concept can credibly support its intended market value.
03
Packaging groups and suppliers
For agencies that need deeper product, packaging, material and luxury experience intelligence behind selected client projects.
04
Agencies and brand partners
For agencies that need deeper product, packaging, material and premium experience intelligence behind selected client projects.
05
Senior leadership teams
For companies needing alignment between product direction, commercial ambition, production feasibility and market credibility.
06
Executive education and events
For institutions, conferences and corporate teams seeking practitioner-led perspective on design-led value creation.
Formats designed for different levels of decision pressure
WAYS TO ENGAGE
Each format supports high-stakes product, packaging and brand experience decisions at a different level of depth.
01
LUXURY PRODUCT INTELLIGENCE SESSION
A private senior advisory session for founders, investors or leadership teams who need fast, experienced judgement before a major product, packaging or market decision.
Best for: launches, relaunches, investor reviews, packaging decisions, product experience concerns and early-stage premium direction.
Pre-review of available materials
2-hour private advisory session
Product, packaging, material and perceived-value critique
Risk areas and opportunity map
Short written recommendation summary
Typical engagement range: EUR 5,000 - 7,500
02
PRODUCT VALUE DIAGNOSTIC SPRINT
A deeper 10-working-day diagnostic for brands, investors, packaging groups or agencies preparing a premium product decision where serious capital may be committed.
Best for: major launches, relaunches, packaging redesigns, investor-backed product development, supplier pitch support and high-value product decisions.
Product and packaging audit
Value perception diagnosis
Material and production-readiness review
User experience and ritual critique
Commercial value recommendations
Leadership presentation and strategic roadmap
Typical engagement range: EUR 18,000 - 25,000
03
FRACTIONAL CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Ongoing senior creative leadership for brands, founders, packaging groups or premium ventures that need high-level product, packaging and experience direction without a full-time appointment
Monthly or weekly strategic direction
Founder and leadership advisory
Product and packaging review
Creative team or supplier guidance
Launch or relaunch direction
Investor, board or client presentation support
Typical engagement range: EUR 6,000 - 12,000
Higher-intensity fractional leadership by discussion.
04
EXECUTIVE MASTERCLASS
A private leadership session for brands, agencies, suppliers, institutions or executive teams seeking to understand how product design creates commercial value in premium and high-value markets.
Core topic: Designing Luxury Products That Create Value.
Why luxury packaging fails before production
Design as investment, not decoration
How product experience justifies price
Material intelligence and perceived value
Production-ready innovation in product development
Typical engagement range: EUR 8,000 - 25,000
05
SPEAKING AND KEYNOTES
High-level talks for conferences, private events, corporate teams, luxury industry platforms and design institutions.
Design as commercial risk reduction
Product experience, ritual and perceived value
Material intelligence in premium markets
Why products fail to justify value
Typical engagement range: EUR 5,000 - 20,000+
06
SELECT SENIOR LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Selective senior creative leadership, board advisory or brand-side opportunities may be considered where the ambition, role, structure and ethical boundaries are clear.
Global Creative Director
Head of Product Experience
Fractional Chief Design Officer
Senior Creative Advisor
Product Experience Strategy Lead
Structure: By discussion
Pedigree matters because judgement must be earned
WHY TIAGO RUSSO
Tiago Russo is a product design and creative leader whose work sits at the intersection of product development, packaging, material strategy, sensorial experience and commercial value creation.
As Founder of Craft Design and through global creative leadership in premium spirits, he has contributed to internationally recognised products where design, production, ritual, market perception and brand value had to operate as one system.
His work has been connected to more than 130 international awards across product, packaging and luxury experience, with a reputation for production-ready innovation, sensorial storytelling and commercially accountable design.
130+
International awards across product, packaging and luxury experience
premium
spirits
Global creative leadership in one of the most demanding premium categories
production ready
Experience taking complex premium products from concept to physical reality
jury+
speaker
International design awards, conferences, masterclasses and educational platforms
RECOGNITION
Recognised across design, product and brand experience
Tiago’s work and perspective have been recognised across international design, packaging and product platforms, including awards, jury appointments, speaking engagements and academic sessions.
