As the 2025 year draws to a close, we celebrate a landmark moment for the Master in Graphic Design and Editorial Projects (MDGPE), marked by the successful submission and presentation of 38 works—achieving an exceptional 105% conclusion rate. This milestone is not just a numerical success, but a promotes reflection of the dedication and critical depth of our academic community.
2024-25: (an academic) Year of Immersive Practice
Recapitulating 2024, our classrooms (yes, we’ve switched classrooms again, from the small PS45 to the even smaller PA201…) were hubs of constant motion and material exploration (even if we occupied other rooms and workshops for the masters’ activities). We balanced the digital with the deeply tactile through a series of specialized activities:
- Workshops & Masterclasses: Students engaged in intensive sessions on Silkscreen, Letterpress, Bookbinding, and Calligrams, alongside Illustration and Type Design masterclasses;
- Industry & Field Research: Field trips to Publishing Houses, Botanical Gardnes and other spaces provided a direct link to professional production;
- Academic Excellence: We achieved record participation at IJUP, where 18 students presented their research, earning two distinctions in the categories of “Communication and Poster” and “Arts and Humanities.”
- International Presence: MDGPE research & development projects were presented at the Funchal Design Biennial and international conference stages such as the Confia, Digicom, and Typography Meeting conferences.
Design as a Geostrategic Agent
In a “troubled and conflict-filled world,” our students have increasingly used design as a platform for reflection on identity and language. Moving beyond mere aesthetics, these projects address root causes and social complexities. This vision is carried forward by the 28 new projects set for presentation in July 2026, which are already charting new directions:
- Decoloniality & Visibility: Exploring censorship in queer contexts, black female identity, and the visibility of marginalized gender identities through design.
- Health & Well-being: Leveraging design for health literacy (such as motion graphics, and augmented typography for ALS), addressing burnout in healthcare professionals, and creating visual narratives for personal trauma and recovery.
- Materiality & The Embodied Reader: Pushing the boundaries of the book-object as a multisensory experience, where the artifact becomes a “choreographic object” or an emotional archive.
- Science & Environment: Bridging the gap between design and marine research (CIIMAR), or creating graphic histories of fragile ecosystems.
These are but a few examples that highlight the diversity and social impact our students aim to implement, amidst a series of graphic design, branding, editorial design, digital and computational artifacts research and development of embodied experiences. Stay tuned for updates on our students’ research and outcomes 😉
Growth and Diversity
We continue to grow as an international community. This year, we received 112 applications from 12 nationalities (including Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Germany, Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine).
- The New Cohort: Our 36 new students (part of a total of 81 active students) are already making their mark. The program remains a space of strong female representation, with 80% women.
- Overcoming Challenges: Our growth has brought logistical hurdles—from the distance between our new classroom in PA201 and the students’ / production room in PS44, to the ongoing maintenance of our vital tools like the guillotine and much needed new equipment. Also, “free” workspace is still a challenge as the masters’ room has had a busy-busy-busy schedule, with classes, presentations and other occupancy from other programs’ activities… Yet, these challenges only underscore the importance of the physical, shared space of the workshop.
Looking Ahead to 2026
From the annual Fio de Cera exhibition (upcoming review pending) to our upcoming Summer School (in articulation with Ligatures and i2ADS), we remain committed to a design practice that is sustainable, inclusive, and deeply human.
To our 38 new graduates—our “geostrategic agents” of 2025—and our current students: thank you for a year of profound creative labor.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!