is a Designer & Developer based in Porto, specializing in editorial design and browser-based media. Exploring the intersections of editorial design, web development, and creative coding, dedicated to creating engaging digital experiences while also pushing the boundaries of the discipline through critical and speculative approaches.
Dec 2023 —
Jun 2024
Ricardo Sousa
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
140✕210mm
Bruno Giesteira
Ricardo Sousa
Vítor Almeida
Bruno Giesteira
Mário Moura
Viana Almeida
Francisco Modesto
Inês Nepomuceno
Joana Pestana
Luis Cepa
Mário Roda
Reflecting on the conversations from the Fora D'Horas project, this BA final project aimed to serve as an archive. The object was not intended to be abstract or functional but rather a record of complex dimensions. The goal was to capture the essence of a generation, a time, and a space—physical, intellectual, and psychological. Conversations about the project introduced the concept of "Deriva"—a creative, uncommitted exploration. This approach mirrored my process of recording and stitching together moments and spaces. The result is a narrative that invites readers to create their own journey through the Faculty of Fine Artes of Porto.
Feb 2024 —
Mar 2024
Íris Silva
Rui Marques
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Ricardo Sousa
Mário Moura
130✕260mm
The publication is both an exercise and a reflection of our times, characterized by contrasts and similarities throughout the texts. Each text is unique but always seen as part of a whole. The publication highlights the author's ideas and writing, exploring ironies and contemporary references. In an era of information overload, we embrace the noise and explore both the sounds and silences in the texts. We seek to balance content diversity with a coherent visual approach, ensuring that editorial choices harmonize rhythm and aesthetics.
Dec 2023 —
Jan 2024
Ricardo Sousa
Ricardo Sousa
Mário Moura
Daniel Zenker
210✕420mm
This project aims to explore the relationship between text and image, examining their boundaries. The introduction to Swiss design provided insight into the systematic logic of Ulm, Basel, and Zurich schools in pagination. Rigid grids and the constant alignment of text and image across pages are not, in my view, the best example of their coexistence. However, the structure, spacing, and hierarchies of Swiss publications make them valuable references. Swiss design often used lowercase and unjustified text to challenge norms and emphasize page space. My proposal seeks to revive this approach, ensuring text and images are placed consistently and exploring typographic systems with at least five levels.
Sep 2023 —
Out 2023
Ricardo Sousa
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Mário Moura
Pedro Amado
200✕140mm
Ricardo Sousa
Readability and narrative should never be sacrificed in the conception of a book. Above all, it must be read as a literary exercise. Words and the text are the protagonists. Their treatment and presentation must be clear and easily perceived. However, the author’s writing is indisputable. Borges writes in a strange and unconventional manner, giving his texts a non-logical dimension through this uncommon style—a surreal and abstract dimension of feelings and reactions. Thus, the book's object seeks to represent these two dimensions. The text is essential, but beneath its pages lies the non-logical dimension. A generative tool creates textures that deepen as the narrative progresses.
Jan 2023 —
Apr 2023
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Rui Marques
Íris Silva
Mário Roda
210✕420mm
Many territorial and local identities are often based on architectural forms and important monuments. The Vinho Verde heritage, however, represents a sensory and inherited legacy. The region is reflected through its connections, historical past, and inherited knowledge and sensations. The natural form and crossing of the vines symbolize the core concepts of this territory: land, connection, and heritage.
Editorially, we propose a journey through the vineyards, allowing the observer to explore the nuances of the green wine universe. This experience calls for personal interpretation rather than logical description. The text is integral to the identity, embodying the developed language. It maintains functionality by marking the beginning of each phrase rhythmically, almost like poetry.
Nov 2023 —
May 2024
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Pedro Amado
Eliana Santiago
Rui Marques
Ricardo Sousa
Pedro Amado
Eliana Santiago
Ricardo Sousa
Pedro Amado
Developing a visual identity requires synthesizing values, concepts, and ideas through reduction. For the PCD·24 identity, we reversed this approach, asking how to create an identity in constant mutation and expansion. With the theme "Ludic Aesthetics" for the 2024 conference, we focused on a dynamic, mathematical visual motif. The chosen object was the slinky, which unfolds into organic shapes, reflecting PCD's dynamism. The slinky aligns with "ludic aesthetics" and "body as interface," working as an extension of the user's movement. This inspired the primary visual motif for PCD·24.
We chose a serifed, condensed font to contrast with monospaced programming fonts, symbolizing human complexity. Red evokes a heat map, representing constant puslation and the body as an dynamic interface.
Oct 2023 —
Dec 2023
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Pedro Amado
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Inspired by the facades of canning factories, with their distinctive lettering, we created a variable typeface family based on the letters of Conservas Pinhais. This revivalist project celebrates the past, breathing new life into typographic forms that tell stories of tradition and craftsmanship. Each curve and line was meticulously designed to capture historical essence, while precise font engineering ensures modern functionality.
This variable typeface is not just a visual tribute but a bridge between eras, connecting industrial heritage with contemporary design. The fusion of tradition and innovation underscores the importance of preserving visual memories while advancing typographic art.
Apr 2023 —
May 2023
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Mário Roda
Ricardo Sousa
A bold new visual identity for Boavista FC emerges, daring to break with tradition while honoring the club's historic essence. The iconic checkered emblem remains central, seamlessly integrated into every aspect of the design. This transformation introduces a pattern generator, adding fluidity and motion to the timeless checkerboard motif. Complementing this, a custom typeface crafted exclusively for Boavista revitalizes the club's visual language.
This reimagined identity captures the spirit of innovation and respect for history, blending past and future into a harmonious whole. It stands as a testament to Boavista's enduring legacy, now re-envisioned with a contemporary, vibrant twist that breathes new life into the club.
Nov 2023 —
Dec 2023
Ricardo Sousa
Rui Marques
Íris Silva
Tânia Costa
Joana Pestana
Rui Marques
Íris Silva
This piece embodies the ironic, multifaceted, and interactive nature of the designer's life. Initially, the game generates placeholder text, which can be detected by a smartphone camera and later transferred to a computer for design work. Subsequently, the object's output becomes entirely analog. The choice of typography and the inverted text of Amália Rodrigues' fado allow the user to assemble and print the text manually, as shown in the images.
This piece mocks "Lorem Ipsum," drawing the designer out of the digital realm while still enabling the creation of original, narrative-free texts. A promotional video highlights the project's irony, depicting a digital nomad transitioning from digital play to manual printing, emphasizing the object's unconventional role in a designer's daily life.
Apr 2022 —
May 2022
Cláudia Barros
Inês Gonçalves
Leonor Gonçalves
Ricardo Sousa
Rodrigo Carvalho
Cláudia Barros
Inês Gonçalves
Leonor Gonçalves
Ricardo Sousa
In a project embracing a psychedelic and irreverent aesthetic, we focused on the sound environments of the band Tool, particularly from the experimental beginnings of their song "Eulogy." Guided by this concept of psychedelia and sound progression, we created a music video using animations generated in Processing. The video evokes a visual illusion, aligning with the band's experimental soundscape.
"in the end, there is only a black square"