Villa-Lobos Cantigas & Crianças is a children’s theatre play led by the renowned musical group Orquestra Villa-Lobos. The production celebrates traditional Brazilian cantigas de roda, playful songs that are part of Brazil’s cultural heritage and often sung in circle games during childhood.

I was invited by Caseiras Produções to create the visual identity for the play, developing everything from the main artwork to stage projections and promotional materials. The goal was to design a visual world that felt joyful and colorful for children, while evoking nostalgia and familiarity for adults.

The creative direction called for visuals inspired by Brazilian Naïf painting, known for its spontaneity, flat composition, and vibrant depiction of everyday life. The challenge was to translate this handcrafted, detail-rich style into digital form, while keeping it cohesive across still and animated pieces, from posters to projections.

At the same time, the visuals needed to balance playfulness and clarity, supporting the musical storytelling without overwhelming the live performers on stage.

I led the visual identity, illustration, and art direction for the project, collaborating with the production’s CEO and creative team from concept to delivery. Once the main illustrations were finalized, I also worked closely with the animation crew, designing separate elements and backgrounds for the stage projections that were animated and synced to the music.

The producer shared a few references as a starting point, and I expanded on them by gathering additional examples of Naïf art on Pinterest, focusing on compositions, color palettes, and traditional Brazilian symbols like houses, churches, and farm animals.

Naïf painting is characterized by flat geometry, symmetry, and a lack of realistic perspective, so I wanted to capture that same charm while still creating something visually strong for the stage.

I started sketching directly in Adobe Illustrator, combining reference elements and refining shapes digitally. My goal was to create pieces that were colorful but still felt cohesive and simple, so I worked with a limited color palette to preserve the clean, handcrafted look typical of Naïf art.

Later, when we began producing the stage projections, the animation team requested more texture on the animals, I added fur details in Photoshop to give them more dimension and warmth while maintaining the flat illustrative style.

For the animated projections, I provided layered assets and creative direction, ensuring the scenes matched the tone and pacing of the music.

The visual direction evolved through continuous feedback with the producer. We adjusted details like color balance, character proportions, and texture until the final look felt consistent with the music and emotional tone of the play.

Because the visuals played such an important role in storytelling, I also provided assets and guidance for the animation team to make sure every movement on stage aligned with the artwork’s rhythm and mood.

The final identity captured the essence of childhood nostalgia through modern digital illustration, combining Brazilian folk art influences with motion design.
I also designed posters, social media graphics, a 9:16 digital program (accessible via QR code), and a sales slide deck, extending the visual language across both print and digital platforms.

The stage projections became a key storytelling element, sometimes interacting directly with the performers, other times creating immersive scenes that pulled the audience into the world of the play.