The Major Project Report by emanuele catena

THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT laquila.us Developing a new communicative system for a community hit by a natural disaster.

Emanuele Catena MA Graphic Branding and Identity London College of Communication University of the Arts London - 2012

LAQUILA.US Developing a new communicative system for a community hit by a natural disaster.

Emanuele Catena MA in Graphic Branding and Identity London College of Communication University of the Arts, London 2012

LAQUILA.US | CONTENTS

CONTENTS Acknowledgements

Introduction

Context The Research Question Background & Definitions Place Management Continuing the journey Hierarchy of needs Examples of Hierarchy Case Study Inside the problem The survey Psychology

8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26

Preparing the project Objectives & Target Audience Finding the media Brand attributes

29 30 32 34

The major project The second survey Naming the project The visual language Definition of the project The Layout The Launch

37 38 40 42 50 52 56

Conclusions

Bibliography

Appendix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I did not know this section would have been the trickiest. I would like to thank my family, PapĂ , Mamma, Claudio Giulio e Benedetta, for their support and their withstand of my temper. Thanks to Anna. Without her I would be a different person today. I would like to thank Andrea, Marco, Valerio, for being gli amici di sempre. Special thanks to my tutors, John Bateson, Eugenie Todd and Andrew Monk. This year for after a long time I learned something new for the first time. I also would like to thank my peers of the course, especially Fabiano, Marta, Riccardo, Sergio and Tommy. This project is dedicated to those who left us after the sixth of April 2009.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;There is not city without people, there is not community without a city.â&#x20AC;? Anon

INTRODUCTION The sixth of April 2009 a huge shake suddenly woke me up in the middle of the night. It was a powerful earthquake, and it was close. I turned on the television and I learned that only 50 kilometres away from my hometown a city had been devastated. 309 persons died, 60 thousand were homeless, the medieval city centre was almost entirely destroyed. Three years after the event few progresses have been successfully completed.

the design and the production of a web community, particularly through the use of a smartphone application.

As a designer I felt that this major project could have been the opportunity to work on a sensitive and practical subject.

Furthermore, this report analyses the visual language, the brand attributes of the project and the related initiatives for the possible launch of it. It also focuses on the specific interventions that the brand will generate on the target audience and the possible commercial role that this brand could play in the selected environment.

This report describes the journey I undertook from the definition of my major project proposal to the realisation of the output. The production of this task consists in the conception,

Specifically, the smartphone application is designed to foster the reconstruction of the centre of the city and to help the cohesion of its shattered community. The application is provided as a presentation DVD, which explores the benefits of this task and looks into its functionality.

HOW TO EMPOWER A COMMUNITY THAT SUFFERED A NATURAL DISASTER? The Research question This research question has not always been the same. It took several months to arrive at the ultimate version; however these changes made this core question the result of a progression. The research question has been alive and made me study different fields that eventually became all valuable pieces to bear in mind for the final output. In the next pages I will thoroughly analyse the context that led me to the question above. In order to let the reader understands the aims of this project, I decided to write the objectives after the explanation of my field of study.

L’Aquila.us | Introduction LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

BACKGROUND & As mentioned on the previous page, the developing of the analysis of the subject made the research evolving through the time. During the definition of the major project proposal an effective topic to investigate was the research on communicating a city hit by disaster. Hence the previous research question: How to communicate a city hit by disaster? The aim of this research was to study, analyse and try to define an applicable cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strategy for a place hit by a disaster. In order to do so, was created a field of study related to the following areas: Definition of crisis. Place Management (in general and for cities which need to recover from a crisis). General evaluation of the chosen case study and its context. What is changed in the social tissue after the crisis. What is happened after the emergency. Analysis of the data regarding the actual situation in the chosen city. Other examples of cities hit by a disaster. In order to better describe the context of the research it has been necessary defining the definitions for the keywords of the research question.

LAQUILA.US | CONTEXT

DEFINITIONS Disaster 1 A critical change in an

important variable that endangers or destroys 2 either parts of or an entire system. Disaster are unpredictable events that have the potential to create negative or * undesired outcomes.

1 Glaesser, D. (2006) 2 Coombs, W.T. (1999) * The british dictionary, software embedded in the Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s OSX

Community A group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common. A particular area or place considered together with its inhabitants: a rural community, or local communities.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

PLACE MANAGEMENT The approach for this research In his book (Pp. 987-999) he points out that marketing has started analysing famous plans should evolve from and well known city’s bottom-up (based on the identities such as the Milton benefits to the general public Glaser’s iconic rather than to the decision “I love New York”. makers or their narrow Eventually, the investigation interests), and explains how followed the changes that an harmonious city succeeds the 9/11 attack caused on if local decision-makers act the city image. This research democratically, cooperating was focused on defining the in the growth of the city with unique aspect given by a the place’s residents and other symbol and how it is affected local players, such as local by a disaster (either natural or entrepreneurs. caused my man). Therefore This investigation Starting from the aspect led to analyse the 9/11 of democratic growth memorial in NY, the art the study followed the projects related to the Haiti interactions between the city earthquake, and the artists’ and its community, expressed reaction to the Fukushima by Avraham and Ketter earthquake of March 2011. in their 2008 book called During the research Media strategies for a visual language, for places in crisis. have also been analysed the In order to Improve the image theories related to the place of cities, countries and/or management. The concept 3 of “Harmonious city”, tourist destinations, they analysed various developed by Van den Berg aspects to underpin while in 1999, and focused on the endeavouring a new place promotion of various aspects management strategy. of comfort and economic development in the covered The Unique Selling areas, which satisfy the 4 Proposition. requirements of residents, This theory defines investors and visitors.

