ESAD – Escola Superior de Artes e Design

ESAD – Escola Superior de Artes e Design began its activity in 1989, when it promoted the first National Design Meeting in Portugal, and describes itself as a school with 35 years of prestigious past. Based in Matosinhos, in the north of Portugal, it specialises in design and digital arts.

The school occupies a purpose-built, recently expanded building on Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian, 180 metres from the metro and nine kilometres from Francisco Sá Carneiro airport. Teaching spans five licenciaturas – communication design, interior design, fashion design, product design, digital arts and multimedia – plus a master’s in design with specialisations in communication, interiors and product.

Practice is supported by workshops students use directly: photography, sound and video studios, a fashion atelier with industrial sewing and draping machines, screen-printing and typography workshops holding wood and lead type and two A3 risographs, and prototyping laboratories with CNC milling and welding.

Beyond the campus, ESAD connects to its research unit esad-idea, the Exploratório, the esad-design [cluster] in the Matosinhos market and the Casa do Design. It organises the Porto Design Biennale since 2019, leads the Blue Design Alliance, holds partnerships with around 180 institutions and has been a Cumulus member since 2004.