Assunção Cordovil was born in Lisbon in 1947. She attended the Artistic Training Course at the National Society of Fine Arts, completed in 1969, a period during which she became engaged with graphic design, at a time when the discipline was still in its early stages in Portugal. During her training, she came into contact with international design references, notably through a visit to the Design Centre in London.
She began her professional activity at the studio of António Sena da Silva (1969–72), where she developed her first graphic design projects, including the Plasmetal logo, and took part in the 1st and 2nd Portuguese Design Exhibitions (1971 and 1973). Between 1973 and 1978, she joined the PRAXIS Cooperative, a decisive context for the consolidation of her professional practice, particularly in the fields of graphic, editorial and exhibition design.
A founding member of the Portuguese Designers Association in 1976, she joined RISCO – Designers and Design Consultants in 1978, a studio founded by Daciano da Costa, where she developed a substantial part of her career. In 1984, she assumed the coordination of RISCO’s Graphic Design Department, a role she held for more than two decades, combining individual practice with team coordination.
At RISCO, she carried out an extensive body of work in visual identity, editorial design and institutional communication, with particular emphasis on signage systems for buildings, cultural facilities and large-scale events. Notable projects include those developed for the Portuguese Presidencies of the European Union, Expo’98, including the communication for the inauguration of the Vasco da Gama Bridge and the exhibition «Leonardo da Vinci: La Dinamica dell’Acqua», as well as for numerous public and cultural institutions.
After 2007, she continued her professional activity through «Ilha de Ideias – Projetos e Serviços, Lda.» Over more than four decades, Assunção Cordovil has established a consistent practice marked by methodological rigour, communicational clarity and attention to meaning, making a significant contribution to Portuguese graphic design, particularly within the institutional sphere.