Raquel Castedo is a Brazilian graphic designer, educator, and researcher, based in Baltimore, MD. She received her Ph.D. in Communication and Information from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Her research includes Latin American design histories and book design, and she came to Baltimore originally to complete research as a visiting scholar at MICA with Ellen Lupton. After an initial three months of study, she returned to Baltimore three years later to live and work.
Her professional work encompasses brand identities, publications, environmental design, and exhibitions, created in collaboration with publishing houses and communication departments in several companies, universities, museums and galleries and has been showcased in design exhibitions such as the Brazilian Graphic Design Biennial, organized by the Brazilian Association of Graphic Designers.
Since 2019, she has served as a board member in both the Society of Design Arts (SoDA) and AIGA Baltimore. In 2021, Raquel created the Latino Design Histories speaker series to promote the rich and plural histories of Latin American production in design, a collaboration between SoDA and AIGA Baltimore, supported by the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, the Design History Society, AIGA Unidos, Stevenson University and the Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre. In 2022, Raquel joined BmoreArt team as Designer-in-Residence, with a focus on programmatic and graphic design.
What’s your favorite quote/philosophy?
“What you seek is seeking you.” Jalaluddin Rūmī
What sparks creativity for you?
Talking to other designers and artists about their work process always inspires me!
What are some of your hobbies?
I love dancing, seeing art and design exhibitions, watching movies, and catching up with friends over the phone or in person.
What’s your favorite part of being on the board?
My favorite part is being an ambassador for AIGA and meeting people. When I moved to Baltimore from Brazil, I felt the need to connect with designers from the local community. Being a board member was crucial for creating a network and developing important soft skills like teamwork, communication, flexibility, patience, time management and motivation.
