The Designer Trail: José Brandão, A Life in Design Education

Abstract

This study analyses the professional life and work of José Brandão, the first educator in a BA in Design in Portugal, with a first degree in the field. Brandão graduated in Communication Design from the Ravensbourne College of Art and Design, London, and distinguished himself in the field of communication design, not only for the vast legacy of graphic works carried over 50 years, but also for his academic contribution to the creation of BA, Master and PhD courses in Design in the country. This study is focused on Brandão’s pedagogical experiences in Design, as a student and as an educator, as well as his contribution to the establishment of the first Communication Design course in public higher education at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts. The study also addresses Brandão’s pedagogical methodologies, in a context and at a time when this area was underdeveloped: Design courses in Higher Education were in their infancy, and the resources available for learning were scarce. The research methodology includes document analysis and ethnography, namely interviews conducted with José and Salette Brandão at their studio in Lisbon. This study was carried out within the framework of Wisdom Transfer: towards the scientific inscription of individual legacies in contexts of retirement from art and design higher education and research (POCI-01–0145-FEDER-029038); the research stems from the evidence that there is insufficient inscription of individual knowledge and experience of retired academics and researchers in art and design.KeywordsJosé BrandãoLisbon School of Fine Arts (ESBAL)Communication designDesign historyPortuguese design