Mapping Brazil - Design: Latest developments

Never before has design been so talked about in Brazil, but the level and breadth of the discussion still has room for improvement. The number of publications (mostly online), events and exhibitions is on the rise, but they are not yet proving effective in getting across the message about the benefits of design to a large portion of the population. Designers and other professionals in the industry are already aware that the design being produced in Brazil is often a benchmark or at least on a par with that of leading names in the global market. However, the public view is still basically that design has to do with aesthetics – embellishing products, decoration or even just website design. Some of the initiatives that will be presented here are helping to change this perception. Already, a good many institutions understand the importance of using design in their strategies, projects and objectives, but this trend is still incipient and there is not enough coordination or collaboration to make what efforts do exist more focused and optimised.

Design Policies
Design is growing in Brazil, but there is as yet no structured policy for it. The authorities have taken some ad hoc measures, but they cannot be interpreted as a policy. There are, however, many initiatives taken by public and private players that aim to encourage the use of design as a strategic tool and competitive advantage, highlight the cultural aspect of the activity and promote social development, amongst many other things. Many focus on the export of goods and services, and each has its own merits and own specific goals. Many are successful while others are less so. To borrow a popular expression, “everyone wants to shoot the target (of design), but everyone’s missing the spot”. A structured design policy would provide guidelines and incentives to enable industry players to attain their goals more effectively. The “target” would be bigger and easier to see! Without any such policies, at least some mechanisms should be provided to articulate and link up what actions already exist, and to generate more and better initiatives. The best route forward would be to develop a bottom-up strategy that supported local institutions and organised civil society to find new ways to develop the industry. However, some strategic actions that could help the development of a design policy have been taken. One of them is the first Diagnostic Review of Design in Brazil, published in 2014, which maps out the Brazilian design market and its main stakeholders. It gives a picture of how design is viewed by industrial and service sectors and analyses data on design in the country and the variables that impact on the sector in the business environment, as well as sketching out prospects for the future of design in Brazil until 2020.

Local Productions Clusters
There can be no doubt that one of the most effective ways of developing an activity and a region is to encourage groups of businesses to work in coordination. Collaboration is strengthened, benefits of different kinds become attainable and public spaces are shaped according to the needs of the actors involved. Clusters can even be responsible for shaping local industry development policies. They are a common feature of Brazilian industry, and as their name implies, they are organised and grouped by their production features. However, the creative economy is not based on production processes, but on human capital. One movement that is growing around the country is for creative industry clusters, also known as local creative clusters or just creative hubs. The sustainable future of the creative economy depends on new labour relations being established, which means finding new ways of relating with space. Like many other places around the globe, creative hubs are the most suitable and fertile environments for the development of activities that are dependent on human capital.

The centre of São Paulo is one example of an organic initiative that is already taking shape. Likewise, the revitalisation of the dock area in Rio de Janeiro has prompted the authorities, businesses from the sector and other partners to form a creative hub for the city.

The Market
The visual design market is attractive and promising. Branding agencies continue to consolidate their work with big brand names, managing major accounts with proven strategies, assuring successful business activities and many awards. The advertising market, which is often mistaken for visual design, also employs a good many professionals. The leaders in this field in Brazil are GAD, Casa Rex and Ana Couto Branding.

This attractiveness has been reinforced by recent events: the creation of the brands for the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro by Fred Gelli’s Tátil Design and of the logo to mark the 450th anniversary of Rio de Janeiro by Crama Design Estratégico, owned by Ricardo Leite. Both were the result of well organised competitions, and the very successful outcomes express how powerful and impactful a brand developed with intelligence and creativity in line with the precepts of good design can be. The design for the Olympic torch for Rio 2016 was also recently announced. Chelles & Hayashi submitted the winning design from the firms invited to take part in the competition.

The digital market is even more vibrant. Like other parts of the world, Brazil is witnessing a boom in digital products. From social networking communication strategies to the technology startups boom (mainly for apps), UX and UI design have become the watchwords of designers and other players in the technology market, opening up new opportunities for designers keen to push the boundaries of user interfaces and user experiences. Companies like B2W (ingresso.com, Submarino and Americanas.com) and Banco Itaú already have design teams specialised in digital interfaces and user experiences, while tech companies and startups are adopting design as a development and growth strategy.

Another emerging concept, albeit still in its early stages, is product service systems. Products as ways of facilitating systems are already a reality here, but there are still many more ways companies can exploit them. Major opportunities are likely to appear in this area soon as new studies are done and market developments appear.

As for industrial design, after many years basically living off facelifts[1] and tropcalisations[2], companies are increasingly investing in design that is “made in Brazil”. With the expansion of the middle class, demand for manufactured goods is growing and new products are being launched. Brands like Tramontina have expanded their product range. Recently, well-known designer Philippe Starck brought out a new brand, Tog, which has an open source furniture platform where users can customise their pieces. Meanwhile, Electrolux, Whirlpool and others have tapped into the talent of their designers to develop attractive low-end product lines, while white goods brands like Cadence, Mueller, Dako and Wanke are growing their market share by allying quality design with a more accessible final cost.

