Whether illustrating the most important design manifestos of the last century or making a particularly playful erotic magazine, this innovative Portuguese designer pairs thought-provoking concepts with tonnes of flair.
How would you describe your style?
I've always been divided between design and illustration, and between reason and emotion. As a designer, the end result will always depend on the nature of the project. Obviously I have my references and things that I like the most, however I try to focus on effectively responding to a problem.
Are there some projects you prefer working on to others?
Yes, I especially enjoy the more creative ones. I like working with well-structured and challenging projects. I avoid jobs that limit my creativity and do not allow much freedom to innovate.
Tell us about your 25 Texts on Graphic Design project?
25 Texts on Graphic Design was a project I did in my third year. Initially the tutors tasked us with illustrating five of twenty-five manifestos that would later be gathered together into a publication. We had complete freedom choosing the format and how we used the content, so I chose to create a low cost publication in just black and white, with to create easy reproduction and dissemination of the message. This publication was mainly aimed at designers.
What is the most challenging project you’ve worked on recently and why?
The most challenging project to date was my first MA project. We were briefed to create a product (along with a trademark) that would be sold at a pop-up shop for just one day. The aim was to create something different and innovative. My first idea was to make a pornographic peer-to-peer magazine, I later on realised that it could include something else. Dot-to-dot is a self-publishing magazine, consisting of texts and erotic images of several authors, who combined make a journey throughout the history of sexuality from Classical Antiquity to the present day, through the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the emergence of photography as well as the first pornographic magazines. I want the reader to reflect and question today’s sexuality. Is there still repression? How is sexuality linked to marketing and power relations? I decided to deconstruct the characteristics of a traditional child´s game to create a new narrative. The reader has access to the hidden images and texts by opening the perforated French-folded pages once the dot-to-dot image is completed. I want the readers to question but simultaneously play with the situation, linking points and finding the images. I was motivated to find a different approach to a socially sensitive theme in an inclusive and open-minded way.
Which other graphic designers do you admire?
Since I started studying the history of design I become fascinated with several designers, but no doubt that the Bauhaus school and its philosophy was the one that most impressed me. Saul Bass, Josef Müller-Brockmann, El Lissitzky, Tibor Kalman, Dan Friedman, Herb Lubalin, Shigeo Fukuda and Ray Johnson are some of the designers that I admire.
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