Repositório Científico do Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco
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Design systems applied to visual identities
Publication . Ribeiro, Rogério; Raposo Daniel; Almendra, Rita; Neves, João Vasco; Raposo, Daniel
Today, brands relate to users through an ever-expanding network of online and offline channels, making design systems essential for maintaining visual iden-tity, growth and brand recall. These frameworks combine design rules, reusable modules and established standards, simplifying processes and ensuring the align-ment of different teams and devices. This paper traces the development and prac-tical use of Design Systems in shaping Brand Visual Identities, arguing that they evolve into comprehensive Brand Visual Language Systems that unify directives, digital assets and operational workflows. The article combines an organized liter-ature review with a detailed comparative case study of pioneering brand center solutions, namely Frontify, Bynder and Adobe Experience Manager Assets. The results indicate that companies are increasingly combining design systems with digital asset management to master the growing complexities of brand consistency in rapidly evolving global markets. The research highlights effective approaches while identifying existing gaps, demonstrating that flexible Brand Centers, supported by comprehensive Design Systems, improve teamwork, safeguard brand consistency and support rapid adjustments to evolving communication needs. By linking design, engineering and governance, these configurations increase operational efficiency, boost productivity and cultivate lasting innovation in brand management. As such, the findings offer practical guidance for brand leaders, visual designers and academic researchers seeking to strengthen visual identity management amid the dynamics of digital transformation.
Driving sustainability in fashion e-commerce: Mitigating returns through digital visual merchandising and emerging technologies
Publication . Fonseca, Daniel; Bozzi, Carolina; Raposo, Daniel; Raposo, Daniel
This paper investigates how Digital Visual Merchandising (DVM) and new technologies improve sustainability within digital fashion platforms. This industry pass through challenges from high return rates related to poor product visu-alization. This study investigates how DVM technologies can help solving product experience issues, decreasing returns and encouraging consumers to shop respon-sibly. A mixed-method approach combined literature review with case studies and a survey design. The DVM strategies of six major brands were valued through its AI and AR implementation to determine their effects on sustainability and return rate management. The findings show that brands can reduce returns through AI-driven personalization and AR-based virtual try-ons which also helps to align consumer expectations and to implement circular fashion models. Despite these technologies proved to have potential for improving sustainability in fashion e-commerce, the current analysis relies on secondary data and survey design; consumer insights will be delivered on Phase 2. Future work will investigate how different consumer groups are affected by the tools, explore why small businesses face chal-lenges when implementing these technologies and develop standard methods to track environmental performance. This research contributes to sustainable fashion studies by demonstrating how innovative technologies can merge digital and physical experiences.
The contribution of brand imagery to sustainable innovation
Publication . Lorenzon Gastal, Manuela; Oliveira, Fernando; Raposo, Daniel; Raposo, Daniel
This article seeks to inquire about how imagery and sustainable innova-tion relate to visualizing and communicating sustainable ideas with the potential to influence consumer behavior, namely by catalyzing concepts of identity and the posi-tioning of sustainable brands. This study adopted a non-interventionist methodology, with a component of literature review on key concepts and another of exploratory case study. The data indicates that imagery facilitates the understanding of complex concepts and enables the use of sustainable materials and solutions, which are expressed in a multisensory way. By creating visual representations of ecological brand values, imagery allows for stakeholder engagement with a brand, reinforcing its competitiveness and fostering sustainable innovation. On the other hand, sustainable innovation promotes necessary solutions for addressing economic, environmental, and social challenges, optimizing processes and resource use. Imagery acts as part of a brand interface that fosters the adoption of practices, materials, and concep-tually compatible processes, promoting stakeholder engagement, particularly with government bodies, academia, industry, and society, facilitating the development of strategies and the search for responses to regional peculiarities.
A systematic approach to the conceptual construction of visual identity design
Publication . Ribeiro, Rogério; Raposo, Daniel; Almendra, Rita; Neves, João Vasco; Nuno Duarte Martins; Daniel Brandão
Branding is a complex process that involves many aspects, including the conception of the brand’s visual identity, the development of the visual language system and the implementation and management of all the means and media to ensure identification, differentiation and alignment with the brand’s DNA. The aim of this study is to analyze the concept behind Visual Identity Design, its development as a Visual Language System, as well as to indicate the principles that can define a conceptual construction model for the Brand represented by the Brand’s Visual Identity, in order to guarantee integrated and efficient brand management, ensuring continuity and direction. A systematic, non-interventionist methodology was adopted, with descriptive case studies of schemes and diagrams developed by various internationally renowned authors in the field. The results show that concern with brand management and the reformulation and combination of longterm changes to its identity, which in itself can alter the visual identity, is still
uncommon as current practice.
Community surveillance of Staphylococcus aureus and presumptive MRSA nasal colonization in rural Portugal: The BI-STAPH Project—Phase 2: Fundão
Publication . Costa, Rodrigo; Cordero, Ainhoa Ferreira; Ferreira, Francisco; Metello, João; Santos, Carina; Belo, João; Coelho, Patricia; Mateus, Sónia; Castelo Branco, Miguel; Rodrigues, Francisco
Staphylococcus aureus is one of the leading causes of both community- and healthcareassociated infections. Nasal colonization constitutes the primary reservoir for subsequent infection and transmission, while methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) remains a major public health concern because of its resistance to multiple antimicrobial agents. However, data regarding community nasal colonization in rural Portuguese populations remain scarce. The BI-STAPH Project was established to address this knowledge gap through systematic surveillance of rural communities in inland Portugal. To estimate the prevalence of presumptive nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus and MRSA among adults living in the municipality of Fundão, Portugal, and to explore potential associations between colonization and demographic, behavioural, occupational, and environmental characteristics. A prospective community-based cross-sectional study was conducted as the second phase of the BI-STAPH Project. A total of 200 adults were recruited from different parishes of the municipality of Fundão. Bilateral nasal swabs were collected and processed using standardized microbiological methods for the presumptive identification of S. aureus. Presumptive MRSA isolates were investigated using a PBP2′ latex agglutination assay. Sociodemographic and exposure-related information was obtained through structured questionnaires. Associations between presumptive colonization and participant characteristics were evaluated using Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests, as appropriate. Presumptive S. aureus nasal colonization was identified in 56 of 200 participants, corresponding to a prevalence of 28.0% (95% CI: 21.8–34.2%). No presumptive MRSA-positive isolates were identified, corresponding to an observed prevalence of 0% (95% CI: 0.0–1.8%). Colonization prevalence was 29.5% among females and 26.8% among males, and ranged from 25.8% to 31.1% across age groups; neither sex nor age was significantly associated with
colonization. Participants reporting daily animal cont act had a colonization prevalenceof 32.3%, compared with 20.5% among those without animal contact, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.075). Overall, no statistically significant associations were identified between presumptive S. aureus colonization and the demographic, behavioural, occupational, or environmental variables evaluated. Presumptive S. aureus nasal colonization was common among adults living in the rural municipality of Fundão, Portugal, whereas no presumptive MRSA-positive isolates were identified in this study population. No statistically significant associations were observed between colonization and the characteristics evaluated. These findings expand the epidemiological evidence generated by the BI-STAPH Project and support continued community-based surveillance of S. aureus in rural Portugal. Future multicentre studies incorporating molecular confirmation, antimicrobial susceptibility testing, and larger populations will be important to better characterize circulating strains and transmission patterns within a One Health framework.