Finally, still in the area of industry, new opportunities for design are starting to appear in agricultural, technical, health and safety products, although this is as yet a limited trend.

An increasing number of established brands have set up design studios in Brazil or are working more with Brazilian design firms, especially for auto design and technology products. Motorola has just opened its development centre in Brazil, Nissan opened its studio in 2014, and Volkswagen and Ford have launched important cars – Fox and Ecosport, respectively – which were completely designed in Brazil.

Some industrial design firms working with Brazilian and foreign manufacturers deserve special mention for having won several national and international awards: Questto / Nó, AUDT (Indio da Costa), Chelles & Hayashi, Megabox and Design Inverso.

Strangely, one thing that has not grown much is the employment market for designers. It is certainly better than before, but is still very small and extremely competitive. Copying is rife and many business owners do not yet really understand the benefits of investing in design.

Design and Entrepreneurialism
The most promising market for designers lies in new forms of labour relations and new business configurations. As in other parts of the world, the growth of the maker movement and digital manufacturing technologies translates into new ways for projects and ideas to be turned into products more quickly and efficiently, eliminating middle men and making it possible to produce objects on a smaller scale for more local markets.

The reality of startups (most of which are digital[1]) and lean thinking[2] is also beginning to influence the world of objects (product design), opening new doors for design entrepreneurs. Ways of making them feasible include tapping into local markets and developing collective funding platforms (crowdfunding). A good example of this movement is Zerezes, which makes and sells glasses made of reclaimed wood. It funds the initial development stages for its products via crowdfunding, and has a network of partners and suppliers for their local production. Another example is designer Pedro Braga, who has taken charge of the whole production chain for his products. From their creation to (most) of the direct selling to customers, his pieces are produced on a small scale with exclusive design in a direct translation of the creative process while meeting the market’s immediate needs.

Another stand-out company in this movement is Bold Design, a branding and events firm, which, perceiving these new opportunities, is creating and developing everyday objects and managing their production and sale through direct partners.

Furniture - The Flagship of Brazilian Design
The furniture market is going through an almost paradoxical period. At one end of the market, demand for planned solutions using modular units is on the rise. This does not offer much in the way of opportunities for designers since it eliminates the need for a more elaborate creative process. Meanwhile, the number of companies selling furniture online is also growing. While they offer more competitive prices, they also use Brazilian design, commissioning different Brazilian designers and/or working with their own creative teams. Generally speaking, the designers are paid in the form of royalties. Oppa and Westwing, with more of an online sales presence, and Tok & Stok, with a strong chain of stores, are good examples of companies working with established designers like EM2 Design, Renata Moura, Bernardo Senna, Fetiche Design and Studio Ovo. In a similar trend, manufacturers like Schuster are producing pieces by designers to supply multi-brand shops.

Another trend is the design of high-end pieces with more exclusive designs, which is growing to meet the demand of the top-end market niche. The number of stores and galleries is on the rise, like Mercado Moderno, Novo Ambiente, Dpot (specialised in Brazilian design), Firma Casa and Way Design, which offer more expensive pieces where the designer “brand” is marketed to add value to the object. Experimentation with different materials and techniques is a key feature of these designs by leading names such as Sergio Rodrigues, the Campana Brothers, Zanini de Zanine, Claudia Moreira Salles, Ilse Lang, Domingos Tótora and Carlos Motta.

Another trend in this market is for designers to explore and innovate using the most traditional of materials in this branch of design: wood. Some designers developing this area are Rodrigo Calixto, Fernando Mendes, Ricardo Graham, Morito Ebine, Aristeu Pires, Gustavo Bittencourt, whose work displays creativity, intelligent use of refined techniques and, above all, respect for the raw material.

 

 

Astúria armchair by Carlos Motta and Moeda chair by Zanini de Zanine

Benefits and Subsidies
As design becomes an increasingly important element in an ever broader range of activities, attracting the interest of public and private entities alike, it is natural for incentives to start to appear. There are now a number of calls for projects and competitions designed to stimulate innovation through new processes and products, with design being seen as a key element.

One major incentive for designers (and companies keen to hire them) is SEBRAE’s technology and innovation funding programme called Sebraetec. Any small business in the country can hire a design firm to provide visual, digital or product design services, for which they can receive a subsidy worth up to 80% of the value of the service from Sebraetec. In another initiative, FIRJAN (the Rio de Janeiro Federation of Industries) is encouraging the development of design for manufactured products through a specific call for projects.

Two very important developments in the last three years were the inclusion by BNDES, the Brazilian Development Bank, of design as a service that can be funded by Cartão BNDES (a credit line for small businesses). It has also created a call for projects called Prodesign, which offers credit for software, research and other aspects of product development for a variety of industries.

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