Porto and design - the visual composition by reputed European designers

Three reputed European designers, main speakers at the ED Awards 2017 Master Conference, which took place in Rivoli, May 27, took on the challenge to encapsulate the quintessence of design and the city of Porto.

How do you find inspiration and unleash your creativity?

Perniclas Bedow, from Bedow Studio

"My inspiration comes from the "opposites", I always try to go the other way. If people go left, I go right. Mostly, it is about trying to grasp the target-audience/client and work on an identity that is visually attractive."

Gert Franke,from CleverºFranke

"What inspires me is my continuous curiosity for the unknown. What challenges me is to be relevant for this society. To show people that they can discover a lot through the use of data. I try to unravel different perspectives of the world, through the use of data, with an analytical mind and with tangible examples".

Dylan Griffith Smörgåsbord, from Smörgåsbord Studio Design

"What inspires me is to deploy people's skills on an idea that has never been embraced. Working on a brand and make it strong and iconic, to look for differentiators and to build a personality, an identity".

What inspires you in Porto?

Perniclas Bedow, from Bedow Studio

"What inspires me in Porto are its heights and lows. Porto is a city of contrast. The way the river meets the ocean. The city bridges. I took the tram to Foz and I had the opportunity to observe the city. It was a pleasant surprise to discover how it all seems to combine, old and new buildings".

 

Gert Franke, from CleverºFranke

"I had already visited Porto and I felt that the city has changed. And the way the old buildings, the baroque type of construction and the new buildings?you feel that rough, old and new, everything combines".

"The identity of Porto is unique, it is exciting. You feel it and that is a good feeling. Good designers are passionate about their work and you sense that passion in Porto.  People in Porto are passionate and that shows us designers that it is ok to be passionate. That is fascinating".

Dylan Griffith Smörgåsbord, from Studio Design Smörgåsbord

"What inspires me are the incredible buildings, some derelict, some renovated. It feels very spirited. But what really inspires me are people, like Nuno Santos [Communication Director for Porto City Hall], for example. He was able to understand the benefits of good design and engaged with White Studio to create Porto. brand. And that works both for residents and tourists. It shows the power of good design".

Perniclas Bedow, founder and creative director of Stockholm-based design studio Bedow, works mainly with branding, packaging and book design. Their work has been widely recognised around the world in the past decade, via books, lectures, and presentations. Bedow Design Studio has been awarded by Art Directors Club, Cannes Lions, D&AD, Epica Awards and European Design Awards, to name just some.

CleverºFranke, a reputed interactive design agency, combines strategy, design, and technology to help their global clients advance innovative products and services. This Studio Design from The Netherlands has a portfolio of clients such as Google, Wired, Philips, Red Bull, and AirFrance-KLM. CleverºFranke outclasses in all areas, and has already conquered a vast number of international awards for its ingenious output.

Smörgåsbord is an independent design studio that provides ?Branding, Strategy and Content Creation - a selection of good things'. This Welsh studio offers a curated service and scalable approach, which allow Smörgåsbord to cover a wide range of projects from nation brands to beer brands, broadcast design to editorial design, fashion houses to hotels. Saturday, May 27, in Porto, this studio was awarded one of the most significant prizes of the ED Awards 2017, the Best of Show award.