Rita João studied design in Lisbon and Delft between 1996 and 2001. She started her career as a Designer at Fabrica, the research and communication centre of the Benetton group in Treviso, Italy.

In 2005, she founded the multidisciplinary design studio Pedrita with Pedro Ferreira in Lisbon. She co-organised the Free-speech cycle between 2006 and 2009, and Pecha Kucha Night Lisbon between 2007 and 2010. She lectured at ETIC between 2005 and 2008, and between 2011 and 2015 at the ESAD Caldas da Rainha in the Environment Design Department. She is a co-author, along with Frederico Duarte and Pedro Ferreira, of the Fabrico Proprio book, about semi-industrial Portuguese baking.