Cutting away the excess: how Lucas Machado Design became MACHADO

Lucas Machado has renamed his independent design practice in Curitiba, Brazil, cutting Lucas Machado Design back to the surname alone – a word that also means ‘axe’ in Portuguese. In the first five years, the practice grew, taking on more projects and a bigger team. But he was spending more and more time on the business side and less on the creative work, so he stopped to rethink the practice. That idea of cutting then became a principle behind the identity that MACHADO made for itself, extending across a printed system built from materials usually found in a design office, with its staples left showing. In this interview, he and Ângela Mayume tell us about MACHADO’s work across brands, publications, spaces and objects, and what could follow the architecture and urbanism that Curitiba is known for. TBI: Hi Lucas and Ângela! How has the year been treating you both? M: This year has been a bit atypical for us. We spent the first half wrapping up ongoing projects and taking the time to rethink the practice. That process eventually led to a new name, a new identity and a clearer sense of how we want to work.