Interview with Hélder Dias

Hélder Dias is a Graphic Designer by profession and heart, graduated from ESEIG (currently ESMAD), lives and works in the great Porto. His passion ranges from typography and editorial design to branding and illustration, passing through many other creative fields.  With a strong opinion about design and a posture of constant learning between practice and theory, he strives to explore unique concepts that suit each client, thus responding to the most varied needs of visual communication. Nothing is left to chance.

Can you remember the first image or images you saw that made you think about working as a graphic designer?

 It is a little difficult to find an exact answer, it would be more a set of images or a set of influences that have built a path to get to graphic design. From an early age I have been interested in all kinds of graphic materials such as magazines, packaging, posters, books, etc. Basically, all kinds of media that could carry some kind of graphic exercise of communication. From this set of factors allied with a problem-solving mentality, I became aware that the discipline of graphic design would be a choice.

How has your style changed over the years? 

At least until now, I think that the evolution that will stand out the most will also have the normal relation with the technological evolution, that is, the experimentation and use of new tools and the fruits of that. But I think there are some lines that I am exploring and that continue to guide what I develop, which are the use and exploration of typography and the tendency to develop strong, punchy compositions, with little restraint and letting the message and concept give dimension to the whole. I consider this to be the skeleton of the matter and it ends up being reflected in pieces, some more eloquently and others less so, ranging from labels, posters, visual identity programs, covers etc.

What is the most exciting part in the process of your work? 

Losing myself in exploring and experimenting with error, finally finding some order amidst the chaos and creating a satisfying end result.

You live in Porto, Portugal. Do you think the city has an impact on your work? 

Yes, it definitely has an impact. For several factors, but the main ones are undoubtedly the graphic design community, the landscape and the history. The first factor ranges from those involved in teaching to professionals in the area, in the second factor for its contrast between local tradition and a more urban component where we find things like architecture, graffiti and other forms of artistic and cultural manifestation. This atmosphere of Porto and the north of the country, no doubt, marks my work and the way I approach it.

Are you a “yes” or a “no” man?

I think a bit of both, but more of a yes. I like to say yes to new opportunities and experiences.

What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others?

Practice hard, don’t give up on your goals, stay true to yourself.

1000BY100 OUT NOW

Print is dead–is never dead. To publish a book is a bad idea – is a very good idea. To mark the centenary of the 100th edition, the team behind 100for10 at Melville Brand Design has come up with a special special: A 1000-page compendium filled with works and interviews of all 100 artists.

Interview with Identity Design MA – Insights into their book BUNTER HAUFEN

The students and staff of the MA Identity Design study programme at Augsburg University of Applied Sciences believe in the inspiring qualities of communities, their own as well as those anywhere on this planet. Moreover, it’s what they focus on. Their course provides a space for the in-depth study and critical discussion of collective identity in its various forms of expression and appearance. Students develop a deeper understanding of identity shaping processes in social, cultural and economic contexts. They are encouraged to combine methods derived from artistic and design practice with techniques from the social sciences to gain new insights into and create tools for identity driven communication. See what we’re up to on … instagram.com/ma_identity_design