Thesign 2015

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raffaella isidori thesign is a creative lab for integrated communication & brand building, where experience and tradition meet new technologies, new media and the new forms of interaction brought forth by the continuos technological developments. Thinking outside the box, I design and develop (with care and expertise) tailor made projects. My place is at my client’s side, to achieve the best possible integration between all aspects of the image and of the communication, of a company, a product or a service.

My expertise is concentrated on integrated communication design, branding, and graphic & web design, areas in which I have been working for over 20 years. To provide a complete and punctual service, I manage and coordinate other experts and third-party suppliers, pursuing the goals of quality, timing and budget, and integrating the function of creative director with the roles of consultant and coach. This allows me to offer solutions that are sustainable, coherent and effective. As a creative coach, I flank top managers and decision makers in their communication needs, both internal and external, and for the companies they run. As a digital presentation designer, I sustain them in the creation of high-impact digital presentations. As social media strategist, web, mobile & app designer and as digital content creator & curator, I ease my clients in the transition to - and in the integration with - the new forms of digital communication. And, as a consultant and a trainer, I work to liaise them to the complex world of the modern forms of communication, and their requirements. The initial studies as a graphic & advertising designer have been integrated, over the years, with a long experience as a copywriter, and my personal story has forged me into a specialized translator & interpreter in both directions (italian<>english).

My multicultural competence, combined with the other abilities, allows me to be the “ideal” communication consultant for foreign companies aiming at the Italian market, as well as for Italian firms interested in reaching foreign countries (focus: North America) in their efforts to localize and internationalize. Lastly, a drive for “work done well” (which makes me an utterly meticulous consultant, at times) along with a conscious attention to the possibilities tied to the available budget, are personal traits of which I am very proud and which allow me to stand on the side of both large companies as well as small entrepreneurs, aiming at getting the most out of their communication endeavors.

services: branding & communication  naming  branding: personal, corporate & product  corporate & product identity  graphic design  corporate communication  digital presentation design  web design & production (traditional, mobile, RWD)  app & e-publishing design  content design & curation  blog design, production & management  social media: strategy, design & management  editorial & catalogue design (print & digital)  packaging design  signage (internal and external)  vehicle & accessories personalization services: global integrated & marketing communication  strategic consulting  creative coaching & training  cross-media communication  cultural & linguistic localization of communication  copywriting  specialistic translations & interpreting (ita<>eng)  advertising: print, web, outdoor/large format  motion media design services: promotion, organization & training  promotional events (concept, production, management)  POP/BTL design  exhibit design  seminars  workshops  individual coaching

Following there are many examples of works I have done in the past, there are quite a few, because I’ve worked on many different areas over the years and solved many challenges: from advertising to event design, from web solutions to packaging, from logos to details only a designer can catch (and often appreciate)  As some of the readers might not be aware of certain definitions or technical aspects, I have tried - not getting too wordy - to explain the more complex terminology and concepts. The sections on the other side of this page are buttons: you can use them to jump to the areas you are interested in, and on all chapter pages you can jump to the other sections just by clicking on small colored squares (yep, I have this thing with color-coding). For any information, you will find all links at the end. Enjoy, and should you have any questions or curiosity about my work don’t be shy and drop me a line 

digital [click to jump to desiderd section]

strategy objectives& targets coaching

communication design  translating concepts through mixed media The design of communication transcends, in certain ways, the more aesthetically-centered (and purely technical) graphic design. The communication designer, in fact, works in a process very close to that of a translator, taking in a concept in the “brief” language and turning out a message in the “language of the audience”. All media, printed and digital, can be used to deliver the message, as well as all channels can be explored (and even new ones created). For this reason it is necessary that the “designer/translator” be well entrenched in the message it is trying to convey. He also must understand well, if not master, the vocabulary of the recipient, to avoid wasting both money and opportunities translating in a language not properly understood by the target. So, in a way, it’s like brewing a proper cup of tea: one must be aware of rules, styles, tone, nuances: the different herbs are the content, which need to be carefully balanced. The water - the medium - needs to be at the perfect temperature and steep for the proper time. Communication design is - to me - a much more challenging (and gratifying) endeavor than the pure exercise in graphic design, and it is, with branding, one of aspects of my work I prefer.

strategic thinking  taking in the big picture, without losing the details In the words of Andre Beaufre, strategic thinking “is a mental process, at once abstract and rational, which must be capable of synthesizing both psychological and material data. The strategist must have a great capacity for both analysis and synthesis; analysis is necessary to assemble the data on which he makes his diagnosis, synthesis in order to produce from these data the diagnosis itself-and the diagnosis in fact amounts to a choice between alternative courses of action.� I was blessed with a very logical mind, and this is very helpful when clarity and coherence are fundamental values. All design processes must begin with a strategy, which implies finding the best balance between the sum of all the concrete, intangible, emotional, technical, psychological and statistical information we have collected, and a clear and sustainable approach to optimize (or overcome) the restrictions we encounter.

