Design is not just about creating aesthetically pleasing visuals – it represents storytelling, cultural preservation, and often personal exploration.

For Rita Correia, a young graphic designer from Portugal – more precisely from the Azores islands – typography is the chosen medium she uses to combine the old with the new, exploring Portuguese tradition through the prism of contemporary design. Rita’s recent work includes a combination of typography and culturally significant decorative tiles, which has set her apart in the design community.

I met Rita during the Erasmus semester exchange. We soon discovered that we share a common love for our native regions and a passion for their development. In addition, we are both dedicated to design and spreading its values ​​among young people.

In this interview, Rita reveals her journey into the world of design, her passion for typography, her approach to combining cultural elements, and the challenges she faced along the way.

The way to typography

Rita’s entry into the world of graphic design was not entirely direct, but it was always clear that she would be creative. She wistfully recalls his high school days when her love for design began, not in a typical art class, but in geometry class.

“My journey into graphic design began in high school — I had a geometry teacher who was also a graphic designer,” recalls Rita.

Dieter Rams’ quote “Good design is as little design as possible.” – which was hanging on the wall of the classroom – captured her attention and instilled in her a love for minimalist design philosophy.

Her passion continued developing when she enrolled in the undergraduate studies in Communication Design at FBAUP (Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto).

“When I found out what the study included, I immediately fell in love,” says Rita. However, her interest in typography only became dominant during her second semester, when she took a typography course. “The professor, a great typography enthusiast, completely changed my view of graphic design.”

Since then, typography has become the core of her work. Her deep immersion in the world of type laid the foundation for most of her artistic explorations, in which she combines tradition and contemporary design.

A love letter to Portuguese tiles

One of Rita’s most notable projects involves the fusion of typography with iconic Portuguese decorative tiles. These tiles, known as azulejos, are a hallmark of Portuguese architecture, decorating churches, homes, and public spaces.

“This project is very dear to me,” says Rita, talking about the project that started unexpectedly. “When I moved to Porto, I was mesmerized by the beautiful tiles that covered almost every corner of the city.”

One day, she was photographing the tiles on the Igreja do Carmo church and something unusual caught her attention. In complex patterns, an almost perfectly formed letter ‘B’ appeared before her.

That moment became the spark for an idea: can she find all the letters of the alphabet within a tile design in Porto? The answer was – yes. After painstakingly photographing and analyzing the tiles, Rita managed to assemble the entire alphabet from these decorative patterns. Some letters were immediately recognizable, while others required manipulation and collage.

However, just finding the letters was not enough. “I wondered what I could do with this alphabet. It wasn’t very legible, and reducing the design didn’t work well either,” she explains. The inspiration came when she started thinking about the cultural significance of the tiles and their role in representing Porto’s heritage.

She decided to use her newfound alphabet to compose traditional Portuguese proverbs, giving new life to these visual symbols of Portuguese identity.

“For me, the parallel between those proverbs and the traditional art of tile painting was so clear — both convey folk wisdom and knowledge and preserve Portuguese heritage,” Rita says.

Her final works, which combine proverbs with an alphabet created from tiles, resonated deeply with viewers, embodying both the visual and cultural history of Porto.

Exploring new design frontiers

Even though the project with typography and tiles brought Rita a lot of attention, her curiosity did not stop there. Lately, she has devoted herself to typography, typeface design, and publishing projects, particularly those involving the creation of physical books.

“Lately, I’ve been very involved with everything that includes letters, pagination, printing, and the physical making of books,” explains Rita. Her fascination with books dates back to her childhood when she watched her father make notebooks by hand.

Although she has been involved in web design and programming for some time, Rita has recently been turning more and more to the tactile world of books. “I have great respect for programmers and developers, but lately I’ve been investing more energy in projects related to books, and I’m sure that’s what I want to do for a long time,” she adds.

The design process: merging tradition and innovation

Rita’s design process is often fluid, but research plays a key role in all of her work, especially when drawing inspiration from cultural traditions. The typography and tile project required a careful balance between respecting tradition and introducing contemporary elements.

“I did a lot of research because this project dealt with cultural heritage,” explains Rita. “Many of the tiles I used come from churches and depict saints and other religious symbols. I had to be careful not to offend anyone when I took them out of context.”

For Rita, consultations with experts and colleagues were crucial.

“You can never be completely immune to criticism, but if you’ve done your research and sought advice, you can take this criticism with a grain of salt.”

This thoughtful approach allowed Rita to celebrate and elevate the traditions of Portuguese culture without alienating the audience.

Navigating client challenges

Of course, not every design project goes smoothly, and Rita had several demanding clients. She recalls a particularly difficult project during her studies when her class was working on creating a visual identity for a real client.

“A classic situation: the client didn’t know exactly what he wanted, but kept rejecting our ideas,” she recalls with a smile.

“The solution was better communication. Ask questions and ask them until you get a clear idea of ​​what the client is really looking for.”

Although the project did not end happily — the client eventually reverted to their original design — it was a valuable experience for Rita. “Even though things didn’t turn out the way I expected, I knew I did my best, and that’s what’s most important,” she reflects.

Balancing creativity and studies

As a student, managing academic commitments and creative projects is sometimes challenging. For Rita, finding that balance was a process of trial and error.

“At the beginning of my studies, I spent too much time on projects,” she admits. “I realized that many of them didn’t require my full attention for weeks or months.”

Over time, she learned to manage her time more efficiently and find a way to balance her studies with personal projects.

Now, as she prepares to enroll in a graduate program in graphic design and editorial projects at FBAUP, she feels more confident in her ability to balance various commitments.

“I successfully finished my studies, did an internship, and worked on art projects — things that seemed impossible to me at the beginning,” says Rita.

A look into the future

Rita’s future looks bright as she heads into graduate school, but her long-term dreams are even more exciting. She plans to return to her hometown in the Azores and open an independent publishing house that would focus on art books with an emphasis on design.

“I want to create books that emphasize shape and form, books that offer a different experience than what’s currently on the market.”

She also hopes to be able to publish her own fonts in the future, further exploring her love of typography.

Tips for young designers

Aside from sharing her story, Rita also offered some valuable advice to young designers:

“Embrace the learning process. Being a designer means being an eternal student, not only of design but of almost every field. To deliver the best result, you need to master not only the design principles but also the subject you are dealing with.”

Rita encourages young designers to stay curious, keep seeking knowledge, and stay connected with their creative peers. “Networking is key.” – she emphasizes.

“The best way to grow as a designer is through interacting with others, sharing ideas, and being open to new perspectives.”

For Rita, design is not just about creating beautiful things. It’s about creating meaningful connections between the people, culture, and stories that shape our world. As she moves forward, her work will surely continue to connect past and present, preserving the essence of tradition while pushing the boundaries of contemporary design.

The article was written by Paula Srdanović as part of her series “AEstetika”.
Photo credit: Rita Correia