Retro Art: Ricardo Santos

These brilliant artworks come from Ricardo Santos; Portuguese art director and graphic designer, and one of the design team responsible for the World’s Best-Designed Newspaper, jornal i, as judged by the Society for News Design in 2010.

Now working for Portugal’s Turbo Magazine, he is able to combine his love of cars and motorsport, especially those of the ’80s and especially rally and Formula One, with his clear talent for design.

“I try to focus on the shape, the shadows, glows and colours of the cars to create simple but eye catching images, which I believe is a direct influence of my day job in newspapers and magazines trying to create simple and easy to understand work.”

A master of design and illustration, and in capturing light and shadow and their play on the curvaceous contours of classic cars, Ricardo’s work is striking.  His minimalist, iconic style and the bright, block colour palettes of his works makes for confident, powerful images which instantly grab your attention.

Powerful, classy, striking, bold and beautiful – these are works that need to exist as huge prints. Preferably hanging on my walls!