the distinct and positive image of the place in the target’s mind. The Star Model. All the facets of a place compose a star. The more facets the star, the more positive images to use for a branding campaign. As for the first theory, this idea is enhanced by the community that lives and therefore modifies the city. Changing Reality vs. Changing image. The first point starts changing the reality of the city, creating structures, hotels and services, the second point tries to portray a positive light without changing the reality, but just changing the image. During these sessions, another reading made the research question change: “If, after analysis of infrastructures, hotels, services, the result of the level is too low, the campaign could be a waste of efforts and money.” (Avraham, 2003, P. 187)

LAQUILA.US | CONTEXT

Fig. 1 Milton Glaser’s first sketches for the “I Love New York” mark. NY, 1975 - MOMA Fig. 2 Milton Glaser’s Poster “I love New York more than ever”. 2001 Fig. 3 Glaser, M. & Ilic, M. The Design of dissent (2005)

Fig. 4 Poster for a charity event after the Fukushima’s earthquake. New York, 2011 Fig. 5 Poster created to raise founds after the haiti’s earthquake. (www.thehaitiposterproject.com) Fig. 6 Noma Bar’s Book cover for Don Delillo’s romance “Falling man”. 2011

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

CONTINUING THE JOURNEY Ground on the information above, I understood that in order to implement a credible recovery strategy for a city it is important to analyse and establish a positive dialogue with the community of the place. Therefore during my researches I modified and narrowed down my previous research question to a new one: 5 How to generate a positive

dialogue with a community that suffered a natural disaster?

I described so far the journey I undertook from the previous analysis that eventually led me to the new research question. Nevertheless it is also important to define the different subjects that I researched. In order to move forward to the new field of study, I also created a mind map. This powerful tool helped me to have an enlarged overview of my survey, and allowed me to focus on the important portions of my field of study rather than the less effective ones. The second significant point of my research has been the analysis of the hierarchy of needs.

mindmap

deďŹ nition of crisis place management

new orleans south-east asia’s tsunami christchurch l’aquila the emergency young and the EQ

psychology PTSD

3rd level of needs

hierarchy of needs the pyramid european capital of culture 2019*

long-term eﬀects

population before technology wired

2012 report smart city

new towns§ changing reality vs. changing image

the star model case studies turin

case study: *glasgow

haifa a new image for the city

milton glaser

art for a disaster

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

HIERARCHY OF NEEDS The definitions of disaster and community described on the previous pages clarified how dangerous they could be if linked togethere. If a community is a group of people that lives in the same place and the disaster is a critical change that endangers either parts or an entire system (hence a place), a disaster can destroy a community. 6

The hierarchy of needs is a psychological theory described in 1954 by an American physician called Abraham Maslow. In his book, “Motivation and Personality” the psychologist introduced for the first time the concept of level of needs. Nowadays this theory is succesfully applied

in several fields, amongs advertising, economy sociology, and of course, psychology. The theory implies that needs are divided in lower and higher ones. The lower needs are crucial for the survival of a person, composing the pedestal of the pyramid. The higher needs are the ones that the human being could aspires only when has fulfilled the lowers. For instance, it is impossible to desire a higher lifestyle or a stable relation if there is urge of sleeping, or eating or having a shelter. As a result, the higher needs are at the top of the pyramid and can be achieved only after the lower are overstepped.

Chart1 On the other page is represented the pyramid of needs. Although is commonly linked with Maslow’s theory, this is just a visual espression of the Psichlogyst’s thesis, and is never mentioned in His first or in his 1970’s second edition of the book.

1st Level: Biological and Physiological needs

fulfilment personal growth self-actualization

2nd Level: Safety needs 3rd Level: Belongingness and Love needs 4th Level: Esteem needs 5th Level: Self-actualization needs

reputation social status achievement responsibility

love family relations affections group working

rules order safety stability protection

food sleep water shelter warmt

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

EXAMPLES OF HIERARCHY After having examined the plain hierarchy of needs, I wanted to apply this method on real examples.During the last few years many places in the world suffered from a natural disaster. In these pages I briefly reviewed some of the most significant events that happened to a community and to a place. Furthermore, I analysed what happened in terms of social response and how these interventions helped the community. From the analysis of these three events it became clear that natural disasters are connected to the psychological sphere of the community. On the other page, from top. Fig.7 New Orleans after the passage of hurricane Katrina in 2005. Fig.8 A church in the city of Christchurch, NZ, 2011 Fig.9 A house after the 2004 Tsunami in Phuket, Thailand.

This is happened in civilised 2004 communities spread across South-east Asia’s tsunami the countries as well 8 The tsunami was generated as in tribal little communities. by a 9.0Mw earthquake with an epicentre off the west 2005 coast of Sumatra. It killed New Orleans over 230,000 people in 14 10 Nearly 228,000 housing countries, units were ﬂooded and inundating coastal in the metropolitan area. communities with waves up Over 70% of 188,000 to 30 meters high. total housing units were It was one of the deadliest damaged by the storm natural disasters in recorded and subsequent ﬂood. history. 9 Many health professionals 11 A 2010 article reported: “notable reforms include and aid workers have depoliticizing property reported widespread assessments and levee psychological trauma maintenance [...] dramatically associated with the tsunami. improved students’ Women in Aceh (Indonesia) performance, ousting corrupt required a special approach public housing officials and from foreign aid agencies, demolishing failed projects. and still continue At the same time, the Army to have unique needs. has been overhauling the levees, a $15-billion Since the southeast Asian initiative [...] and the city tsunami had occurred on is finally moving ahead a huge range across several on more than $1 billion countries, it is not possible in long-awaited infrastructure to evaluate the actions improvements.” that globally occurred after the episode. In New Orleans, after the However it is important critiques because of the analyse the increase rate government’s slow response, of mental disorders billions of dollars have been related to the trauma.

