Pedro de Sousa’s design portfolio is a masterclass in organic minimalism

From an early age the designer Pedro de Sousa knew he was headed down a creative path. Growing up in a small rural village in Portugal, he often had to be inventive when finding ways to entertain himself “during endless calm days”. And so, Pedro turned to the shapes and objects of the environment that surrounded him, a process which started to “unlock curiosity and questions” and spurred his artistic tendencies. The influence of the natural world is still evident in his often monochromatic work; his Monumento font appears made by rugged rock and his poster for Matéria features uneven lettering that before realising it’s legible words, appears like a clump of uneven moss, or even a mass of organisms.

To keep his practice as fluid and adaptable as possible, Pedro is open to any tool he can use to devise his unusual shapes and concepts – analogue or digital. He also avoids taking primary influence from the sphere of graphic design, and instead looks to a range of other creative fields, like cinema, photography, architecture and fashion. This broad spectrum, he hopes, is a way of giving his work timeless, everlasting value.