Contra-Estúdio is Laura Araújo and Guilherme Sousa.

We are a Lisbon-based design, art, and research practice established in 2015. Working both individually and as a duo, we develop projects across brand communication, multimedia art, journalism, self-publishing, and visual culture. In our work, we value curiosity (a passion for engaging with the world around us), improvisation (connecting the flows of ideas and matter), and civic responsibility (knowing that everything we do impacts our surroundings).


 

Guilherme Sousa (b.1994 - Vila Real, PT) is a designer, writer and independent researcher based in Lisbon. He has a BA in Communication Design and an MA in Anthropology. He writes about design and contemporary culture and runs the newsletter “Se correr mal é performance”. Since 2015, Sousa has has worked in projects for clients such as the Lisbon City Council, Lux Frágil or Festival Iminente. He often collaborates with other designers, artists and authors, sharing his design practice with Laura Araújo (Contra-Estúdio). He is one of the co-author of the book "O design por dentro das palavras" (2020, Caleidoscópio).
Laura Araújo (1993; Câmara de Lobos, PT) is a Lisbon-based graphic designer. She graduated in Communication Design at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon (FBAUL) in 2015. From 2015 to 2017, she was part of the communication design department at FBAUL, working with clients such as the University of Lisbon and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. In 2016, she joined the design department at A Vida Portuguesa, which she now leads alongside her colleague Sónia Costa. She shares her freelance design practice with Guilherme Sousa (Contra-Estúdio).
WORK WITH

WHAT WE DO

  • PRINT DESIGN 
  • BRAND DESIGN
  • DESIGN RESEARCH & CONSULTING
  • ADVERTISEMENT 
  • SOCIAL MEDIA & SIMPLE WEBSITES
  • CORPORATE PRESENTATIONS & STATIONARY
  • COPYWRITING AND EDITING
  • PHOTOGRAPHY, VIDEO, SOUND
  • AND MORE