Brota's program -
Design Workshops
How can design tools be used to strengthen the connection between teenagers and school, and empower them to express identity, creativity, and belonging?
My role
Facilitator | Brand Designer
Scope
Brota’s Program is a university initiative focused on reducing school dropout rates by reconnecting teenagers with learning through creative workshops in dance, acting, gastronomy, circus, writing, visual arts, and design. As part of this program, I led the Design for the Youth workshop, which introduced design tools as a way to foster curiosity, collaboration, and self-expression. The sessions emphasized creative autonomy and resourcefulness, guiding teens to turn everyday materials into moodboards, logos, and prototypes.
Alongside the workshop, I also developed a complete visual identity for Brota, rooted in local youth culture and co-created with the students.
Highlights
- Designed Brota’s brand identity, combining research, street art aesthetics, and student sketches into a culturally rooted visual system
- Adapted digital design processes into inclusive, hands-on workshops, enabling students to prototype with analog tools like paint, magazines, and hand-drawn assets in a low-resource setting
Led a youth-centered design process from concept to prototype, facilitating workshops that resulted in student-led campaigns (poster + T-shirt design) and a final presentation for the broader community
Workshops
This workshop was all about helping teens develop their own projects. They split into two groups: one set out to design a poster that would bring more young people to Brota’s Program, and the other created t-shirt designs because they felt the program needed a stronger identity.
To get their creativity flowing, I introduced two simple but powerful design tools: brainstorming and mind mapping. We kicked things off by practicing with real, relatable topics: how to make CRJ (the building where Brota happens) more visible, and what “Brota” really means.
Since we didn’t have enough computers for everyone, I turned all the tech-heavy steps into hands-on activities. We made moodboards, painted, sketched, and collaged using magazines and colored pencils. I also printed out patterns, logos, and templates they needed to prototype their ideas. We wrapped up at the prototype stage because funds were tight, but the teens were proud to present their work to the whole Brota community. They loved the recognition and how their ideas sparked excitement.
Brota's identity
The brand had to reflect what Brota stands for, but more importantly, it had to represent the teens themselves. While running the workshops, I got to know the youth and their world better, which shaped the identity I was building.
Inspired by the urban art scene around the Youth Referral Center (CRJ) in Belo Horizonte, a lively space where teens study, dance, and express themselves through graffiti, I sketched logo ideas that felt authentic to that vibe. One of the teens, Gean Carlos, was working on similar sketches, so we teamed up and combined our ideas to create the final logo.
Brand Book
To ensure consistent and proper use of Brota’s visual identity, I developed a brand book as a clear guide for the team. This helps maintain the integrity of the brand across future applications and prevents common mistakes.
You can access the Brand Book here (only in Portuguese): Brota’s brandbook
