I’m Mariana Fidalgo, a graphic designer born in the north of Portugal, with a meter and a half of freckles, determination, and attitude. I grew up loving the artistic books of my father, drawing, and painting, which made me always want to pursue a career in the visual arts.
I went on to study a Bachelor's degree in Graphic Design and Advertising at ESMAD — Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design, do Instituto Politécnico do Porto, during which time I applied for a research scholarship and also completed an internship at the University's Communication Office. Later, while working, I completed my Master's degree in Design at ESMAD, finishing with my thesis, an editorial project that combines Graphic Design with Experimental Poetry.
Within graphic design, the areas I explore the most, and that clients most often seek me for, focus on Branding, Creative Direction, Illustration, Editorial Design, Events, and Production. Currently, I am also venturing into Web Design.
Over the past few years, I’ve had the opportunity to work with multidisciplinary teams, both national and international, which has allowed me to grow significantly in technical skills and to develop all the necessary tools in design, communication, project management, creative direction, and final art. In addition to these roles, I also collaborate with studios, clients, or specific projects that require "my more artistic" and technical involvement.
Clients: Selina / TechnoArt / Remote Year / InterContinental Portugal (InterContinental Porto · InterContinental Lisbon · InterContinental Cascais / Instituto Português de Fotografia / Volcom / ESMAD - Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design / Politécnico do Porto / Hipérbole Studio / Projeto C / Ribeira Collection Hotel / Viúva Lamego / M A Studio / The Algae Hub / Hannah May Studio / Pira Studio / Doca da Marinha - Lisboa / BananaCafe / Unidos Contra o Desperdício / Câmara Municipal Póvoa de Varzim / SIC – A televisão que mexe consigo / Tribeca Festival Portugal in collaboration with Pentagram / All In · Events
Work Experience:
Work Experience:
● 2017 — 2018 Graphic Design Intern at the Communication and Image Office at ESMAD -- Escola Superior de Media Artes e Design, Instituto Politécnico do Porto
● 2018 — 2020 Professional Internship with IEFP and Junior Designer at Communication Agency: Project C (Porto)
● 2020— 2022 Founder and Head Designer at Merge — The Social Magazine, Porto, Portugal
● 2020 — 2022 Designer at Selina Hospitality PLC (international hostel chain), later promoted to Senior Designer
● 2022 Collaboration with the design studio M A Studio
● 2022 — 2023 Collaboration with the design studio Hannah May Studio (Maybe Design Studio)
● 2023 Head of Design - Unidos Contra o Desperdício (Lisbon)
● 2020 — Now Collaborator as Illustrator and Designer at Merge Studio (Porto)
● 2022 — Now Head of Design and Creative Direction at Doca da Marinha, Street Food Market, and Banana Cafe (Lisbon)
● 2022 — Now Responsible for Creative Direction and Design of all events and festivals held at Doca da Marinha (Lisbon)
Participations / Collaborations:
● 2020 Organized the EMERGE event, showcasing the launch of the fifth edition of Merge — The Social Magazine, in collaboration with five venues in Porto: Maus Hábitos, Cerveja Nortada, Selina, Escola Artística de Soares dos Reis, and Land Porto.
● 2022 Participated in the event "Viv’a Soares," celebrating the 137th anniversary of the Escola Artística de Soares dos Reis with the talk: Merge: a process, alongside André Silva, Sofia Coutinho, and João Ventura.
● 2022 Conducted the workshop Experimental Poetry, also part of the 137th anniversary celebration of the Escola Artística de Soares dos Reis, with the 12th-grade Graphic Design specialization class, supervised by Professor Pedro Teixeira.
● 2022 Participated in the event XS Design Xpress’22, organized by the design student group from the University of Aveiro, with the talk: Merge — The Social Magazine: How Does Magazine Management Work?
● 2022 Delivered the lecture "From Immaterial to Material Culture: Exploring Portuguese Popular Adages Through Experimental Typo/Poetry" — a topic developed within the scope of the Master's in Design, presented at the 12th Typography Meeting, organized by the University of Beira Interior, Portugal.
● 2023 Collaborated with the Póvoa de Varzim City Council to develop the graphic identity for the 24th edition of Correntes d'Escritas, a literary festival featuring a wide range of national and international writers, in my hometown of Póvoa de Varzim.
● 2023 Collaborated with Studio Pira (Lisbon) on the creative direction and development of the graphic identity for MASANA — a luxury condominium located in the Algarve, comprising a set of seaside residences.
● 2024 Delivered a talk about my creative process and creative direction at the ARCADA 2024 event, organized by communication design students from the School of Media Arts and Design - Polytechnic Institute of Porto.
● 2024 Contributed to the book Matter of Type, 12th Typography Meeting Book of Proceedings, with the scientific article "From Immaterial to Material Culture: Exploring Portuguese Popular Adages Through Experimental Typo/Poetry."
● 2024 Project Management and Designer at the Festival: Tribeca Festival Lisbon '24, together with the events company All In and the Portuguese television channel - Sic Oficial.