Italian modernism in graphic design is defined by a quality that distinguishes it from its Swiss and German counterparts. Where Swiss modernism tends toward the rational and the systematic, Italian postwar design is joyful and formally inventive without sacrificing rigour.
Italian Modernism’s greatest achievements came through the corporate design programmes of companies including Olivetti, La Rinascente, and Pirelli, which treated graphic design as an integral part of their cultural identity rather than a commercial afterthought. Designers including Giovanni Pintori, Max Huber, Franco Grignani, and Bruno Munari produced posters, catalogues, and printed matter that remain among the most celebrated examples of postwar graphic design in the world.
Advertising Design, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Following on from my previous articles on post-war Italian publicity design, an additional annual from 1962-63 showcases more examples of Italian advertising.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Following on from my previous article on publicity design from 1957-58, an additional annual from 1959-60 showcases another year of great advertising and design from Italy.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Pubblicità in Italia 1957-58 gathers the best advertising in Italy, showcases the diverse talents and styles and the clients who were commissioning and embracing modern design.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Franco Grignani’s ability to push design boundaries with his clients is a testament to his artistic eye and talent. His work on Bellezza d’Italia remains a fantastic example of how design can elevate and transform pharma goods.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Franco Grignani (1908-1999) was one of the twentieth century’s most important Italian graphic designers. Scanning the inner pages of Gebrauchsgraphik 04, 1962, I have managed to collate a selection of the advertisements created in the 1950s and early 1960s, showcasing his groundbreaking design work.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
Ezio Bonini's work for "Società del Linoleum" in Milan, showcasing advertisements designed for various Italian newspapers aimed at expanding the linoleum market
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
His distinctive style echoes the artistic expressions of fellow Italian designers Giovanni Pintori and Erberto Carboni. Tovaglia's mastery in taking concepts and translating them into visually compelling narratives is evident in this selection of advertisements I have scanned from Gebrauchsgraphik, 10, 1955 and Graphik – Werbung + Formgebung, 07, 1955.
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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
These one-colour forms have a playful but structured aesthetic through their geometric forms, they remind me of the abstract line drawings of Picasso blended with Jan Tschichold and the New Typography.
Read ArticleExplore designers central to Italian postwar design including Giovanni Pintori, Max Huber, Franco Grignani, and Bruno Munari. See also Italian graphic design history and 1950s graphic design history.
From the graphic design archive:
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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Ephemera, Members Only Content
Beyond his books, Dick Bruna's vivid colour and simplified forms found their way onto posters, packaging, murals and stamps, many of which feature in my growing collection.
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Members Only Content, Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles
An article on Valentin Zietara , originally in German, published in Gebrauchsgraphik, 10, 1930, written by H K Frenzel translated by E. T. Scheffauer
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Members Only Content, Designer Profiles, Studios & Collectives
A 1903-1904 article on Die Steglitzer Werkstatt, originally in German, published in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Vol. XIII, October 1903–March 1904.
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Regional Histories, Ephemera, Illustration, Members Only Content
A collected visual record of the Kanto, Chubu and Tohoku Lottery tickets.
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Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Movements
April Greiman is known for her experimental approach to graphic design, her role in the development of Californian New Wave and being one of the first designers to fully embrace the computer in her work.
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Illustration, Ephemera, Members Only Content, Regional Histories
A collected visual record of the first eight years of Japan’s Rural Medical Care Promotion Lottery.
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