Brazilian Clichés

The book “Brazilian Clichés” was composed using images from an old catalogue of Brazilian letterpress clichés. These printing plates engraved in wood or metal were used as visual complements to the textual content in the letterpress printing process, the predominant printing method for almost five centuries. The reason for the book’s title, however, is not only due to the letterpress clichés being used for the playfully designed illustrations, but also due to Brazilian clichés in the sense of hackneyed sayings. At each page’s turn, readers encounter another cliché – for example, historical ones like the arrival of the Portuguese, the catechising of native Indians, or the economic cycles regarding coffee and gold. The historical clichés are counterbalanced with contemporary clichés such as traffic jams, illustrated by wildly superimposed cars, debts or closed condominiums and alienation. Featuring an elaborate design with an open spine and a wood sheet on the cover, the book serves as a daring, contemporary visual narrative.