The Future of Education

This article describes an academic design project developed within the undergraduate program in Graphic Design at the School of Design (ESD) of the Polytechnic University of Cávado and Ave (IPCA), in collaboration with the Municipality of Braga, as part of the BRAGA CAPITAL OF CULTURE (2025) program and the commemorations of the centenary of Master José Veiga (1925 - 2002), an important figure in the city with a vast body of work in drawing, graphic arts, as well as the design of the decorations for the two most important festivals in this city (Holy Week / Easter and São João Festivities). In this context, two exhibitions on the work of Master Veiga’s were organised.

Both exhibitions were dedicated to Master Veiga’s graphic legacy, combining reproductions of original works – namely posters, logos, lighting plans, and urban decorative designs – from his personal archive and municipal collections with design outcomes produced by ESD/IPCA students. Within the curricular framework of Graphic Design, students developed two design exercises focused on visual identity and typography, aimed at generating visual symbols capable of articulating regional identity and the city’s principal festive contexts.

Methodologically, the project was structured into three phases: critical research and analytical interpretation of Master Veiga’s graphic legacy; exploratory design and compositional studies; and the final synthesis and formalization of design proposals. The results, exhibited in dialogue with the original works, demonstrate the pedagogical and cultural potential of design practice as a space for critical reinterpretation of visual heritage, highlighting the interplay between historical graphic identity, contemporary visual language, and processes of cultural transmission.