We speak to Paulo Marcelo, Founder & Creative Director of Portuguese agency PMDESIGN, to find out more about their award-winning work and plans for the future.

Tell us a bit about yourself and PMDESIGN

I am Paulo Marcelo, Founder and Creative Director of PMDESIGN. Besides being a designer, I am a lecturer at a higher education institutions, where I do research on the history of design, namely on the pioneers of Portuguese design and historic brands.  Founded in 2008, we are a small independent design studio, based near Porto, the second biggest Portuguese city. We have developed close partnerships in the areas of motion design, photography, and type design who work with us in larger projects.

What is your area of expertise?

At PMDESIGN we are dedicated to creating visual identities, from naming to the logo and their application to communication materials. Over the 14 years of our existence, we have worked in museum and exhibition projects, as well as branding and public space signage. More recently we've been focusing on packaging design, namely special and limited editions, as well as rebranding of historic products.

What is your company philosophy, what motivates you?

We look at each project from a customized perspective. Each challenge is unique and deserves our undivided attention. We strive for service quality and total customer satisfaction.

PALACE CERAMICS COLLECTION, GOLD AWARD 2021 HOME, LEISURE & OTHER MARKETS (Luxury homeware and decor)

PMDESIGN has won a Gold Pentaward in the 2021 competition. What is it like winning a Pentaward?

We are so proud of the fact that we won the Gold Award at the Pentawards. All the hard work and commitment paid off. As it is one of the largest international competitions, being distinguished with a Pentawards prize is a recognition of our genuine way of approaching our work, as well as our effort and dedication to each new challenge.

Tell us about your winning project

Our winning packaging was created for the new Edition of Daciano da Costa’s ceramic pieces of the Palace Collection. Daciano da Costa (1930-2005), was one of the most outstanding figures of Portuguese Design, you can find his iconic interior design in spaces such as the University of Lisbon, the Biblioteca Nacional, the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian headquarters, the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, the Casino Park Hotel, and at Casa da Música. The Palace Ceramics Collection is one of the many sets of objects designed by Daciano da Costa for the Hotel Madeira Palace interiors in the 1970’s.

PALACE CERAMICS COLLECTION, GOLD AWARD 2021 HOME, LEISURE & OTHER MARKETS (Luxury homeware and decor)

The pieces, now reissued, were developed in its original five colours that suggest a game of a modular and geometric design, that could be positioned into multiple combinations.  From the Atelier, founded in 1959 by Daciano da Costa, to the restructuring of the company in 2013, they started a project that aims to enhance and communicate his work. In 2019, They opened the Gallery, an exhibition space, where they present the new editions and reissues of Daciano da Costa´s work. The Atelier is currently curated by his daughter Inês Cottinelli in collaboration with Professor João Paulo Martins.

PALACE CERAMICS COLLECTION, GOLD AWARD 2021 HOME, LEISURE & OTHER MARKETS (Luxury homeware and decor)

The packaging is made of compact cardboard and, just like the ceramic pieces, it creates a play of volumes with modular design and multiple combinations. The semi-hexagonal shape was designed for a perfect fit of the pieces, an exercise in optimizing space and materials. Working with a restricted colour palette confers the packaging simplicity and minimalism, which contrasts with the chromatic exuberance of the pieces and balances the set. The numbering visual detail allows for immediate identification of the dimension of each piece. On the other hand, through the square opening at the base one can check the colour.

What part of the project did you enjoy the most?

What motivated us the most was the responsibility of creating a packaging that was discreet, efficient, and harmonious enough to respect the iconic piece created by the designer Daciano da Costa. The Palace ceramic pieces were designed to decorate a luxury hotel on the Island of Madeira and therefore the packaging for these pieces had never been considered. It was a huge responsibility and a great honour to pay tribute to this distinguished designer who is no longer among us.

PALACE CERAMICS COLLECTION, GOLD AWARD 2021 HOME, LEISURE & OTHER MARKETS (Luxury homeware and decor)

Are there any particular types of products or services you’d like to work on in the future? Anything exciting coming up that you can share?

At this moment we are working on several branding projects, as well as an important exhibition design project for the Centro de Memórias da Indústria (Industry Memory Center) in São João da Madeira, in the north of Portugal. We will carry on working on packaging design (our new venture) and cultural projects, such as the Tomelo project below, a new packaging line developed using recycled raw materials.

The Tomelo Eco Range Soap Project

How do you manage to stay creative and find inspiration?

Our work is very specific and detailed. Each project starts with long periods of time doing research. We get inspiration from the amazing work of a generation of Portuguese designers from the 40s and 50s. To this inspiration we add our contemporary and minimalist perspective. We enjoy studying old Portuguese brands and the way they behaved in the market, analysing their packaging, adverts, and the way they interacted with their target audience. This has been our methodology in the last few years – a clear and genuine inspiration in vintage design.

VIARCO VINTAGE COLLECTION

To you, what is the power of design?

Design is a powerful weapon in the sense that it contributes to a more pleasing and inclusive way of living. As a multidisciplinary activity, contemporary design involves creating visually efficient materials and eco products using sustainable technologies and raw materials. Design goes beyond its results and the way one thinks about design is the true essence of this subject. Mostly, in design, what is important is invisible to the eye. It sounds like a paradox but in design thought is a continuous, unpredictable, and not measurable process.

If there was one thing you could change or improve within the industry, what would it be?

It would be using new and environmentally friendly materials and non-polluting production methods as a priority. The industry should be concerned about the future of the planet, honouring its memory, history, and traditions.

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