Salette Brandão was born in Lisbon in 1952. She attended the António Arroio School of Decorative Arts (1966–71) and began the Painting course at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts, which she left in favour of design. Between 1971 and 1975, she completed a degree in Product Design at Ravensbourne College of Art and Design in London, an experience that proved decisive in shaping her project-based approach and her engagement with international design methodologies.
From 1975 onwards, she began working as an independent designer in the field of product and equipment design, developing projects for Loja 6 (later Decarte) and for the furniture industry. In the following years, she designed a wide range of objects and systems for everyday use, including furniture, utensils and packaging, as well as experimental projects such as the 3D cinema glasses designed in 1978.
A founding member of the Portuguese Designers Association in 1976, she also pursued an extensive teaching career. She taught Equipment Design at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts between 1976 and 1995 and later Project Design at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, where she remained until 2013, also coordinating the prototyping workshops. Throughout her career, her professional practice was consistently articulated with teaching.
In 1982, she co-founded the B2 design studio with José Brandão, from which she developed projects spanning product design, equipment design and graphic design. Her work includes commissions for public and cultural institutions, companies and large-scale events, encompassing visual identity, signage systems, editorial design and three-dimensional projects, as well as long-term collaborations with national institutions such as CTT.
Throughout her career, Salette Brandão has participated in numerous exhibitions in Portugal and abroad and has received recognition in design competitions. Her practice is characterised by constructive rigour, attention to detail and a strong articulation between conceptual thinking and material execution, making a significant contribution to Portuguese design in both professional and pedagogical contexts.