BR - DRAMA.
BR - DRAMA.
BR - Drama is a personal graphic design project that revisits iconic Brazilian soap operas through brutalist posters. The proposal is to reinterpret popular memory in a harsh, typographic, and experimental aesthetic.
SERVICES
SERVICES
Graphic Design
INDUSTRY
INDUSTRY
Personal Project
Personal Project
The Project
The Project
BR – DRAMA is a personal project that resonates with the cultural memory of Brazilians. It is a playful clash between tragedy and the bizarre in national television.
In this first edition, I revisit 4 classic novelas — stories that have always shaped everyday family conversations and left marks across generations. From the living room to the streets, their echoes remain alive in Brazilian culture.
BR – DRAMA is a personal project that resonates with the cultural memory of Brazilians. It is a playful clash between tragedy and the bizarre in national television.
In this first edition, I revisit 4 classic novelas — stories that have always shaped everyday family conversations and left marks across generations. From the living room to the streets, their echoes remain alive in Brazilian culture.
The clearest example is Vale Tudo, whose iconic mystery — “Who killed Odete Roitman?” — still sparks debate nearly forty years later, proving the novela’s lasting grip on the collective imagination.
Despite their cultural weight, novelas have rarely been explored through unofficial artistic projects. BR – DRAMA emerges from this gap, reinterpreting them with a singular, graphic lens.
The initial challenge was to find a way to translate the spirit of these novelas into something austere, yet still capable of carrying their melodramatic excess.
This project seeks to carry these treasures of Brazilian pop culture beyond their original borders.
The clearest example is Vale Tudo, whose iconic mystery — “Who killed Odete Roitman?” — still sparks debate nearly forty years later, proving the novela’s lasting grip on the collective imagination.
Despite their cultural weight, novelas have rarely been explored through unofficial artistic projects. BR – DRAMA emerges from this gap, reinterpreting them with a singular, graphic lens.
The initial challenge was to find a way to translate the spirit of these novelas into something austere, yet still capable of carrying their melodramatic excess.
This project seeks to carry these treasures of Brazilian pop culture beyond their original borders.
The clearest example is Vale Tudo, whose iconic mystery — “Who killed Odete Roitman?” — still sparks debate nearly forty years later, proving the novela’s lasting grip on the collective imagination.
Despite their cultural weight, novelas have rarely been explored through unofficial artistic projects. BR – DRAMA emerges from this gap, reinterpreting them with a singular, graphic lens.
The initial challenge was to find a way to translate the spirit of these novelas into something austere, yet still capable of carrying their melodramatic excess.
This project seeks to carry these treasures of Brazilian pop culture beyond their original borders.
Inspiration & Research
During the research phase, while searching for a way to balance the dramatic weight of the novelas, I saw in Brutalism the potential to effectively channel all their emotion. Its raw, uncompromising approach could give even greater force to the narratives.
At this point, I recalled the cover of The Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla by Carlos Marighella.
Its simple and direct aesthetic led me to consider a blend: what if the posters carried the energy of political pamphlets produced in times of repression?
BR – Drama was born as a satire and a statement.
If South Korea has K-Dramas as a tool of soft power, Brazil has its novelas — stories that shaped generations, yet remain largely unknown beyond its borders.
This project reimagines them as visual pamphlets, reclaiming their cultural weight and reframing them as symbols of Brazilian identity to be seen, shared, and celebrated worldwide.
Inspiration & Research
During the research phase, while searching for a way to balance the dramatic weight of the novelas, I saw in Brutalism the potential to effectively channel all their emotion. Its raw, uncompromising approach could give even greater force to the narratives.
At this point, I recalled the cover of The Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla by Carlos Marighella.
Its simple and direct aesthetic led me to consider a blend: what if the posters carried the energy of political pamphlets produced in times of repression?
BR – Drama was born as a satire and a statement.
If South Korea has K-Dramas as a tool of soft power, Brazil has its novelas — stories that shaped generations, yet remain largely unknown beyond its borders.
This project reimagines them as visual pamphlets, reclaiming their cultural weight and reframing them as symbols of Brazilian identity to be seen, shared, and celebrated worldwide.
During the research phase, while searching for a way to balance the dramatic weight of the novelas, I saw in Brutalism the potential to effectively channel all their emotion. Its raw, uncompromising approach could give even greater force to the narratives.
At this point, I recalled the cover of The Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla by Carlos Marighella.
