Carla Melo

Carla Melo (CC) is an Associate Professor in Communication Design at Lusófona University of Porto (ULP), where she has served as course leader since 2015. With a PhD in Design from Aveiro University (2009), she focuses on Graphic Design, Editorial Design, Illustration, and Social Design through pedagogical practices that bridge academia and real-world challenges.

• Education: PhD in Design (Aveiro University, 2009), BA in Communication Design (Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Porto, 1991)
• Key Projects: Design as a medium of preventing childhood obesity (PI, 2019), Now_you_see_me_moria co-creation initiative, and mascot design for Pedro Hispano Hospital's Pediatrics Service

Her research emphasizes participatory design with children, social impact through visual communication, and multidisciplinary collaboration with NGOs (The Big Hand, Associação Ajudar Moçambique) and healthcare institutions. She has supervised over 449 international posters for humanitarian awareness campaigns and led pedagogical innovations recognized in competitions like Skopje Poster Competition and Poster for Tomorrow.

Recent publications highlight her work in design education for societal impact, collaborative practices with stakeholders, and the role of design as a transformative agent. She co-authored peer-reviewed articles on digital interfaces, editorial design, and design activism.

Notable Awards:
• Doctoral Fellow, Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT)
• Project awarded by Pedro Hispano Hospital's Pediatrics Service