The Interaction Design Association (IXDA) is pleased to announce the 1st regional conference of Interaction Design Association (IxDA): Interaction’09 | South America, which will happen on 26,27 and 28 November at 9 am to 18 pm, in São Paulo. The purpose of the event is to encourage and work with the education of interaction design in Latin America, so has the support of several institutions of higher education, promoting greater visibility for professionals engaged in the development of interactive solutions.

Alexandre Wollner (São Paulo, 1928- ). Graphic designer. Began his studies with the visual design course at the Institute of Contemporary Design (IAC), created at the São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand Museum of Art (Masp). Collaborated with Pietro Maria Bardi (1900-1999) in staging the retrospective exhibition of Max Bill (1908-1994), at the Masp, in 1951. In 1953, he was chosen by Max Bill to study at the Hochschule für Gestaltung [Superior School of Form] in Ulm, Germany, where he remained from 1954 to 1958. In 1963, he took part in the structuring and creation of the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial (ESDI) [Superior School of Industrial Design], in Rio de Janeiro [...]

Aloísio Magalhães, while still attending law school in Recife (the capital of Pernambuco), had already begun to show his fascination with graphic arts. Coincidentally, a famous cousin of Magalhães, the renowned Brazilian poet João Cabral de Melo Neto, moved to Recife at that time. This cousin strongly encouraged the two young artists to open their own private print shop. Magalhães became excited about the idea of setting up a print shop and they sought other former friends from the university who were also involved in literature and graphic arts. Among the main names of those who founded O Gráfico Amador in 1954, it is worth mentioning Ariano Suassuna, José Laurenio, and Orlando da Costa Ferreira.

With Brazilian designers and companies like F. Akasaka and Melissa helping to put Brazil on the map for design (not just street art), there’s a lot of talent that’s on the brink of making it big, which is the subject of the exhibit “Brazilian Design Today: Frontiers.” [...]

Vicente do Rego Monteiro (Recife, Pernambuco, 1899 – idem, 1970). Painter, sculptor, draughtsman, illustrator, graphic artist. Began his artistic studies in 1908, accompanying his sister, Fedora do Rego Monteiro (1889 – 1975) on courses at the National School of Fine Arts (Enba) in Rio de Janeiro.

Brazilian design, from fashion to architecture, is usually recognised simply for its flamboyance, but it is only recently that its unusual mix of influences is being embraced for its inventiveness, originality and sheer diversity [...]

In 2008, the Industrial Designers Society of America ran a new contest in Brazil and some of the winners were included in this year’s Top International Design Excellence Awards. Amazing design and innovation is taking place in Brazil and this slideshow of winners (Brazil placed third behind the US and Korea in the number of IDEA awards in 2008) shows the wide range of activity. Bruce Nussbaum highlights some of the work featured the 2008 awards [...]

Almost 300 Brazilian graphic design projects – from visual identity systems and packaging to posters and typeface design – will be exhibited during the 2009 Shanghai International Creative Industry Week from October 15th–21st, and at the Beijing Icograda World Congress from October 26th–30th.

The Discover the Brazilian Cinema poster exhibition was presented in Art Scene Gallery in Shanghai in June 2007 featuring original posters by 30 Brazilian visual artists and 10 Chinese visual communication students. This exhibition, accompanying the Focus on Brazil (the Brazilian film exhibition taking place within this week’s tenth Shanghai International Film Festival) is a true visual carnival. The idea was to take forty designers, artists, illustrators, and photographers spanning all generations and regions of Brazil, and ask them to create an original collection of posters for famous Brazilian films. The collection in turn aims to introduce China, a country with an equally distinctive cultural flavor, to the richness and beauty that Brazilian cinema has to offer [...]