Its simple and direct aesthetic led me to consider a blend: what if the posters carried the energy of political pamphlets produced in times of repression?
BR – Drama was born as a satire and a statement.
If South Korea has K-Dramas as a tool of soft power, Brazil has its novelas — stories that shaped generations, yet remain largely unknown beyond its borders.
This project reimagines them as visual pamphlets, reclaiming their cultural weight and reframing them as symbols of Brazilian identity to be seen, shared, and celebrated worldwide.
BR - DRAMA. //// Part 1.
Av. Brasil
Avenida Brasil opens the series like a scream. Red dominates — not only as the color of Nina’s revenge, but also as the militant tone of pamphlet brutalism. It is the color of war that runs through the poster, while also evoking the very origin of Brazil’s name, born from the reddish sap of the Pau-Brasil tree.
The poster is built as a visual manifesto: keywords act like slogans, a synopsis grips the viewer, and “Oi, Oi, Oi” bursts in like a collective refrain — an anthem of a generation. Then, the landfill tears across the composition — its dryness and poverty impose gravity, grounding the justification for Nina’s vengeance, the harsh soil where tragedy takes root.
Carminha emerges as the villainous icon, reimagined in a Hitchcockian play of shadows. Yet her presence extends beyond this work: Adriana Esteves, the actress, becomes the visual rhyme of this opening chapter, appearing in both Avenida Brasil and Kubanacan. She anchors the project’s first cycle — the same face, returning under different masks, in different times, in different dramas.
Finally, BR - DRAMA seals the piece like a street pamphlet: direct, incisive, brutal. A prologue of everything yet to come.
Kubanacan
Kubanacan opens under the BR - DRAMA seal, a bridge to the previous poster, yet reflecting the opposite. Blue dominates the composition with a dreamlike tone, amplifying the surrealism that defines this novela.
At its center, the myth of Esteban — a man found in the sea without memory, the buff fisherman, an unlikely hero on a tropical island. Humor surfaces through the banana icons, a reminder that even within drama, laughter persists.
Unlike the austerity of Avenida Brasil, this pamphlet is densely populated: objects appear like graphic islands, filling the space, multiplying references, fragments of time and memory scattered across the page.
Adriana Esteves returns as the visual rhyme, this time as the opposite of Carminha’s villainy. She anchors the narrative, bridging the first poster and this one, connecting brutal realism to tropical surrealism.
Kubanacan opens under the BR - DRAMA seal, a bridge to the previous poster, yet reflecting the opposite. Blue dominates the composition with a dreamlike tone, amplifying the surrealism that defines this novela.
At its center, the myth of Esteban — a man found in the sea without memory, the buff fisherman, an unlikely hero on a tropical island. Humor surfaces through the banana icons, a reminder that even within drama, laughter persists.
Unlike the austerity of Avenida Brasil, this pamphlet is densely populated: objects appear like graphic islands, filling the space, multiplying references, fragments of time and memory scattered across the page.
Adriana Esteves returns as the visual rhyme, this time as the opposite of Carminha’s villainy. She anchors the narrative, bridging the first poster and this one, connecting brutal realism to tropical surrealism.
BR - DRAMA. //// Part 2.
Vale Tudo
Vale Tudo opens with a dark green, representing the financial and classist tensions at the heart of the series. Everything is divided in this novela, and the division sets the tone for the poster — from the title to the keywords, separation is everywhere.
The dark green not only challenges the viewer, much like Odete Roitman challenges those around her, but also forces them to approach the poster and confront the central question: Who killed Odete Roitman? Looking downward, the eye meets the crime and its consequence — the blood in the series’ title.
The visual rhyme appears with Renata Sorrah in the lower-left corner. Her character, a fragile, alcoholic woman, embodies vulnerability — a stark contrast to Nazaré Tedesco in Senhora do Destino.
Both are unforgettable presences, but while Nazaré thrives in manipulation, Renata Sorrah’s character survives through empathy and resilience, offering a different kind of power.
Vale Tudo opens with a dark green, representing the financial and classist tensions at the heart of the series. Everything is divided in this novela, and the division sets the tone for the poster — from the title to the keywords, separation is everywhere.
The dark green not only challenges the viewer, much like Odete Roitman challenges those around her, but also forces them to approach the poster and confront the central question: Who killed Odete Roitman? Looking downward, the eye meets the crime and its consequence — the blood in the series’ title.