LAQUILA.US | CONTEXT

boosted in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy. This not only helped the recovery of the community, but also created new jobs. Hence the recovery of a community can be helped through the strategy analysed on the previous pages: Changing the reality. 2011 Christchurch 12 The 22nd of February 2011 a 6.3Mw earthquake hit the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, killing 185 people. Of the 3,000 buildings inspected within the central city, 45% had been given red or yellow stickers to restrict access because of the safety problems. With an estimated 10,000 houses requiring demolition and over 100,000 damaged, plans were developed for moderate-term temporary housing. 13 Approximately 450 fully serviced mobile homes were located on sites across the city. There is also a plan for the construction of 500 modular homes. The Christchurch earthquake occurred just one year ago, thus it is complicated yet to analyse the choices the governance decided to undertake. Nevertheless it is possible to examine how the major problem of the community remained the need of build new houses in order to relink the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community together.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

CASE STUDY L’Aquila and the earthquake Once analysed these various aspect of my journey, I focused my attention on a particular case study. As I already exposed in the introduction of this report, the project I decided to undertake has been focused on L’Aquila, a small city in the centre of Italy. 14 After the earthquake, 309 14a people died, among which 70% of the victims were between 18 and 29 years old. Most of the building of historical city centre collapsed, forcing the survivors to search for another place to stay outside their city. Right after the major event, the government instituted a special zone in the city centre, called the red zone. This zone was forbidden to civilians. Nowadays a large part of the city centre is still unavailable. According to the so far analysed theories, the lack of dwelling place determined a trauma in the population and on its social tissue.

The New towns After the earthquake, the former government proposed a new housing project that could face the accommodation emergency. The aim of the plan was to give shelter at all the inhabitants that had their house permanently compromised. 15 It was called “Progetto CASE”. The program generated 19 new house lots, that currently host almost 13,000 people. As result of the examples analysed in the previous pages, it is possible to indicate the project CASE as an initial stage to overcome the emergency and try to help the immediate 16 needs of the population. However, the project spread most of the inhabitants of the city centre in an area of more than 36 square miles. This population used to live in less than 2 square miles before the earthquake.

Fig. 10 and 11 L’Aquila’s central square before the earthquake, and the effects of it on the Cathedral’s dome. Fig. 12 and 13 Collemaggio’s Basilica: the central Vault before and after the Earthquake. Fig. 14 and 15 One of the main street of the city before and after. Fig. 16 and 17 Houses keys left on the fences of the red zone. Graffiti on the scaffolds of a damaged buildind.

11 LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

INSIDE THE PROBLEM During my researches I discovered how the lack of assembly and public spaces was one of the main issues of the citizens of L’aquila. As it has been possible to identify through the general presentation of the case study and from the analysis of this map, the connection between the CASE project and the establishment of a red zone created over time a social boundary that blocked an harmonious redevelopment of the community’s hierarchy of needs. The resolution of this problem is still to succeed, mostly because of several delays on the reconstruction schedule. Furthermore, this problem has been worsen by the possible penetration of the organized crime on the reconstruction business. In the past three years a number of judicial inquiries uncovered the will of the calabrian mafia to root in the reconstruction. Besides the economic damage for the city, this element determined a corrupted interaction between local entrepreneurs and the governance, and a possible disruption on the harmonious city developing. The local government is in fact conducting a preliminary study in order to become the 2019 Cultural European Capital. This project, as underlined in a research conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will be achieved only if all the players of the community will work and cooperate together.

18 19

L’Aquila city centre 20 21

red zone - closed assembly squares assembly streets

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

THE SURVEY Before proceeding in further investigations I conducted a simple survey between friends and acquaintances that used to live, study or work in L’Aquila. Chart 2 Method of analysis: Facebook enquiry. This research does not want to be acknowledged as a statistical method. Analysis of the data: 20 young people between 20 and 30 years old answered at my questions.

In the survey I asked them: Which areas (roads, squares, meeting points) did you use to live before the earthquake? Which were your favourite bar, pubs or clubs, and if now these are closed or moved, where do you use to go? Since the institution of the red zone, do you think you are using the car more during your spare time? In the chart alongside it is possible to visualise the disaffection of the people regarding L’Aquila’s community. Without facilities, with all the new towns spread around the city, 64% of the youngsters I interviewed, decided either to move out to another city, to live outside the centre, or had to move to a new town. From the interview I also discovered how the use of the car considerably increased.

LAQUILA.US | CONTEXT

18% lives outside

41% moved out

5% lives in a new town

36% lives in

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

PSYCHOLOGY The benefits of sport in the young

The effects of the earthquake

After completing the survey, I wanted 23 Afterwards I also studied a research recently to deeply investigate the human behaviour published on the “British Journal of Medicine” after a disaster. The people’s mental balance concerning the benefits of sport activities for the young after a disaster. is one of the most important element Professor M. Valenti of the University to take account of for the redeveloping of L’Aquila analysed for 2 years the interaction of a community. During this research I wanted to analyse between sport and youngsters living the several studies that took place in the in the city. The aim of the task was to assess and estimate the personality changes city after the event. that occurred before and after the 2009 The first researches I investigated analysed earthquake in L’Aquila. Based on the analysis I provided the increase rate of mental disorders on the previous pages, it is understandable before and after the earthquake, as well as the cannabis and alcohol consumption that it is vital for a community to interact and have long-lasting dialogue through among the youngsters. (Pollice, 2011) different leisure and contacts.

Chart 3 Chart 3 Increase rate of mental disorders before and after the episode. Chart 4 Comparison of alcohol and cannabis consuption in the young before and after the earthquake. Chart 5 Increase rate of trauma after the earthquake.

