Rúben Dias graduated in design from IADE. His subsequent trajectory took him to the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and University of Reading and he is currently working on a doctoral degree on Portuguese Royal Printing Office typefaces at the Technical University of Lisbon's School of Architecture (FA-UTL). He lectures in typography and typeface design at ESAD.CR and ESTAL and is also a researcher and writer on the history and evolution of typography in Portugal. He regularly contributes papers to conferences and organises typography and typeface design workshops, namely at the AR.CO movable letter typography workshop. He also works as a graphic designer and designs typefaces. In 2003 he founded the Item Zero design studio.