The visual rhyme appears with Renata Sorrah in the lower-left corner. Her character, a fragile, alcoholic woman, embodies vulnerability — a stark contrast to Nazaré Tedesco in Senhora do Destino.
Both are unforgettable presences, but while Nazaré thrives in manipulation, Renata Sorrah’s character survives through empathy and resilience, offering a different kind of power.
Senhora do Destino
Senhora do Destino opens its poster with the title of the novela and the series title separated by a path and by Nazaré Tedesco. This visual separation reflects the main plot of the novela: the division between mother and daughter caused by the kidnapper villain, portrayed by Renata Sorrah. The mustard yellow chosen for the poster adds warmth and urgency, evoking both tension and visibility, demanding attention while linking to the dramatic tone of the story.
BR – Drama incorporates a texture of reflective quadrilaterals, inspired by the elaborate floats of Rio de Janeiro’s Samba schools. This pattern connects the poster to Carioca Carnival and to Giovanni Improta — the romantic partner of Maria do Carmo and the notorious bicheiro, played by the iconic José Wilker.
Keywords occupy the center, while Improta’s catchphrase appears almost like a journalistic quote, preceding an image of the hopeful Maria do Carmo, portrayed by Susana Vieira. This novela is indeed “Felomenal.”
This poster closes the series, contrasting the first poster, which opens with a synopsis. Here, aesthetic storytelling comes before the narrative, framing the emotional and cultural resonance of the story before the plot unfolds.
Senhora do Destino opens its poster with the title of the novela and the series title separated by a path and by Nazaré Tedesco. This visual separation reflects the main plot of the novela: the division between mother and daughter caused by the kidnapper villain, portrayed by Renata Sorrah. The mustard yellow chosen for the poster adds warmth and urgency, evoking both tension and visibility, demanding attention while linking to the dramatic tone of the story.
BR – Drama incorporates a texture of reflective quadrilaterals, inspired by the elaborate floats of Rio de Janeiro’s Samba schools. This pattern connects the poster to Carioca Carnival and to Giovanni Improta — the romantic partner of Maria do Carmo and the notorious bicheiro, played by the iconic José Wilker.
Keywords occupy the center, while Improta’s catchphrase appears almost like a journalistic quote, preceding an image of the hopeful Maria do Carmo, portrayed by Susana Vieira. This novela is indeed “Felomenal.”
This poster closes the series, contrasting the first poster, which opens with a synopsis. Here, aesthetic storytelling comes before the narrative, framing the emotional and cultural resonance of the story before the plot unfolds.
Next Steps:
These pamphlets were created for both digital and physical media.
They are currently in production to fulfill their true pamphlet function.
As they are posted around the city, photographs will be added to this study.
They will be posted throughout the streets of Lisbon, contributing to the exposure of Brazilian novelas to unsuspecting passersby in the city.
Brazilian Soft Power in action.
The BR – Drama project will continue. Volume 2 will explore a new aesthetic and different objects, still capturing the full dramatic intensity of Brazilian television, but through media other than the novela.
There are no limits to drama in Brazilian television — whether performed or real.
SARAVÁ!
These pamphlets were created for both digital and physical media.
They are currently in production to fulfill their true pamphlet function.
As they are posted around the city, photographs will be added to this study.
They will be posted throughout the streets of Lisbon, contributing to the exposure of Brazilian novelas to unsuspecting passersby in the city.
Brazilian Soft Power in action.
The BR – Drama project will continue. Volume 2 will explore a new aesthetic and different objects, still capturing the full dramatic intensity of Brazilian television, but through media other than the novela.
There are no limits to drama in Brazilian television — whether performed or real.
SARAVÁ!
These pamphlets were created for both digital and physical media.
They are currently in production to fulfill their true pamphlet function.
As they are posted around the city, photographs will be added to this study.
They will be posted throughout the streets of Lisbon, contributing to the exposure of Brazilian novelas to unsuspecting passersby in the city.
Brazilian Soft Power in action.
The BR – Drama project will continue. Volume 2 will explore a new aesthetic and different objects, still capturing the full dramatic intensity of Brazilian television, but through media other than the novela.
There are no limits to drama in Brazilian television — whether performed or real.
SARAVÁ!
All rights reserved © Vinicius Scoralick 2023.
All rights reserved © Vinicius Scoralick 2023.
All rights reserved © Vinicius Scoralick 2023.