open ground to those who come

Revista UMinho is a yearly publication issued for the anniversary of the University of Minho. This year’s edition (2017) was created under the theme ‘Chão aberto a quem chegar’ (‘Open Ground to Those Who Come’) — a verse from the lyrics of the University’s hymn.

We were challenged to find means to represent through the look and feel of the piece the openness of the institution — the eagerness and flexibility to meet any expectations of the newcomers.

What if there was a door, one that never closes?

We designed the magazine with a cut through — a square shaped aperture in the middle of the piece, which carries throughout each and every page. The negative space is an integral element of the object. It takes an active part in interaction with the booklet, too.

The matt paper we chose for the cover of a warm grey shade, and texture of fine sand (Andina Grey from Curious Matter collection). It resembles the architectural structures of the university, while the warm red clay colour (used inside) symbolises the people.

The special transparent bookmark features additional information about the anniversary, and when in place it reveals the UMinho logo inside the opening.

the mentor and the protégé

Mentorship is key to career success. Alumni UMinho recognising this value created two mentoring programs for the students of the University of Minho. ‘Tutorias por Pares’ joins a freshman and a second-year student where the latter is to help the young one best integrate into the academic environment. Program ‘Mentorias UMinho’ pairs a last-year student with an alumnus to give the future graduate the best shot at a successful career kick-off.





For the promotional campaign, we’ve come up with the tree/root metaphor to visualise the relation created in the program. It represents the way the parts above and below the ground differ in nature, have specific roles, but depend on each other and together are one organism.
The root is what grounds the plant body, gives it support, gathers and stores the water and nutrients, and because it lives underground, it’s invisible to us — almost like a mentor who is the support to the growing protégé. The crown is the vital, green part assimilating solar energy and CO₂ — the visibly growing section, the protégé.
Except that in the poster the root is also a tree, but an older one. It suggests that the mentor–protégé relationship is a symbiosis where both parts gain and grow as a result.

The composition consisting of two fields of contrasting colour that complete each other enforces the message. The typography is arranged in the form of a frame, which directs the attention into the centre — the relationship.

The brochure’s custom cut further explores the concept of two individual parts, where the message underneath each part of the ‘window’ is directed to either mentor (bottom) or protégé (top).

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