100

33,1

anxiety 21

depression 15

mood disorders psychosis

4,5

personality dis.

13,2

PTSD

11,2

LAQUILA.US | CONTEXT

Chart 4

27 23

alcohol

cannabis

Chart 5

10,8

7,1

7,2

2006

2007

2008

2009

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have amazing news for you. Man is not alone on this planet. He is part of a community, upon which he depends absolutely.â&#x20AC;? Daniel Quinn, Ishmael

PREPARING THE PROJECT The field of study that so far analysed gave me the possibility to understand the problems that a community has to face living in a city after a natural disaster. Also, It gave me the basis to point my project towards a selected target audience and made me comprehend the aims and the objectives I wanted to achieve through this enterprise. In the next section I will explain these choices, and I also will define the chosen media platform and the brand attributes I wanted to use to define my project.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

OBJECTIVES & Reconnect that part of the social tissue that has been lost after the trauma of the earthquake and the people’s relocation. The main objective of this project is social: by the means of establishing a renewed dialogue, the project aims the citizens to better interact in their community, and to better manage their spare time as long as their activities. It also wanted to eliminate the boundaries given by the distance of the temporary houses accommodations from the city centre.

Create a lobbying platform to push the local government decisions. The second aim is related to the reconstruction problem. According to the delays mentioned on the previous pages and because of the organised crime’s infiltration, most of the citizens feel their contribution useless. Therefore my enterprise wants to create a platform that allows people to form a lobbying movement. A lobby movement that could be able to push the local government’s decisions (or at least to overseer them). This aim was directed by the “harmonious city” theory explained in the Place management chapter, particularly by the concept of the bottom-up decisions for a successful growing plan in a devastated city.

LAQUILA.US | PREPARING THE PROJECT

TARGET AUDIENCE Primary target audience

Secondary targets audience

Young adults I identified the primary target audience of the project on the age range between 18 and 34 years old. This choice has been identified through several reasons.

Associations and leisure I analysed how the sport could be important for the mental balance of youngsters hit by a destructive event. By creating a new communicative system I intend to provide a better platform for the local football or rugby clubs to interact with the community. Local associations (i.e. voluntary organizations) will also have benefits from the project. By using this platform, these associations will be able to better interact with the community, and also continue the keen work the organizations are doing in order to fight the reconstruction delays.

Just a small percentage of teenagers or young adults are married. According to the Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hierarchy of needs it will be difficult for this group to establish a long lasting relationship if the communications issues are not fulfilled. As the social tissue is not intact, this is the section of community that most likely can move out from the city looking for a job or new opportunities. The University of Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aquila has currently

24 enrolled more than 20,000 students;

because of the earthquake, most of the facilities that used to be in the city centre are now spread on the suburbs, creating disadvantage for the students and therefore disaffection for the Institution.

Commercial role The third target audience I chose is represented by the local businesses of the city, as a repercussion of the first two targets audience. A renewed community will be able to live better its city. This will bring more opportunities to all the businesses in the area, such as pub, bar, groceries, clubs .

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

39% uses smartphones 98% of users are over 18 years old

48% between 18/25 52% between 25/34

20 million of italian users on facebook 49,9% are between 18 and 34 years old

LAQUILA.US | PREPARING THE PROJECT

FINDING THE MEDIA The preliminary study for the project has been focused on the selection of the media that better fit its needs. Since the CASE project spread the population in a relatively vast area, I preferred not to use a paper platform (such as books or magazines). In order to fill a higher number of targets, these methods had to be printed in very high quantities and distributed through a complex and expensive line. Furthermore, the main aim of my project had to be accomplished through a real time communication project, instead of a single or regular but periodical issue. During my investigations

25 I also analysed a research

conducted by the engineering department of "Politecnico di Milano". In this research scholars had discovered that Italy is the first country in the world for mobile phones distribution throughout the population. 26 Furthermore, 39% of all

the mobiles are smartphones, and almost 100% are owned by the age range above 18 years old. In addition to this analysis, I also researched the percentage of people using social networks in the country. Out of a 60 million citizens population, 20 million people regularly uses Facebook, and almost the 50% are in the age range of the projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s target audience. The last plug for the definition of my brand platform was given me by the previous researches I already conducted. During the analysis of the hierarchy of needs' case studies, I found an initiative designed for the city of Christchurch (NewZealand). An app that using the augmented reality was able to show the city as it was before the earthquake while moving through the collapsed buildings. All these information showed me that I needed to develop a brand which its platform had to be mobile, interactive

and real time. Therefore I decided to establish my project in form of a smartphone app.

Green Chart Overall percentage of Italian customers with a smartphone, and percentage of users over 18 years old. Orange Chart Percentage of italian users on facebook, and analysis into different age ranges.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

BRAND ATTRIBUTES The brand attributes are that set of words that portray the values of a brand. In order to better understand the values I wanted to give to my brand, I researched various theories both of branding and marketing. The term brand community was coined by Muniz 27 and O’Guinn in 2001. It is defined as “a specialized, non-geographically bound community, based on a structured set of social relationships among users of a brand.” ( Journal of consumer research, P.412) Even if the brand I chose was strictly geographical, this definition was the starting point for researching the brand attributes.

In addition, in a 2011 “Design Week” issue, speaking about branding 28 Simon Dixon said: “[the branding team] puts design back at the heart of a brand, but it also puts people back at the heart of design thinking, which in turn creates the brand experience.” It is thinking about these two readings that I endeavoured the definition of my brand attributes Defining a tone of voice for this brand proposal has been quite hard. However it was by remembering to create a bound community with common basis and trying to create a brand that was firstly focused on the design, that I underlined seven key-points that I believed were priority for my brand definition.

