Cash & Carry is the one-woman studio channelling punk and railing against boredom

A fan of punk, grunge and xerox flair, Beatriz Cóias has found a way to bring these influences into the commercial space while still honouring its original DIY attitude.

Growing up in a Catholic school, Beatriz Cóias was understandably taken aback when she was exposed to punk and the Riot Grrrl (an underground feminist punk movement from the early 1990s). The kohl pencil-smeared compositions complete with rugged hand lettering and gritty type had an enduring effect on her. So much so that after 10 years of working as a freelance designer, starting her own one-woman studio and moving back to Portugal, she still channels the devil-may-care visual attitude with impressive originality.

Every part of her practice alludes to this DIY ethos. From zines to book she's printed and bound herself, to repurposing scans of old type, it’s all about “not taking design too seriously and trying to have fun doing things”, she says. Finding inspiration in American artist Ed Ruscha’s work, Beatriz says that “his interest in words and language and in the banality of modern urban life is something that resonates with me”. You can confidently place her work somewhere between this and the gauzy world of xerox zines. “Going forward," she notes, "I’m excited to collaborate with more Portuguese-based artists and designers in creating some more publications and trying to push things forward over here!”

Above

Cash & Carry: Underrated #2 (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2021)

Above

Cash & Carry: Meguru (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2020)

Above

Cash & Carry: Huck Magazine #78 (Copyright © Huck Magazine, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Underrated #2 (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2021)

Above

Cash & Carry: Institute of Contemporary Arts (Copyright © Chris Chapman, David Kolbusz, Rebecca Lewis, Cash & Carry, 2021)

Above

Cash & Carry: Huck Magazine #78 (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Institute of Contemporary Arts (Copyright © Chris Chapman, David Kolbusz, Rebecca Lewis, Cash & Carry, 2021)

Above

Cash & Carry: Huck Magazine #78 (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Future Report (Copyright © Dazed Media, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Future Report (Copyright © Dazed Media, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Future Report (Copyright © Dazed Media, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: Future Report (Copyright © Dazed Media, 2022)

Above

Cash & Carry: CoQuarantine (Copyright © Cash & Carry, 2022)

Hero Header

Cash & Carry: Future Report (Copyright © Dazed Media, 2022)

Share Article

About the Author

Roz Jones

Roz (he/him) joined It’s Nice That for three months as an editorial assistant in October 2022 after graduating from Magazine Journalism and Publishing at London College of Communication. He’s particularly interested in publications, archives and multi-media design.

It's Nice That Newsletters

Fancy a bit of It's Nice That in your inbox? Sign up to our newsletters and we'll keep you in the loop with everything good going on in the creative world.