Maiara Araujo is the winner of the contest that chose the visual identity for Unicamp's newest executive directorate, the Executive Directorate for Sustainability (DexS). A graduate in graphic design from Paulista University (Unip), Araujo is a master's student at the Institute of Computing (IC) at Unicamp and develops her research at the Human-Digital Artifact Interaction Laboratory (InterHAD). “The theme of sustainable development has interested me for some time and is present in my master's research, which involves the creation of a game focused on socio-environmental education,” she stated. “As soon as I saw the Instagram post about the contest to create a logo for DExS, I started sketching some ideas. I made several sketches over the days, including during my bus commutes,” she recounted.
In designing the brand, Maiara started with a structured research process, which included analyzing the content of the Directorate's website and applying web scraping techniques to identify keywords. Terms such as "sustainability," "innovation," "research," and "management," in addition to the strong presence of the International Hub for Sustainable Development (HIDS), guided the conceptual construction of the proposal. In the name, the proposal adopts sans-serif typefaces—Poppins and Roboto—prioritizing legibility, clarity, and contemporaneity. The visual system was conceived based on principles of proportion and harmony, including the use of the golden ratio in defining spacing and relationships between elements.
Furthermore, she worked with the letters of the Directorate's acronym, focusing on typographical construction, using striking and contemporary fonts. The letter "x" was modified with the insertion of a leaf-shaped element, integrated into the letter's structure. "Because it is right in the center of the acronym, this element visually unites its parts, in addition to referring to an association present in common sense regarding sustainability," explained the Unicamp student.
As defined in the competition's rules, the evaluation committee had the prerogative to request adjustments to the submitted proposal. Therefore, after consulting with the student, the Committee opted to use the second part of the set of elements proposed by Maiara.
The competition received 32 entries. In its opinion, the Commission highlighted that the winning brand stood out for its combination of leaf-shaped graphic elements, associated with the color green, evoking the theme of sustainability and, at the same time, establishing a visual connection with the acronym DExS and its cross-cutting role.
The new brand will be gradually implemented across institutional channels and materials, strengthening communication and visibility of initiatives developed by the Board of Directors.
