APIGRAF and ESAD inaugurated the exhibition “Graphic Industry – Impressions That Remain” on 17 September at the School of Arts and Design in Senhora da Hora. The opening brought together professionals, teachers, students and visitors around a journey showing how the graphic industry is part of everyday life — in books, packaging, editorial materials, bags, labels and so many other objects we use without often stopping to consider the processes that shape them.
In his remarks, António Maia, APIGRAF’s National Director, highlighted the strategic importance of the partnership between the association and the school. The exhibition makes visible a connection between design education and the practical needs of the graphic industry.
"This connection with ESAD makes perfect sense, because professionals come out of here, people from the design side come out of here, people from the creative side come out of here — and these are always people we will need in graphic work, printing and production."
The exhibition brings these processes closer and makes them easier to understand. By revealing materials, techniques, finishes and production solutions, it invites visitors to recognise the complexity and intention behind each piece — and to see design, printing, production and finishing as part of the same field of possibilities.
Sofia Meira, from ESAD, emphasised the importance of this approach for an institution that combines teaching and research. The partnership puts the industry’s technical knowledge, creative experimentation and the training of new generations of professionals into dialogue.
"As well as being a school, ESAD is also a research centre. And for us, this production area is very important."
During the visit, participants moved through the exhibition’s different sections, encountering examples of stationery, packaging, photography, labels, editorial products, hygiene products and bags. Each object reveals concrete decisions — from paper to colour, from structure to die-cutting, from printing to finishing — and reminds us that graphic communication is built through both idea and material.
At the close of her remarks, Sofia Meira left the door open for this relationship to continue and presented ESAD’s teaching laboratories and print shop as spaces for meeting and sharing know-how.
"ESAD’s door is always open, at any time, as are our teaching laboratories, with a print shop that we are very proud to present. This union makes perfect sense, from this point onwards and beyond, into the future."
The exhibition is on view at ESAD, Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian, 907, Senhora da Hora, until 16 October 2026, Monday to Friday, from 8 am to 7 pm. The exhibition’s digital journey makes it possible to explore the content of each section in greater depth and extend the visit beyond the physical space.
The “Graphic Industry – Impressions That Remain” exhibition, organised by APIGRAF in collaboration with ESAD, also has the support of FESPA, strengthening the institutional dimension of an initiative that seeks to bring the graphic industry closer to education, design and new generations of professionals.
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