Felipe Taborda

Graphis: international journal for graphic and applied art

1989

M Library 2007

volume 45, edição 21

However, even though the profound distinctions between national styles are beginning to blur, certain regional characteristics have not, and perhaps never will, become a universal standard. Felipe Taborda, a young Brazilian designer from Rio de Janeiro, strikingly exhibits the marriage of internationalism and regionalism. His posters, record album covers, book jackets and postage stamps (for the Brazilian postal service) are without national imprint-indeed the Brazilian style must be described as an eclectic blend of contemporary foreign influences – but exemplify the diversity and energy of the growing design community in his country.

Taborda owes his passion for design to an old family friend, the Brazilian pioneer Aloisio Magalhães, who in 1959 organized 0 Gráfico Amador, a workshop for modern typography, and the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial in Rio, the first Latin American school of design. Both significantly affected the evolution of Brazil’s design practice, elevating it from a service to a profession, and contributing to the acceptability of design programs in the major universities. Another important, though much more indirect, event occurred in 1964 when the military junta usurped the governance of Brazil; human rights were ruthlessly violated, but Brazil’s industrialization boomed.