Mateus Yuzo and Michel Refatti, the two creative forces behind Florianópolis, Brazil–based design firm Monga, met by chance in a truly pandemic-related story: on an Instagram post about the anime and manga series Naruto. “We are both admirers of Japanese culture and fans of anime since childhood,” the pair says, “and the openings, endings and lettering in anime—as well as movies—inspired us to be designers. In our first conversation, we decided to work together, and by our second project, we decided to become partners.” Through Monga, Refatti and Yuzo have crafted a distinctive visual vocabulary in which they continually play with balances, mixing vintage with contemporary aesthetics or artistic with urban. “This started naturally as a characteristic of ours—probably because we are both Libras,” they explain. “But over time, we realized that this mix of styles and graphic resources is what made many clients want to hire us.” Monga has become a design studio that reflects their desire for creative independence, working with clients who value them and with other creatives whom they value, and showing designers that “not everything has to be as it always was,” as Refatti and Yuzo say. “Our philosophy is to believe that it is possible to do things our way and, with a little luck and a lot of effort, it is possible to make our dreams come true.”

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