LAQUILA.US | PREPARING THE PROJECT

YOUNG

LOBBYING

USEFUL

straightfoward, with an intriguing look

helping people on the reconstruction and in becoming a social mass.

cross-circular, intriguing and accessible

INFORMATIVE

a window for the community

TRUSTWORTHY

COMMUNAL

TO SHARE

always updated and clear

usable by a large portion of young

feelings or thoughts

â&#x20AC;&#x153;This City is what it is because our citizens are what they are.â&#x20AC;? Plato

THE MAJOR PROJECT This section will analyse the project, from its basis to the final production. In order to let the reader better understand the processes of this creation, this chapter has been split in various subchapters. However this process has been a combination and a mutual influence of all the aspects of the creation. There would not have been a name without the visual language and there would not have been a visual language without the symbol of the brand.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

THE SECOND SURVEY In order to have a solid starting point for the research of a visual language, I decided to undertake another survey, this time on higher scale respect the first one.

During summer I went to L’Aquila several times and I asked more than 140 youngsters which was the most representative place within the city of L’Aquila.

In order to better perform this research I also followed one of the theories expressed by Dr. Robert Cialdini: “All societes subscribe to a norm to repay in kind what they have received.” So I brought more than 250 candies to give as a reward to the people that wanted to answer my questions.

Through this survey I understood that the most representative place for the young adults in L’Aquila was Piazza Margherita, a square on the main street of the city centre. The starting point of the pursuit for a visual language started from the analysis of that square and the cultural engagement the geographical roots represented for the local community. (For references CFR Appendix)

In this page from left Fig. 18 Candies used as a reward for answering the survey. Fig. 19 Voters had to answer at the main question and they had to write their gender and their age. Fig. 20 A google street view image of Piazza Margherita. On the other page Fig. 21 A girl filling the survey’s form.

LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

NAMING THE BRAND The denomination chosen for the brand has been a direct result of various aspects underpinned during the process. As the primary target audience of the project was young, the name had to be easily understood by that particular age range. Moreover the name had to be related to the idea of an internet community. A first attempt of giving the brand a name came from the survey mentioned before.

square.it This hypothesis had been generated from the idea of square as a meeting point. Furthermore, the conception of adding the italian internet domain .it at the end of the name was designed for the double meaning this particles contained: the geographical identity of the domain and the English pronoun it, intended as “here, this”. However the name and its italian translation (piazzalo) looked more suitable for a different brand. During a conversation in L’Aquila, many people reported that square.it reminded them an appellation for a real estate agency. The name was dismissed.

love.it This idea arrived because of the simplicity of the word. It directly gave an idea of caring, a geographical connotation and a builtin value of trustworthy. However, after further analysis, it looked clear that this name was simplistic and too broad. Furthermore, it did not represent an idea of bound community.

On the other page Pages from the sketchbook. Among the three names explained above, the research analysed a series of other suitable denominations.

laquila.us The ultimate appellation came directly from the city’s name. It represented the uniqueness of the project, its strength, the unique connection with the area and its issues. Also, it perfectly symbolized the already set brand attributes, as the internet domain .us represented the English pronoun, therefore a feeling of community and connection (through internet) with the ground.

LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

THE VISUAL LANGUAGE The symbol This section will analyse the reasons behind the identification of the brand symbol.

The geographical connotation This report analysed so far some of the influences the geographical area denoted. While approaching the design of the visual language this strong connection appeared clearer. L’Aquila is an ancient town, it is the capitol of the region Abruzzo and was erected by Frederick II in the XIII century. As the city is embedded in a plateau enclosed between the Apennines, it has been historically isolated, and its inhabitants inherited a strong, proud but closed character. Therefore the research for the symbol and for the primary colour palette has been mainly focused on the city’s colours, green and black. A shattered community finally reunited. As this project wanted to be an attempt to renew a connection among the local

community, the visual coding reflected this approach. Merging the results of the survey with the previous considerations has denoted this reflection. In fact, the shape of Piazza Margherita seen from the sky looked like a square, a green square. Because of these considerations, the constituent shape of the symbol has been identified as a right-angled triangle. Finally, the union of a certain numbers of triangles created the synthesis of the symbol: a soon to be reunited square composed by several triangles of different tones of green. It is important to remember the ultimate media of this project, internet and the mobile devices. The final symbol is meant to be identified as

continuously composing image, instead of a mere still picture. The secondary colour palette An internet focused project requires the use of a broader colour language. In fact the simple utilisation of a green-based palette could have been annoying and boring for the users. Moreover, the soon to be created application was divided in two main features, called c’entro and on air. As a result of this speculation, a secondary colour language was created, an orange-based palette for c’entro and a bluebased palette for on air.

LAQUILA.US | THE MAJOR PROJECT

Some logos from L’Aquila These images are all from the city of L’Aquila. The eagle is commonly used for the local imagery because of the meaning of the name L’Aquila, The Eagle. From top Fig. 22 L’Aquila’s crest Fig. 23 the logo from a local brand http://www.elleapostrofoa.com/ Fig. 24 L’Aquila Rugby’s logo.

The Symbol Two variations for the symbol. The top one is intended to be used for projections and customaries, while the second one has been created for the app and the moving video. On the left The primary palette The secondary palette used for the onair feature. The secondary palette used for the câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;entro feature.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

The coding system The choice of making a custom typeface.

The search for an unambiguous identity has been the key factor for the design of this coding system. As I mentioned before, the colour green is often associated with the city of L’Aquila. Therefore the application of this colour for the brand identity created a connection with the territory but it risked to weaken the identity of the brand if linked with a regular typeface. The design of this coding system ran parallel to the composition of the symbol. Its aim was to strengthen the composition made of triangles and merge the name of the project together with it. The result of this task has been the conception of a bold geometric typeface. This design allowed me to create a secondary system of differentiation.

