Core77 2014 Design Awards

Brazilian Clichés (Clichês Brasileiros)

1. The Nutshell: In plain language, tell us what your project is, what it does, and what it’s comprised of.

"Brazilian Clichés" is a book by Gustavo Piqueira, which presents a visual narrative which tells Brazilian history through old letterpress clichés.

2. The Brief: Summarize the problem you set out to solve. What was the context for the project, and what was the challenge posed to you?

"Brazilian Clichés" is one of many books by Gustavo Piqueira that brings a critical eye on contemporary issues and behaviors through a humorous outcome.

3. The Intent: What point of view did you bring to the project, and were there additional criteria that you added to the brief?

The original catalogue of ancient Brazillian letterpress clichés, 'Catálogo de clichés D. Salles Monteiro', published in a facsimile edition by Ateliê Editorial in 2003, was lent to the author by the USP University of São Paulo, and with this rich material of national historical at hand, came the need to develop a project that had something to say on its past, and how this reflects today.

4. The Process: Describe the rigor that informed your project. (Research, ethnography, subject matter experts, materials exploration, technology, iteration, testing, etc., as applicable.) What stakeholder interests did you consider? (Audience, business, organization, labor, manufacturing, distribution, etc., as applicable)

"Brazilian Clichés" was composed entirely using images of letterpress clichés from the beginning of the 20th century, taken from the catalogue 'Catálogo de clichés D. Salles Monteiro', published in a facsimile edition by Ateliê Editorial in 2003.

5. The Value: How does your project earn its keep in the world? What is its value? What is its impact? (Social, educational, economic, paradigm-shifting, sustainable, environmental, cultural, gladdening, etc.)

The reason for its title is not only due to the clichés used for the composition of its illustrations. At each page's turn, we run into other types of Brazilian clichés: historical ones, like the arrival of the Portuguese, the catechizing of native Indians, coffee and gold economic cycles... it even includes contemporary Brazilian clichés, full of traffic jams, debts, closed condominiums and alienation – portraying a quite fun, but also highly critical narrative, which irony opens up a positive discussion on where the country is headed.