1. What makes Musa unique and relevant to the design world?

As a designers collective, Musa becomes relevant in the Portuguese design and designers promotion, and its uniqueness could be shown in its works, methodology and projects developed through last years.

2. What inspired you to begin work on such an expansive project?

It was not inspiration, but necessity to walk in different directions than the hard-selling commercial communication design we usually practice in design agencies 8, 12 and often more hours daily. We felt very passionate about the emerging design culture and believe in its future, power and real contribution to the commercial projects.

We started Musa with one goal: publishing the first Portuguese graphic design book with a representative number of young talents. All this grew up and Musa become a real expansive and collaborative project claimed as one of the most known and important graphic design projects in Portugal. It was made possible by the efforts made by all the designers interested in showing their work through Musa, by the promotional actions such as exhibitions, and the products developed to support the project.

3. So many different kinds of design are featured in Musa, both commercial and personal, from typography to web design to toy design. How do all these different realms connect and create a larger picture of the kind of innovation and experimentalism you're aiming for?

As a collective project we want Musa as a representative of the variety of styles, ideas, people, design, tendencies... All this mess of ideas and concepts will probably open new experimental ways in the design and communication scene. Musa--it's an open space to experimentalism and no rules are allowed.

4. Have you found that there are elements inherent in Portuguese design that differ from design in other parts of the world?

It was one of our great expectations. To find some difference in Portuguese graphic design elements, tendencies, schools... Definitely no! The international design scene took place in the Portuguese designers hearts and minds. We don't have a national graphic design DNA but we have some people working in their own personal style that are already acclaimed as pioneers. We all suffer from the same "illness" of globalization.

5. As the project has developed, have you sensed a design identity developing for Portugal? For the individual artists that have worked with you?

Yes. Some very strong and different personal styles emerged since the Musa project started. A few collectives started developing their own identities. But it's to soon to predict if this is the beginning of a Portuguese identity in the graphic design world.

6. On your website you say "MusaTour is a piece of design art itself." Could you elaborate on this concept?

The concept of MusaTour was to print digitally on canvas graphic design Pieces, and in collecting all this artwork we promoted it as one graphic design art collection.

7. What is the signifcance of the name "Musa"?

Musa is the Portuguese word for Muse, the source of an artist's inspiration. In the Portuguese imagination and literature we can also find a lot of "Musas." We searched for an inspirational, short and easy name to spell and remember in several languages.

8. Freedom of expression seems to be most important to Musa. What is your experience with rules stifling the creativity in design that makes you stress this subject so much?

We don't live obsessed with rules and how to break them. We just want people understand their creative freedom in opposition to some oppression that rules the design scene in the communication, design, advertising, marketing business in Portugal.

9. Another concept that seems to be one of the most significant to Musa is a collective consciousness of design, a passion and a togetherness. How does the project embody this idea?

Developing collective projects is the main concept of Musa. An open space to all kind of opinions, contributions, ideas... Everybody can submit his or her work or idea for appreciation and future project implementation.

10. You're still looking for the right publishing house for your book. What have your difficulties been with this thus far, and how do you plan to remedy them? Has the search been more promising as you go on?

We are in negotiations with one international publishing house. We believe that the collected works for the MusaBook must be shown in an international edition book.

11. Once the book is published, what effect do you think it will have on the design community? What kind of impact are you hoping for?

We would be glad if it can contribute to showing Portuguese design talents and open doors to some of them to be known internationally. We believe that some work could be a source of inspiration for the international design community. And we hope a selling success to publish much more MusaBooks.