Città di Catania (City of Catania)
Visual Identity
With this project I tried to work on an alternative proposal for the visual identity of the city of Catania (Italy).
The debate around the realization of the new visual identity of the Sicilian municipality has recently come to light with regard to the new proposal of Restyling of the official city emblem put forward by the city administration itself and eventually adopted, despite various criticisms and controversies that raged in the media by experts of the sector and not.
This work aims to be a careful reflection and a concrete solution for the new image of the City of Catania, more modern, effective and adhering to international standards, as well as suitable for tourist promotion and recognition in the national and international scene.
New logo for the City of Catania.
Official emblem and current restyling of the logo of the City of Catania.
Elements of the logo: The elephant, the letter A and Porta Garibaldi.
The elephant (Liotru)
Present in the emblem of the city, recalls the statue of lava stone present in Piazza Duomo (cathedarl square) from 1736 popularly called "Liotru".
The statue has a very ancient origin and for this reason it was adopted by the people as a talisman and symbol of the city of Catania (The Arabs once defined Catania as "The Elephant City").
The lava stone statue became an integral part of the Elephant Fountain, a monumental work created between 1735 and 1737 by architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini and placed in the center of Catania's Piazza del Duomo. Vaccarini added to the statue of Liotru different decorations in marble and limestone, as well as the Egyptian obelisk that surmounts the statue.
Present in the emblem of the city, recalls the statue of lava stone present in Piazza Duomo (cathedarl square) from 1736 popularly called "Liotru".
The statue has a very ancient origin and for this reason it was adopted by the people as a talisman and symbol of the city of Catania (The Arabs once defined Catania as "The Elephant City").
The lava stone statue became an integral part of the Elephant Fountain, a monumental work created between 1735 and 1737 by architect Giovanni Battista Vaccarini and placed in the center of Catania's Piazza del Duomo. Vaccarini added to the statue of Liotru different decorations in marble and limestone, as well as the Egyptian obelisk that surmounts the statue.
The letter A
Also present in capital letters in the emblem of the city, above the elephant, is the initial of the name of Agata. Sant'Agata is the patron saint of the city.
Also present in capital letters in the emblem of the city, above the elephant, is the initial of the name of Agata. Sant'Agata is the patron saint of the city.
Porta Garibaldi
"Porta Ferdinanda" or Ferdinandea is one of the 10 ancient gateways to the city walls of Catania built between the 16th and 17th centuries.
Also known as "Fortino" or "Porta Garibaldi", it was built in 1768 as a triumphal arch to celebrate the marriage between Ferdinando I delle Due Sicilie and Maria Carolina d'Asburgo-Lorena.
It is located exactly in the center of Piazza Palestro, or at the end of Via Garibaldi, and is an important example of the Baroque of Catania.
"Porta Ferdinanda" or Ferdinandea is one of the 10 ancient gateways to the city walls of Catania built between the 16th and 17th centuries.
Also known as "Fortino" or "Porta Garibaldi", it was built in 1768 as a triumphal arch to celebrate the marriage between Ferdinando I delle Due Sicilie and Maria Carolina d'Asburgo-Lorena.
It is located exactly in the center of Piazza Palestro, or at the end of Via Garibaldi, and is an important example of the Baroque of Catania.
Font
For a Lettering that fits a logo and a visual identity for the City of Catania the first idea was to look in particular at Bembo typeface.
Bembo is a Roman typeface taken from the original glyphs of Francesco Griffo engraved in Venice in 1495, and then from the editions of Aldo Manuzio, and made by Monotype Corporation and Stanley Morison in 1929. Griffo realized the glyphs previously mentioned for "De Aetna" of Pietro Bembo, an entire work dedicated to a fundamental symbol of Catania: Etna.
For a Lettering that fits a logo and a visual identity for the City of Catania the first idea was to look in particular at Bembo typeface.
Bembo is a Roman typeface taken from the original glyphs of Francesco Griffo engraved in Venice in 1495, and then from the editions of Aldo Manuzio, and made by Monotype Corporation and Stanley Morison in 1929. Griffo realized the glyphs previously mentioned for "De Aetna" of Pietro Bembo, an entire work dedicated to a fundamental symbol of Catania: Etna.
Colors
The traditional institutional colors of the City of Catania are red and blue.
Although this color pair is well rooted and has become almost irreplaceable in any type of visual communication related to Catania.
The traditional institutional colors of the City of Catania are red and blue.
Although this color pair is well rooted and has become almost irreplaceable in any type of visual communication related to Catania.
During the design phase, a revaluation, a renewal and an overcoming of the traditional aesthetic can also be assumed.
A new color combination proposal has therefore been proposed:
A new color combination proposal has therefore been proposed:
Black and white.
Black. Color of the lava stone from the Etna volcano. The lava stone has been the favorite material of architects, artists and designers of Catania, both traditional and modern, present in most of the historical monuments of the Baroque of Catania.
White. In the chromatic dualism of the Catanese Baroque to the black of the lava stone the white of the marble and the white stone of Syracuse contrasts.
