Elaine Ramos

By LatAm ARTE

Elaine Ramos (b. 1974) is a prominent Brazilian graphic designer and art director. She grew up unaware of graphic design, in a home with few books and no access to design education. She studied architecture at the University of São Paulo, later drawn to smaller design projects. Her frustration with long architectural timelines sparked an interest in tangible, controllable objects. In 1997, she designed her first book cover through her university’s imprint. After graduation, she joined Cosac Naify, a renowned art and academic publisher. There, she developed a deep passion for book design and publishing. Her architectural training shaped her structural, materials-focused design philosophy. Ramos approaches book design from the inside out—prioritizing interior concept, paper, and feel. Only after this does she design the cover as a synthesis of the whole. She served over a decade at Cosac Naify as art director, shaping its visual identity. She later co-founded Ubu, continuing her legacy of experimental publishing. Ramos helped establish Cosac Naify as a center for design discourse in Brazil. Her style merges tropicalismo and modernism, blending sobriety with experimentation. She belongs to a generation that embraced digital tools while reviving analog techniques. She has explored obsolete printing processes and unconventional materials. Ramos is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). Her work has received numerous international awards. One notable prize is AIGA’s 50 Books/50 Covers for O Livro Amarelo do Terminal . Elaine Ramos is considered one of the most influential voices in contemporary Brazilian desig

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Elaine Ramos