coaching  I’ve been coaching friends for, well... basically forever. Then I began coaching my clients, working as much more than a supplier of services, but sharing with them my knowledge and transferring the necessary know how to better understand the basic dynamics of communication. Then I began coaching managers, helping them with their presentations, and with personal or commercial communication, assisting them in understanding the evolving scenarios of digital interactions, but also helping them become better buyers, users and critics of design and of the design process. Coaching is different than holding a lesson or just explaining something to someone, it’s a close relationship, based on mutual trust, where all parties strive to get better, growing together, in an exchange of knowledge. It’s a path walked together. And it couldn’t be anything but a true exchange of knowledge, because as I give of what I know and are experienced at,I learn about my client’s business, about their products or procedures, techniques or material. And it is quite fascinating (it is, in fact, one of the things that has always kept me at this work, as it feeds my insatiable curiosity).

Jill of all Trades?  When you pass the 20 years mark in your work experience... well, you (hopefully) have a lot of experience... and if you share my approach, you also have learned about many a trade. Being innately curious, I thrive on learning: anything, all subjects that cross my path... Passion is also a driver: the passion for the understanding, and the absorbing, and the discovering, and the delving into the unknown, that are absolutely necessary to provide branding and communication of value. Without the full understanding of the implications pertaining to any project, it would be truly difficult for me to produce anything: research and analysis are always the first, mandatory, steps. Likewise, I believe that, to direct someone, you must “have a clue” as to what you’re directing them into (and onto). And so, after photography and graphic design and advertising communication, I went on, polishing my writing skills, learning to code, getting a Master in Motion Media Design. I am not the queen of montage, nor a programmer, but I can handle the little jobs and, most important, I can talk to a motion graphic artist or to a Java script whiz kid, with a little cognizance.

naming logodesign image identity &integration event design

brand design  Not what “you” think you are, but who “they” think you are The term “brand” has become sort of a buzzword lately, creating confusion in many as to its exact meaning: a logo is not a brand, a name is not a brand, a mark is not a brand, though they can all be elements that compose the visual language we associate with a brand. The brand is the perceived value of a company or a product. To put it in different terms, the brand is “what people think of you”. The brand is for a company (or a product) what reputation is to a person. And just like a person’s reputation the brand is built on a lot more than image, but it begins with its projected image. Elements that compose a brand (in the technical, designing sense) include: the name, the logotype (the name written in a specific way), an eventual mark (a symbol, like Apple’s apple or a pictogram, like Nike’s swash), and, possibly, a payoff (a single phrase that sums up the brand’s universe, that synthetically positions it, and that defines the brand’s philosophy and values).

naming  (and, obviously, logo design)

naming - case history  Prometheus Srl (2003) #brand_strategy, #naming, #identity_design, #digital_design

Prometheus’ mission was to offer a wide array of security systems, ranging from satellite services (Orion), telecommunication security (Mercurius), video surveillance (Argus), telemedicine (Chiron), security monitoring (Sibylla). The different lines, were - as in the Sibylla case - further declined in product subdivisions, such as SibylFlow, a tool to monitor hydraulic systems; or SibylLift, which controlled remotely elevator systems.

logo design 

logo design - case history  Gruppo Hotel Bivio (1998-2009) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #collateral_design, #digital_design, #copywriting I began working with the Galli family in 1998, with the re-branding of their first location, the very central Hotel Bivio, in Livigno, Italy. Not an easy chore: the decision was painstakingly long, with dozens and dozens of ideas pursued in the search of what “was in the mind” of the client. The edelweiss was finally selected as a symbol of the Alps, and integrated with a bulky typeface, vaguely reminding of the blackletter font of the original logo. As time passed, and the family business grew, I opted for integrating the stylized edelweiss into all locations (rental apartments first, then two other hotels). The logo was restyled and modernized in 2009, on occasion of a big, up-scaling makeover of the hotel’s furnishing and structure. The above bar including all the activities of the group (plus some noteworthy hand-tooled experiments by the client) was used in all printed and digital material.

1998

2005

2005

2006

2009 - restyling

Branding  Hotel Alegra (2006-2009) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #collateral_design, #digital_design, #copywriting Part of the Hotel Bivio Group, the Hotel Alegra was the last hotel to be opened, in 2006. Located slightly outside the center of town, it was managed by the two youngest members of the Galli family. To avoid cannibalization between the groups’s structures, I suggested targeting to a younger, family/nature/sport-oriented clientele. The fun/informal/youthful atmosphere was carried through all parts of the branding, and I adopted the multicolor striped tiles used in all rooms, as a trademark sign. The menu was constructed and hand-crafted to be easily modified by the staff, maintaining, at the same time, a very strong personality and ease of use.

