Archive for July, 2008
Italian Design: It’s not all good.
As I write this post, I’m afraid I may get a call from the Italian Consulate. I am, after all, an Italian citizen…and very proud of the design heritage for which Italy is known. However, on a recent visit to Florence and Rome I realized that just because it’s designed in Italy, it does not mean it’s good design. Case in point…the marketing materials that were created to promote two separate exhibitions of Leonardo’s work – one in Florence (A) and the other in Rome (B). These caught my eye due to our recent involvement with the upcoming Leonardo exhibition at The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. (Check out my previous posting). I will let you be the judge…but, in my opinion these designs miss the mark and don’t represent the design standards that I’ve come to expect from the Italian “brand”. What do you think?
Liquid brands Leonardo da Vinci exhibition!
It’s not often you get to design a project that features the work of one the greatest artists and inventors of all time. That’s why we were very excited when we heard that TheTech Museum of Innovation in Downtown San Jose asked Liquid Agency to develop the branding and marketing materials for the upcoming exhibition – Leonardo: 500 Years into the Future.
The show will open from September 27, 2008 thru January 4, 2009 at The Tech Museum of Innovation in Downtown San Jose. For more details, go to their website: www.thetech.org. This important exhibition promises to be the first of its kind in the US, showcasing priceless works of art direct from Italy – and over 200 artifacts and models of some of the inventions that Leonardo designed. If you’re anywhere near San Jose, be sure to check it out!
Our design solution included the image of what is known as “the flying man” – a prototype for an early flying machine modeled after the wings of birds. The artifact appears to glide into the layout, next to large lettering that spells out the inventor’s first name. As it does this, it casts a shadow…which actually is the shadow of a modern aircraft. According to Alfredo Muccino, Chief Creative Officer at Liquid: “This juxtaposition of old and new is representative of the nature of the exhibition – which seeks to present the impact and relevance of Leonardo’s inventions in the modern world.”
As part of the assignment we’ve created print, web, radio and TV spots, as well as the graphics that are featured on the website and those that will adorn the outside of TheTech. As soon as everything is released we will share it with you! We hope you will like what we did…but, most importantly, we hope that Leonardo would like it if he was around!
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