DIOGO COSTA
DIRECTOR | ART DIRECTOR | CONCEPT ARTIST
Porto, Portugal | Worldwide
diogocosta553@gmail.com
Diogo Costa is a freelance Director, Art Director, and Concept Artist working in animation and video games.
An advocate for independent practice and artistic collaboration, he's been using the concept of "Guerrilla Animation" to explore new methods of CG short filmmaking that prioritize efficiency and creativity to produce visually striking animation on a budget.
His award-winning debut short film, The Hunt (2024), was screened at international festivals, including Sitges, Chilemonos, MIAF, MotelX, and CINANIMA, and earned him a spot in Variety’s “11 Portuguese Animation Talents to Track.”
Currently, he leads an international collective of artists on both author and commercial projects, while maintaining an independent practice on multiple client projects.
In 2025, he founded the animation showcase Porto.Anim, in collaboration with Fisga, to highlight the local growing independent animation movement.
From 2019 to 2026, he was an invited Professor at IPMAIA, where, among other things, he taught "Concept Art Video Games."
As an artist, he likes to keep his focus on essentials: storytelling, visual development, and character design.
Clients, Projects & Collaborations
Press, Features, and other publications
Variety - Online Article (EN)
Sapo - Online Article (PT)
Radix - Online Article (ES)
Público - Online Article (PT)
Trojan Horse was a Unicorn - Online Article (EN)
Blauw Films - Online Article (EN)
Featured:
Talks
Trojan Horse was a Unicorn - Tribe Talks
Trojan Horse was a Unicorn - Career Camp
Comic Con Portugal (Panel with COLA Animation)
IPCA
Escola Artística Soares dos Reis (EASR)
University of Minho
IPMAIA
Pitchs, Forums and Presentations
Projects in development - Monstra (2026)
Projectos.PT - Cinanima (2025)
[PRO] First Impressions - Curtas Vila do Conde (2024)
Projects in development - Monstra (2024)
Projectos.PT - Cinanima (2023)
Fórum da animação (2023)
Fórum da animação (2023)
COLLABORATORS
MARTA MACEDO (CHARACTER ART) | RICARDO ALVES (CHARACTER ART) | MILES CORLESS (MOTION GRAPHICS) | GABRIELA SÁ (STORYTELLING) | PEDRO OLIVEIRA (ANIMATION) | DAVID MOURATO (ANIMATION) | GUILHERME MARTINS (ANIMATION) | MATT RADFORD (VFX) | LÉA PINTO (BACKGROUND PAINTING) | JOSÉ POEIRAS (TECH ANIMATION) | SEBASTIÃO LOPES (TECH ANIMATION)| IS SVEMIRA (MUSIC) | ISADORA ALVES (ACTING) | MARIA FONTES & ANZE REGINA (RIGGING) | JOÃO SILVA (CONCEPT ART/DIRECTOR) | JOSÉ LEITE (CONCEPT ART) | BRUNO CAETANO (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER) | BRUNO SIMÕES (DIRECTOR/PRODUCER) | CAROLINA SANTOS (PRODUCTION/EVENTS)
Behind the scenes, Festivals and Fun
