Aloísio Sergio Magalhães

Aloísio Sérgio Barbosa de Magalhães (November 5, 1927 - June 13, 1982) was a Brazilian graphic designer. He is considered a pioneer in the introduction of modern design in Brazil, having helped found the first higher design institution in the country, entitled Industrial Design School of Rio de Janeiro (ESDI). After specializing in graphic design and visual communication in the United States, he taught at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia.

During the 1960s, he was responsible for creating the logo for Rio de Janeiro's IV Centennial, presented the first symbol for the television station Rede Globo, and was one of the country's representatives at the 1st International Biennial of Industrial Design at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.

Aloísio Magalhães is also remembered for having participated in the contest organized by the Central Bank of Brazil, in 1966, in order to develop the graphic layout for the new banknote - the cruzeiro novo - in which he was the winner. Later, Aloísio Magalhães applied the mirroring of the images on the banknotes, so that they were practically identical no matter how they were turned over. This model was implemented in the 1000 cruzeiros banknote launched in 1978 and known as Baron, once it had the effigy of the Baron of Rio Branco on the obverse side. Afterwards, the same design pattern was implemented, with modifications, in the 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 5000 cruzeiros banknotes launched in 1981, which were the last banknotes Aloísio would develop during his lifetime.

November 5, the day Aloísio was born, is celebrated as the graphic designer's day in Brazil.

Career Aloísio Magalhães conducting a puppet at the Student Theater of Pernambuco in the early 1950s. Born in Recife, Aloísio graduated in law school from the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) in 1950, when he was working as a set designer and costume designer at, besides directing the puppets in the show. On a scholarship granted by the French government, he studied museology in Paris from 1951 to 1953, the same place where he attended Atelier 17, where he was a student of Stanley William Hayter. The following year, he returned to Recife to found the O Gráfico Amador, alongside Gastão de Holanda, Orlando da Costa Ferreira, and José Laurenio de Mello.

In 1965, he developed the first symbol for the Brazilian television channel Rede Globo. Three years later, he was invited to be one of the country's representatives at the 1st International Biennial of Industrial Design, at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro. In the early 1970s, when he was a member of the Brazilian Association of Industrial Design (ABDI), he represented Brazil at the 1st Biennial of Design, Printmaking and Industrial Design in Cali, Colombia.

Exhibitions From 1953 to 1977, individual and collective exhibitions were held regarding Aloísio Magalhães' work in graphic design.