From Jauary 15 to April 18 , 2022 set up in the evocative spaces of the Abbey of Valserena, seat of the CSAC of the University of Parma, the exhibition offers the public significant examples of an important contemporary phenomenon that finds its development in various fields of research, from marketing to urban planning, from social sciences to design, with the aim of investigating the communication strategies behind the construction of the visual identity of a city. The exhibition brings together a precise selection of projects dedicated to Italian City Branding, together with the international experience of the Edenspiekermann studio which presents the case studies of Parma, Amsterdam and Santa Monica.

The theme of the public image of Italian cities is developed in three sections. First of all, the case of Parma is analyzed, which after being designated the Italian Capital of Culture 2020 and subsequently confirmed in 2021 due to the pandemic, has defined a more recognizable and accessible visual identity for its citizens and for local tourists and international. The creation of the design language focused on a few but effective elements: the modern reinterpretation of the classic Bodoni font, with the powerful and shaped P and the use of a lively and cheerful yellow, the traditional color of the city's buildings since the eighteenth century , to represent the encounter between classic Italian culture, progressive politics and a dynamic future.

The central body of the exhibition is "Destination Italy" which collects 32 coordinated image studies of Italian cities (Ascoli Piceno, Bari, Bologna, Cagliari, Courmayeur, Fano, Ferrara, Florence, Gabicce Mare, Genoa, Gorizia, Latisana, Lignano Sabbiadoro, Madonna of Campiglio, Mantua, Milan, Naples, Palermo, Parma, Pesaro, Pisa, Pordenone, Rimini, Rome, Roveredo in Piano, Sabbioneta, Salerno, Siena, Treviso, Trieste, Varese, Venice). The narrative follows a chronological order starting from one of the first city redesign projects until it assumes systemic connotations: that of the Municipality of Siena built between 1994 and 1998, up to the 2021 experience of Madonna di Campiglio. Finally, in the third section, ample space is dedicated to two of the numerous international projects of the Edenspiekermann studio, to which the cities of Amsterdam and Santa Monica have turned. In the first case, the intention emerges to bring together a series of very different realities in a single system of shared identity, thanks also to the creation of the characters "Adam and Eve", modular iconic figures that can be used in static and dynamic applications to support the storytelling and the transfer of complex information.

In the case of the Californian city, a necessary concept is proposed for an identity experience and attentive to digital services, with the implementation of an umbrella brand for the various city departments. The exhibition is accompanied by the publication of the catalog published by Electa, which traces the case studies selected in the exhibition. The volume presents the graphic documentation of the design process that led to the creation of the Parma brand, with a focus on Italian experiences in the field of City Branding, up to the two international examples that represent the work of the Edenspiekermann studio, an international agency specializing in brand identity of the city, and of its founder Erik Spiekermann, one of the best-known graphic designers and typewriters in the world.

Information:
Open from December 16, 2021 to April 18, 2022 Saturday and Sunday from 10.00 to 18.00 from Wednesday to Friday by reservation only (minimum group of 5 people). Closed from December 24th 2021 to January 9th 2022

Reservations Committee for Parma 2020 team@parma2021.it - ​​tel. 0521.031880

CSAC information www.csacparma.it