Besides the secondary colour palette, the two features embedded in the app (onair and c’entro) now had another coding system to use for their identities. It is also important to keep in mind that a geometrical composition has got a certain number of usage limitations and cannot be used as font. This design has been useful for the identity of the brand, but the first aim of the project was its practicality rather than the aesthetic. Therefore another “regular” font has been chosen for the operations of the app. The chosen typeface is called Aller, and it is a humanist sans-serif font designed by Bruno Maag of the DaltonMaag studio. The choice of this font has due to its great readability on every size as well as for the visually impaired people.

The coding system On top The first proposition in black. I chose to work with one colour to see if the readibility was enough without a differentiation. On the bottom The application of the primary colour palette with the typeface.

LAQUILA.US | THE MAJOR PROJECT

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

Putting the pieces together The symbol, the typeface and the colours.

After the definition of the name for the project, the colour language and the symbol I finally set all the pieces together. Shown above there is the final result of this operation. On this page there are the two propositions for the logo.

The first one has been created for the projections and for the collateral materials related to the brand. The second one is the final composition of the moving logo (on the video) and has to be intended as a continuous loop of triangles composing

the square. The two identities on the left have been created for the definition of the icons in the app (main menu). Furthermore, the definition of a second colour palette allowed me to have less limitations on the website.

LAQUILA.US | THE MAJOR PROJECT

This operation created a colour language for the different options on the website. For istance, the first frame on top of the website contains a section called “witnesses”. Through the application of the colour coding system

the users will be able to understand the different experiences written there just by the first sight. Also, the secondary colour palette has been used to support the launch of the application through a series of postcards.

These collateral supports have been made using an iconic landscape of the city of L’Aquila divided in shattered triangles with different colours.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

DEFINITION OF THE PROJECT Internet is everywhere, and so the smartphones. It is easy to communicate while in movement (i.e. walking, on the car). laquila.us born in L’Aquila for its citizens. It is a community created to improve the lifestyle of the young. The chosen media reflects this will of using the app while on moving. As the objectives of this project were two, connected but separated, the approach at the app has been split in two main features. These are called onair and c’entro, and are accessible within the same app through a simple menu of choice. These features have been thought bearing in mind the issues the people living in these area is facing. onair This feature has been designed to enhance and support a lobby movement for the reconstruction. Through its tools, the users will be able to take a picture

of a selected building and the GPS tracking will give them all the information related to the conditions of its reconstruction. Users will be also able to add their notes that will become part of the laquila. us database. These will be accessible through a map (on the app and on the website), or by taking another picture on the selected building. The system will add a date and will order all the information collected chronologically. The objective of onair is to create an updated database for the reconstruction and overseer the state of progresses, the delays, or other related information. c’entro c’entro means “I am in”, but without the apostrophe it also means centre. Its aim is to generate and renew a dialogue within the citizens of the city. Its main tools are two. Friends tracking: when this tool is turned on, all the friends of a certain user in the area of the city will be visible

on a map. It will be possible to organise activities, or send them a message. Thus the app will provide a valuable tool to avoid the issues related to the distance generated by the CASE project and by the delocalisation issue. Carpooler: with this feature users will be able to create a public request for a ride. They will have to select a specific day and the final destination and the app will look if there are available rides in the area, or it will create an event on the app and on the website. Both the features within the app have got other features, such as the possibility to create an event or watch the public agenda for the onair movement. Furthermore the app wants to give a contribution to the voluntary organizations, the sport clubs and the local business through a dedicated section within c’entro. All these activities will have a free page and will be able to create their own events on the app and on the website.

LAQUILA.US | THE MAJOR PROJECT

The App it’s happening

Iphone The layout of the main menu for the feature c’entro.

carpooler! about us

my c’entro

main menu

on air

Ipad The main manu of the app. From there it is possible to choose between on air or c’entro features

c’entro

THE LAYOUT The layout of the App is the outcome of all the previous considerations. It mantains the given visual language, it is easy to understand and has all the features mentioned before. In order to let the reader understand its functionality in these pages I have put some of the main features of the app, divided between onair and câ&#x20AC;&#x2122;entro.

The main menu The main page of onair. The logo has been used to create the buttons for the features.

azioni disponibili descrizione localizzazione aggiungi nota visualizza note scatta di nuovo registra la foto!

back to home

attorno a me

Novembre 2012 lun

mar

mer

gio

ven

aggiungi evento

cerca giorno

cosa vedere about us

mese/settim.

sab

dom

back to home

scatta una foto

Take a picture In this section users will be able to take a picture on a selected building which they want add or retrieve info. Using the GPS tracking they will be able to read all the notes left by the other users and add their own.

Around me All the information collected with take a picture are collected in a database accessible through a map.

What to see The third section is a calendar where users will be able to see the interventions and add events.

attorno a me cerca un indirizzo cerca tra i preferiti

Cinema Massimo

back to home

it’s happening

carpooler! about us

my c’entro

It’s happening The central button of the main menu conveys to “it’s happening”. Here users will be able to reach information about the temporary housing project and the local organizations, as well as the local businesses.

Also, by enabling the GPS the will become visible by the community. They will be able to see their friends while on moving, send them a message, watch their events. The aim of this function is to allow the young to trespass the borders given by the distance.

attività/locali GPS on/oﬀ amici on/oﬀ lista amici online Valerio Falciatano Andrea Di Gius...

