ABOUT

Hugo Pilate is a design researcher and digital artist based in Gothenburg, Sweden, with 10+ years of experience at the intersection of participatory design, urban transformation, and digital cultures.

Trained at Art Center College of Design (BS, 2014) and HDK-Valand (MFA, 2025), Hugo works with user research, speculative design, and digital storytelling for clients across private and public sectors.

His practice spans the development of virtual spaces, civic engagement tools, peer-learning formats, and interactive prototypes. Alongside his design practice, Hugo is one half of What A Mess, an artist duo co-founded with Pedro Gil Faries.

Hugo has exhibited at the London Design Biennale, the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam, Milan Machinia Film Festival, Delhi Irregulars Art Fair, and Kindl in Berlin.

He has taught a variety of design-led inquiry formats at Chalmers University of Technology, the National Institute of Design, Leiden School of Urban Studies, and Art Center College of Design, among others.

Past clients: Quicksand Design Studio, BouwhulpGroep, PullExperience, Two Bit Circus, Plug-In-City, STRP Festival, PLACE Network, the Ebco, Sterling Brands.

Last updated on . Built using a customised version of 11ty ↗ and Obsidian ↗ with GT Cinetype ↗ and careful guidance from Salil Parekh.