José Manuel Ludovice Santa Bárbara, designer of the iconic logo and liveries for Comboios de Portugal (CP), sadly passed away aged 89 on the 28th of April 2026. In honour of his legendary design work, we would like to take a moment to reflect on his impressive career:
Born in Lisbon in 1936, José Manuel Ludovice Santa Bárbara was a multifaceted artist whose career spanned graphic design, sculpture, printmaking, and stage design. Educated at the António Arroio School of Decorative Arts and the Lisbon School of Fine Arts, he further honed his craft at the Lisbon National Conservatory and the Portuguese Printmakers’ Cooperative. Beyond fine arts, he became one of Portugal’s most prolific record cover designers, with a particularly celebrated collaboration with musician Zeca Afonso.
His versatility and expertise in both artistic and corporate communication drew the attention of public and private institutions alike. This included Portugal’s national railway company, Comboios de Portugal (CP). In February 1971, he joined the company as a specialist in graphic arts and interior design, tasked with modernising its visual identity and documentation.
His most enduring contribution came in May 1973, when he designed CP’s new logo, which remains in use to this day. Alongside it, he developed the “Manual de Identificação da Empresa,” a comprehensive visual identity system covering rolling stock colours, signage, printed materials, station environments, and pictograms. This included the iconic white and orange striping on CP’s locomotive fleet. This represented a transformative moment for Portuguese railway communication, projecting an image of modernity at a time of significant institutional change.
Recognised for his impact, Santa Bárbara was appointed head of CP’s newly created design department in 1980. His work later gained international recognition when, in 1994, the European Community Design Prize awarded CP and Sorefame a special jury prize for the design of the CP 2300 EMU Sintra Line trains.
After more than 35 years of service, Santa Bárbara retired from CP in February 2007. He passed away on 28 April 2026, leaving behind a body of work that defines the visual language of Portuguese rail travel to this day.