Andrea Di Giuseppe

Anna Pilogallo Marco Cordivani

Messaggio

Calendario

Proﬁlo

Angela Di Cesare Claudio Giulio C... Lorenza Cieri

back to home

Buttons The main page of c’entro. Even if the main layout is the same as on onair, in this feature have been used the secondary colour palette orange-based, for the buttons and for the triangles.

Laura di Giacomo Son..

John Doe proﬁlo

27 anni

live!

Indietro

John Doe proﬁlo

da L’Aquila

Comune de L’Aquila

Associazione 3e32

Cantina Ju Boss

L’Aquila Rugby

live!

Last Location: Dance Sc. L’Aquila

i miei amici

crea un evento locali e attività

Amici:

Quote:

... io mi sono detto a voce alta:

Sesso:

crea un evento locali e attività

tu sei abruzzese! B. Croce

GPS on/oﬀ

Interessi:

GPS on/oﬀ

Scuola di danza, Movimento 3e32, Farfarello, Drum’n Bass, Muse, U2

i miei amici

Naviga attraverso le associazioni presenti nel nostro network! Muoviti

il proﬁlo completo è disponibile su www.laquila.us

con le freccie e TAP sui riquadri, easy!

Hecig Sondim Ouimarta

Messaggio

Calendario

On air

Phalpz

Carpooler I already analysed the issues of the young to move on the area. This section has been made to promote the mutual help among the community. By filling in the pop-up a record will be added on the laquila.us

database and will be visible for the entire community. The users will be able to answer the request and help other members to reach their final destination.

my c’entro In this section it is possible to watch the new events scheduled on c’entro, check their or their friends profile and their activities. Also it is possible to access the local organization and businesses pages.

it’s happening

Carpooler! 1. Modalità

3. Cosa? Inserisci il messaggio

GPS on/oﬀ metto io la macchina sono con amici

2. Quando?

4. Dove? Seleziona la località

Novembre 29 30 31 5

10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Lista carpools

my c’entro

Fatto!

about us

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

THE LAUNCH Another goal to define during the ideation of this project has been finding a way to effectively make the population aware of the community. For this purpose a series of low cost initiative have been specifically designed to launch the brand.

A day for the launch The strategy undertook has been to select a special day on where organise a series of initiatives. The projection The day could be linked to another initiative of the city (i.e. a concert). A series of projections have been planned on the proximity of important squares, on top of the scaffold buildings. These projections would contain the composing logo of the brand. Also, on a selected period of time there would be projected a 30 seconds teaser of the app, allowing the people to understand the brand â&#x20AC;&#x153;tone of voiceâ&#x20AC;?. The digital totem The second task has been addressed thinking at the

chosen digital platform. In order to let the people familiarise with the brand, a number of digital totems could be installed near to the most important (and accessible) squares of the city centre. By using the touchscreen, users will be able to navigate through the website and discover the features of the community. Also, the App teaser will be broadcast every new access at the station, and there would be the possibility to join the community directly from there. The face to face distribution As the city is a university centre, another important strategy to take count on would be the direct contact with the people. A number of young will hand a presentation kit directly

to the people outside of the university. A folder containing a DVD with the App and a series of demonstrative videos would compose this kit. Also, this kit will have a sticker with the logo of the community, a folded poster and two series of postcards especially made for the event. Another series of booklets have been prepared for the launch. This plain booklets will contain a small explanation of the project and a folded A3 poster with the logo of the project.

This presentation kit and the booklets are also the output of the major project.

LAQUILA.US | THE MAJOR PROJECT

The launch On top Piazza Duomo, Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Aquila. One of the possible solutions imagined for the launch of the community would be the projection of shattered triangles composing the logo during a concert in the city. On the left On the days before the concert a digital totem could be installed in some of the central squares, in order to let the people familiarize with the initiative.

The presentation kit closed When closed, the presentation kit is small and portable. It is composed by two booklets and a DVD folder. The purpose of the reduced dimensions is that taking this

kit should not represent an inconvenience for the customers. Instead, It should represent a pleasure, a discovery that will be unveilded just once opened the booklets, and the DVD folder.

The presentation kit opened 1. 2. 3. 4.

the folded poster within the DVD folder The two booklets The postcards The opened DVD folder

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

The presentation kit opened 1. 2. 3. 4.

the folded poster within the DVD folder The two booklets The postcards The opened DVD folder

LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION

CONCLUSIONS It has been a long and sometimes painful journey. Very often the designer’s work is underestimated. It is reduced to the mere visual transposition of a concept. Sometimes it could be trivialised. This year has represented for me the discovery of another method. A method mainly composed by research. The designer’s job is not (only) the visual synthesis or its aesthetic. With the proper method it becomes an added value, a work made of experience and study of the project. This chosen topic has been for me a way to turn into practical action the notions I learned. It has been also a way to test myself. It has been astonishing to analyse how the project evolved through the research. When I started this task I thought I was close to the ending point. Instead the more I was studying the more this end

turned away from me. But on the same time it became vivid. Its outlines became sharp. This has probably been the higher contribution this course gave to me. Be informed, be keen, turn a hard concept into a simple outcome. Simple but not simplistic. It has also been for me a contribution to my roots. It has been my little “first things first”. Through this project I analysed the issues of a shattered community. A community that has to regain those dynamics usually given for granted. It is undeniable that in order to win back a normal lifestyle there is the need of several competences (political, psychological…). The simple idea of creating a new identity for a city is not sufficient if there is not a hard work on the people’s mind. With my project I tried to use the new media in order to give a support on the

reconstruction (either physical or abstract) of a city. I found interesting to understand how the laquila.us example could be enlarged for a global model of branding. Through the use of the models I investigated, the same project could be exported in other realities, such as after-war scenarios or other dramatic events. This proposal could create a greater community. A community that is able share its experiences for a bigger enrichment, not only limited to a case study. I am thinking for example at an international community that could use this model to regain the conditions for a positive developing of the hierarchy of needs. I wanted to apply the lessons I learned to a certain way of social design, trying to demonstrate that this is branding as well. The brand we create is a promise. No matter how small or big.