Selected activities include international design jury roles, packaging recognition, university masterclasses, industry speaking engagements, and award-winning product development across high-end spirits, packaging, and product experience.
ADVISORY THEMES
What the work pressure-tests
The advisory work focuses on the decisions that determine whether a premium product can credibly carry its intended value.
Product value credibility
Does the product truly support the price, ambition and market position being claimed?
Packaging and presentation
Does the packaging elevate the product, or does it distract, overpromise or weaken the experience?
Material intelligence
Do the materials express value, function and production reality, or are they only decorative signals?
Ritual and user experience
Does the physical experience create memory, sequence and emotional value?
Production-readiness
Are the decisions feasible, controlled and commercially responsible before capital is committed?
Investor and board confidence
Can the direction withstand scrutiny from founders, investors, boards, partners or senior leadership?
BEST-FIT SITUATIONS
When to
bring
this in
This work is most valuable before a product decision becomes expensive, visible or structurally difficult to change.
A premium brand is preparing a launch or relaunch.
A founder is unsure whether the product experience supports the intended price.
An investor needs to validate a product before committing capital.
A packaging group wants to strengthen a high-value client pitch.
An agency needs senior product and market judgement behind a brand concept.
A leadership team needs alignment before development, tooling or production.
A premium brand wants to understand why a product doesn’t feel as valuable as intended.
A company needs fractional senior creative leadership without hiring full-time.
FOR PARTNERS
A specialist layer for partners who already have the client relationship
For packaging groups, suppliers and agencies, Tiago can support selected opportunities without replacing the existing client relationship.
The value sits at the front end: strengthening the product logic, market perception, material narrative, ritual, production-readiness and client-facing argument before development becomes expensive.
The role is not to become another supplier in the chain. The role is to help partners win, elevate and de-risk high-value opportunities.
Possible collaboration models
Selected pitch support
Client-facing advisory session
Product Value Diagnostic Sprint
Fractional creative advisory
Premium drinks or packaging proposition review
Executive masterclass for internal teams or clients
FOR FOUNDERS AND INVESTORS
Before capital is committed, test whether the product carries the value
Premium and high-value products often fail not because the ambition is too low, but because design decisions are not tested against market reality, material logic, production feasibility and user perception early enough.
For founders and investors, Tiago provides senior external judgement before product, packaging, tooling, production or launch decisions become expensive.
What supports the value proposition
What weakens credibility
What may create production or experience risk
What should change before more capital is committed
Whether the product direction can support the intended market position
STRUCTURE
How engagements are structured
Speaking, education, strategic advisory, diagnostic sprints and fractional leadership are handled personally by Tiago Russo.
Where full design development, packaging creation, prototyping or implementation is required, this is structured separately and only where appropriate.
All engagements are subject to availability, confidentiality and existing professional obligations. No confidential client information, unreleased work or restricted intellectual property is used.
The work is designed around senior judgement, leadership support and strategic clarity, not the misuse of confidential knowledge or the replacement of existing internal teams.
OPTIONAL RUSSO + MARTINS DIMENSION
A broader design intelligence platform where relevant
For selected education, product design, material intelligence and sustainability-led programmes, Katia Martins may join as a strategic design partner, bringing internationally recognised expertise in product design, glass, sustainability and emotional durability.
Together, Tiago Russo and Katia Martins can offer a broader design intelligence platform for leadership teams, institutions and brands seeking deeper perspective on product value, material consciousness and meaningful user experience.
Design is not intuition. It is accumulated knowledge, tested through material, production, market context and human experience
TIAGO RUSSO
CONTACT
Before serious capital is committed, pressure-test the product
For advisory sessions, diagnostic sprints, fractional creative leadership, executive masterclasses, speaking invitations or senior leadership conversations, request availability directly.