Arquivo Chona

Concept and Process

We developed the visual identity and website for Arquivo Chona, a project dedicated to preserving and showcasing the life and work of Carlos Alberto Oliveira - an actor, director, playwright, producer, and cultural programmer from Santarém whose legacy has deeply shaped the Portuguese performing arts scene.

The design concept draws from the aesthetics of archival systems while reinterpreting them through a contemporary lens. The identity balances a sense of historical weight with visual clarity, combining block-type lettering and sans-serif typography to evoke both the solidity of institutional archives and the accessibility of modern digital platforms. The color palette - a mix of aged beige tones, muted reds, and smoky blacks - was inspired by the natural fading of old documents, echoing the tactile and temporal qualities of paper that has aged over time.

Grid structures, lines, and typographic hierarchies were designed to guide the eye through dense information, reflecting the logic of cataloging and indexing typical of archival environments. This structure not only ensures coherence across printed and digital materials but also reinforces the project's curatorial rigor and narrative flow.

Given the vast scope of content - from photographs and manuscripts to critical texts, programs, and audiovisual records. The website was conceived as a dynamic and evolving platform, capable of growing organically as the archive expands. Its navigation system provides a clear and intuitive framework that organizes materials into distinct yet interconnected sections, allowing users to move fluidly between visual and textual narratives.

Designed to be both timeless and adaptable, the platform ensures that archival imagery and written documentation maintain equal importance in telling the story of Carlos Alberto Oliveira's life and work.