About us​

we are not only a team of office workers. we work in the fields, alongside the design projects.

We work on lands, people, and design the community

share us

Our name “Tenondé” comes from our community farm “Kilombo Tenondé” founded by our director Mestre Cobra Mansa in 1995. “Tenondé” is an indigenous Tupi-Guaraní word which means “the first”. Our main farm is based in the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest and the branch is based in suburb of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Both sites are run by a small team integrating the agroforestry farming and producing organic products. Our design and project management team is run by Asuka, a Japanese graphic & web designer who has over 30 years of experiences in the field.

+
Projects Done
+
Happy Clients
design as an activism
design makes the unspoken people’s voices visible

We believe that what defines a “good design” is that makes invisible visible – we apply this theory in practice by combining creative design works with community projects to activate a small step towards a social, climate and racial injustice.

2025 01 cacau kyoto v02
2025 02 refúgio25 02
2023 10 m.cobrinha toyama v03

we’re Specialised In The Management Of graphic Design & community Projects​

We are operating as a small team with a senior designer and creative director Asuka with 30 years of experience based in London, Brazil, and Japan, he holds a Master’s degree from the Royal College of Art (RCA). She has overseen visual strategies and operations targeting audiences of tens of thousands for international projects such as the Frieze Art Fair. In recent years, she has developed workflows using AI and planned and implemented global marketing strategies using three languages ​​(Japanese, English, and Portuguese).

As a PM (Project Manager) for projects spanning 14 locations in four Asian countries, he has mobilized a total of over 1,200 people and established international partnerships. Our strengths extend beyond simple production to include “expanding awareness” and “improving operational efficiency” for businesses in multicultural environments.

img 2494

meet our team

asuka sawa

senior graphic designer/creative director

a RCA graduate graphic designer, worked in London for 23 years, now goes between brazil/japan, working on international projects.

1月 1974

born kanazawa, japan

used to love drawing and producing picture books.

1月 1974
9月 1992

moved to london

a big step forward to pursue the carrier as a graphic designer.

9月 1992
1月 1995

started working as a freelance designer

the very first client was The Arts Council of England.

1月 1995
7月 1996

graduated Univ. of east london

my tutors have build a solid foundation for my creative thinking.

7月 1996
9月 1998

graduated royal college of art

produced a multi-media work for the graduates show, which was awarded The Chris Gurnham Memorial Prize for the best use of photographic media.

9月 1998
8月 2015

moved to brazil

after working intensively as a freelance graphic & web designer, made a radical move to live in a favela community in brazil, working in a NPO.

8月 2015
4月 2018

phd candidate univ. federal da bahia

while working in a NPO as a professional volunteer, managed to be accepted as a phd candidate at the bahia federal university, working on a thesis about decoloniality in visual communication.

4月 2018

Scroll to Top