Graphic packaging and wrapping papers

Text António Silveira Gomes Cláudia Castelo

Designed and produced with the same purpose as signs, awnings and other communication equipment found in Fabrico Próprio snack-bars, cafes and pastry shops, packaging and wrapping paper carry the brands and messages of these commercial establishments far beyond their doors. Despite the ephemerality of their use and the fragility of their materials, these artifacts are an important legacy of the practice of graphic arts and communication design in Portugal. In this section, composed of 1:1 sections of wrapping papers and packaging, we interpret their particularities, trends and typographic choices, while reflecting on the collecting impetus of designers as a way to preserve and celebrate a discipline’s heritage.

Text: bárbara says… (António Silveira Gomes and Cláudia Castelo)
Images: designer collections

Bárbara says…

Cláudia Castelo has a degree in social communication from Universidade Católica. She works mainly in the development of cultural and editorial projects, with a focus on her collaboration with Galeria Zé dos Bois, the newspaper Público and Direcção Geral das Artes. Since 2006 she manages the studio Barbara says… with António Silveira Gomes, who is a graphic designer and professor at Escola Superior e Arte e Design das Caldas da Rainha. He holds a PhD from the University of Coimbra – College of Arts. The results of his practice have been published and presented in exhibitions and competitions. He has always designed in parallel with academic research and has worked mainly on projects and knowledge in the arts.