Rita Matos is a designer and art director that joined the team at New Studio last year. New Studio is a concept studio: a collective of passionate designers from different creative fields. Rita talks us through the best and worst parts of her job day-to-day, her take on internships, and how she plans to push herself out of her comfort zone in the next 12 months.
Where did you study and what were some of your first jobs?
I studied Communication Design in Lisbon’s Faculty of Fine Arts. My first job was at Silvadesigners, where I worked in a lot of visual identities, publications and exhibitions for the cultural sector.
Give us the elevator pitch on what you do.
I’m a designer. I help clients with their design and communication challenges, either by myself or gathering the right team to do it. I joined New Studio last year, and I’m working and learning with an amazing team that is spread across different countries. We focus and work on all creative aspects of brand identity and brand experience.
What are some of the best and worse parts of your job, day-to-day.
Best: I get to do new stuff, be creative, put stuff out in the world; I don’t have to answer to anyone but myself; I get to be in control of my routine, my hours; Everyday is different; I get to know and work with amazing people;
Worse: Organising stuff, accounting, and overall bureaucratic tasks; Isolation; Making difficult decisions; Staying confident and hopeful about what I’m doing;
What’s your take on internships? (do you take interns now?)
I think internships are important. But people who take interns should have a great sense of responsibility to them and should be able to make time or find resources to mentor their interns. Interns are not just cheap (or most of the time free) labor, they are raw potential. They should be fairly compensated. They’re an investment. Like every investment, it comes with great risk and also great possible outcomes. For all of this, I don’t take interns. I’m not in a position where I can invest my time or offer what I think it’s fair. And I think the massive exploration a lot of people are going through internships is a shame.
I get to do new stuff, be creative, put stuff out in the world
How does the local culture of where you live affect your design work and getting clients?
I’m an internet baby and most of my references and things I liked were found there and were from all over the world. I started early sharing my work at online communities and learning in that environment. I wanted to do it as the cool people I followed were doing. This was always difficult to translate here because these references were usually not within Lisbon's landscape. Despite the years I’ve worked in a local studio and with local culture, somehow, I’ve always felt (and still feel) very disconnected from here — it’s like I couldn’t read it right. I've kept thinking about going out of the country, but that never happened. The internet was always the easiest way for me to connect with people and network. My work reached outside of Lisbon and then Portugal first, and only when I began to have outside recognition I started getting clients (as a freelancer) from Lisbon — just very recently. I hope that changes in the coming years, as I’m finally happy here, and I would like to find ways to contribute and fit into the culture.
What's on the cards professionally and personally in the next 12 months?
Life is always surprising and you can’t really tell what’s coming next no matter how hard you sit and fantasise or calculate things. I’m focusing on keep rolling the right pieces in the right direction, keep being very strategic with my decisions and keep the long-term in mind but leaving space for things to happen. I will focus on growing New Studio and my branding portfolio and learn more about the trade and I want to be able to get bigger scope projects. I want to put out a few personal projects I have in mind and I want to get out of my comfort zone more.
Where to find New Studio online.
Website: ritamatos.com
Instagram: @aritamatos
