on Social Design.

From February until July this year I had the opportunity to be in Buenos Aires studying diverse social design projects. I was simultaneously meeting project owners, artists, performers and social designers working at many levels and in many formats. Most of my time I dedicated to Eloísa, a very unique publishing house. This resulted in a very rich personal experience that would deeply reshape my views on social design and socially engaged artistic practices. This post is a first attempt to put some of ... Read More

I must say that when I first entered the design world I honestly had no concrete idea about what the word “design” encompassed. At the beginning I decided to enter into the “design scenario” searching to satisfy my creative needs. Then, during my last year of college I found myself confused. It wasn’t possible that graphic design was only about corporate image, branding, perfectly designed magazine spreads and Photoshop. I found myself in endless conversations about choosing the perfect typography, creating the ... Read More

I first heard John Thackara speaking at an OpenTalk at the ExperimentaDesign Bienalle, in Lisbon. That was 2005, but ever since I've been a confessed follower of his writings. I bought In The Bubble that very same day and it became one of my cornerstone student books, from which I drew inspiration and a lot of questioning. I was one of those students who longed for the exercises to be a bit more about purpose and real problem-solving, and a little less ... Read More

I worked in advertising for a few years so every now and again I peruse an industry pub to see what shop got what client some incredible ROI on some incredibly expensive campaign (I am not a geek I just play one on this blog). The other day a story caught my eye in AdWeek titled, "Depression Chic". It was about how consumers are showing an interest in the Great Depression and how this trend is being leveraged as a successful marketing ... Read More

With Christmas approaching, regardless of where you are reading this post from, regardless if you believe in Christmas at all, you must be feeling the shopping frenzy. From where I stand, it's slightly overwhelming. Makes me wonder: If people could get this mobilized over topics other than Christmas (or Football's European Championships, for that matter) how much energy could we be driving into completely different social topics… When you go into a shop and buy fair trade or when you refrain from purchasing a ... Read More

In addition to population growth, consumerism has been also putting a lot of stress in our planet. Actual forecasts predict that around 2050 we will have 50% more people living here. 9 billion human beings striving for water, food, clothes, shelter…and eventually taking part of the consumer society. It may sound controversial, but if we eradicate poverty, around 4 planets would be necessary to supply our needs and aspirations. Amidst this challenging scenario, designers and advertisers play a critical role: not just for ... Read More