Rúben R. Dias holds a PhD in Design. A researcher and editor, he is also the author of several books on design, including Imprimere (esad—idea / Imprensa Nacional Casa da Moeda, 2018), O Miolo do Livro (itemzero, 2019), A Capa do Livro (itemzero, 2021). A lecturer at ESAD, he is also a regular speaker in Portugal and abroad. He has set up his own workshop with mobile characters, as well as a workshop at ESAD, for experimentation, research and the development of workshops. With Sofia Meira, he also organised “Hands-on Type” at ESAD.
In 2004 he founded the internationally award-winning graphic design studio 0.itemzero, where he designs books and personalised typefaces, collaborating with public and private entities in the areas of culture and education, as well as industry. He is the founder of the Tipos das Letras collective and RUHA, a project consisting of a typographic family and a stencil (a tool with shapes that allows for exploring a wide variety of graphic characters).