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

BIBLIOGRAPHY 1

Glaesser, D. (1999) Crisis management in the tourism industry, P. 12 Butterworth - Heinemann

Coombs, W.T. (1999) Ongoing crisis communication: planning, managing and responsing - Sage Publishing

Van den Berg, L. (1999) Urban competitiveness, Marketing and the Need for Organising Capacity - Urban Studies, Vol. 36, Pp. 987-999

Avraham, E. & Ketter, E. (2008) Media strategies for places in crisis. Improving the image of cities, countries and tourist destinations. 1st Edition - Butterworth Heinemann

Noble, I. Bestley R. (2007) Visual Research: An Introduction to Research Methodologies in Graphic Design - Ava Publishing

Maslow, A. (1970) Motivation and personality. 2nd Edition - Harper

Anon, Abraham Maslowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hierarchy of needs http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm

BBC News (25/01/2005) Indonesia quake toll jumps again BBC News - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/ asia-pacific/4204385.stm

Broadway, B. (8/01/2005) Divining a reason for devastation - The Washington Post

Federal Emergency Management Agency http://www.fema.gov/hazard/flood/ recoverydata/katrina/katrina_la_sttammany. shtm

Anon, (28/09/2010) New Orleans after Katrina, Los Angeles times

Radio New Zealand (04/03/2011) Painstaking work continues at devastated buildings http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/canterburyearthquake/69902/painstaking-workcontinues-at-devastated-buildings

Collins, S. (30/04/2011) Insurance too little for many firms to rebuild, NZHerald

14a Cartlidge, E. (October 2012) Aftershocks in the Courtroom - Science 12, October 2012: Vol. 338 no. 6104 pp. 184-188 14

Rizzo, S. - Stella, G.A. (07/03/2012) In centro restano le macerie. E 383 cittadini vivono in albergo. - il Corriere della Sera

website for the Progetto CASE, Department of civil protection http://www.protezionecivile.gov.it/cms/view. php?dir_pk=395&cms_pk=16016&n_page=3

Erbani, F. (2010) il Disastro - Feltrinelli

Anon, Ritardi nei pagamenti e ricostruzione al palo: lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ance scrive al Provveditore Abruzzo24 ore - http://www.abruzzo24ore. tv/news/Ritardi-nei-pagamenti-e-

LAQUILA.US | BIBLIOGRAPHY

ricostruzione-al-palo-l-Ance-scrive-alProvveditore/100535.htm

Nardecchia, E. (07/06/2012) Bankitalia: ricostruzione a rischio mafia, Il Centro Anon, (09/10/2012) Terremoto, infiltrazioni della ‘ndrangheta nella ricostruzione: «Processo per 4», Il Messaggero, http://www.ilmessaggero. it/abruzzo/terremoto_ricostruzione_ ndrangheta_infiltrazioni_4_processo/ notizie/224484.shtml OECD, (2012) Executive Summary. Spreading the eagle’s wings so it may fly: re-launching the economy of L’Aquila region after the earthquake http://www.oecd.org/ dataoecd/0/36/43307733.pdf L’Aquila city hall website (2012) L’Aquila capitale europea della cultura 2019 http://www.comune.laquila.gov.it/pagina369_ laquila-capitale-europea-della-cultura.html Pollice, R. (21/05/2011) L’elaborazione psichica dell’impatto con un evento catastrofico e di perdita, Abstract from the congress “Incontriamo L’Aquila, incontriamoci a L’Aquila- http://www.med.univaq.it/ medicina/info/infoAdo.php?id=390 Valenti, M. - Vinciguerra, M.G. et al. (2012) A before and after study on personality assessment in adolescents exposed to the

2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy. British Medical Journal’s website http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/3/ e000824.full 24

Data taken from italian Ministry of Education http://anagrafe.miur.it/php5/home.php

Cella, F. (18/10/2011) Corriere della Sera http://vitadigitale.corriere.it/2011/10/18/ italia-la-bengodi-degli-smartphone/

Caivano, M. (January 2012), Top 15 facebook countries in 2012 http://www.fortunecat.it/facebook-statistics/

Muniz, A. O’Guinn, T. (04/03/2001), Journal of Consumer research P. 412 - http://www. jstor.org/discover/ 10.1086/319618?uid=37 38032&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&s id=21101305798691

Dixon, S. (30/06/2011) Finding your voice, Design week - http://www.designweek.co.uk/ opinion/industry-view/private-view/findingyour-voice/3027989.article

Cialdini, R. (February 2001) The science of Persu, Scientific American - http:// socialcommercetoday.com/downloads/ CialdiniSciAmerican.pdf

Anon, General overlook of the city of L’Aquila, Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/L%27Aquila

EMANUELE CATENA | THE MAJOR PROJECT REPORT

APPENDIX The second survey A survey about the most representative place among the city of L’Aquila. The survey has been conducted between the 23rd and the 28th of August 2012. Respondents were not requested to identify themselves but to say their age and their gender. Objective To understand the bond of the youngsters among their city. To analyse the results of the survey in order to extract a possible visual icon for the project. Respondents: 140 *others: all the places that get 1 or 2 preferences.

the high street via del gatto s. bernardino’s church the castle parco del sole the red zone piazza s. pietro fontana luminosa fontana 99 cannelle piazzetta IX martiri 4 cantoni piazza duomo collemaggio’s basilica piazza palazzo

others*

piazza margherita

LAQUILA.US | INTRODUCTION