Branding  Associazione LaStrada (2011-2013) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #collateral_design, #digital_design, #copywriting Associazione LaStrada is an italian non-profit organization that works to promote road safety and appropriate behavior on the road, amongst children and teenagers. They approached me for a total re-branding (from a previous home-made approach). Given the audience, I chose a literal visual approach, mimicking the asphalt texture on all dark surfaces (back of business cards, inside of folders, covers of notebooks and agendas, website background) and the typical street line signs. LaStrada organizes many events each summer in different cities and within other, larger events, so the logo gets declined accordingly.

Branding - Case history  Giliana Gavioli & Studio Gavioli - brand synergy for optimization (2013) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #digital_design, #copywriting Many needs, but a little budget: that’s often a hurdle designers are confronted with. In this case the set out objective was double: establishing and nourishing a personal brand effort for Giliana Gavioli (the artist) and use it as a hook for her Studio Gavioli, in order to create a synergy and, at the same time, pursue two different targets which required two different messages. The foreign market target, in fact, being primarily composed of large design and decorating studios, would be more interested in the artist and her uniqueness, while the full service Studio Gavioli could be perceived as a competitor. Locally, on the other hand, customers would mainly be private contractors, who would appreciate the complete, turnkey service, the Studio offers. I decided on two logos, on a mutual palette. The document folder was offset printed changing only a 5th color and using a personalized die cut in one event and a straight cut in the second. Printing was thus optimized. Than I designed a modular brochure kit, to be contained in a box, which could be personalized accordingly. The website followed the style, all web & printed content was written and translated by me.

Event design  With Love From Umbria (2002-2003) #strategy, #event_design, #identity_design, #copywriting The brief: Organize, for Umbrian’s PA consortium, the “Consorzio Umbria Export”, a focused promotional event for a selected group of eno-gastronomic gourmet producers on the North American market. Key factors proposed and implemented:  selecting less common areas of intervention, to open up new markets  focus press and target attention onto the region of Umbria and it’s typical products  grow and sustain the perception of the “brand Umbria” with regards to its agricultural and gourmet food specialties  create educational actions on the targeted areas for chefs, caterers, importers and food-related professionals  promote direct contact and facilitate relations between the producers, the buyers and the press.

advertising & copywriting 

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graphic design  problem-solving through the use of type, space and images The field is a subset of the visual communication and communication design macro areas. I use my skills as a graphic designer to create and combine words, symbols and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. Common products of graphic design include: identity (logos and branding), publications (magazines, newspapers and books), print advertisements, posters, billboards, website graphics and elements, signs and product packaging. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially when using preexisting materials or diverse elements, along with the “concept� which gives a well paginated and balanced visual space and extra added value. The proper use of color and of typography are also vital to produce designs that are coherent with the message they rely and in tune with the audience to which they are aimed at.

brand collateral design  Hotel Bivio Group - Brochure/Calendar (2009) #brand_strategy, #graphic_design, #digital_illustration, #copywriting

brand collateral design  Hotel Alegra, MenÚ (2009) #brand_strategy, #graphic_design, #copywriting

collateral design  Oasi Felina di Castellanza - notebooks & greeting cards (2010) #brand_strategy, #graphic_design, #photography

brand collateral design  Fiori di Krizia Perfume - Perfume presentation book (1995) #graphic_design

corporate collateral design  Ceramiche Ricchetti, - Company presentation & Annual Report (2004) #graphic_design, #print_production

corporate collateral design  DivalSim - Promoter’s Recruiting Kit (1998) #graphic_design

packaging design  Azienda Agricola San Polo - Wine Labels (2013) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #packaging_design, #photography, #copywriting

packaging design  Biowealth Srl - Biooozone (2010) #brand_strategy, #identity_design, #packaging_design, #copywriting, #print_production

editorial design  BFB Edizioni (1999-2003) #editorial_design, #identity_design

catalogue design 

catalogo primavera-estate 2000

exhibit design  CDC, Bergamo, Smau (2008) #exhibit_design

digital design  Most work, today, falls in this category... In fact, nowadays, printed work, as well as digitalized photography or motion media projects, are all “born” digital. Generally - and I follow this trend - all the work designed to be delivered through “digital devices” is considered “digital” as it requires a clear awareness of the opportunities and the limits of this kind of fruition. Web, blog, or app design and e-publications, as well as digital presentations (interactive and animated), digital photography, post-production, image creation, and motion media design are all products I include under this category. I have included in this section also other aspects in the design process that are fundamental to it, such as User Interface Design, User Experience and Content Design

web design  Your presence on Internet [often the first glimpse someone gets of you]

RWD & multiscreen  The best experience, from any device, on any screen Responsiveness is not a fad - it can’t be - as mobile access has reached huge numbers and is likely to get to the point where it surpasses desktop fruition. A website that performs poorly on mobile devices implies a poorer User Experience, a higher risk of abandonment and (if obligated to interact with us) an unhappy customer. Translated in intangible emotions, in fact, a poor experience reads like “I don’t care about you, nor about making your life easier/better/more plesant”, and, even though maybe just unconsciously, it will estrange our targets. Responsive is not necessarily “mobile first”, responsive is a state of mind, an approach of consciousness that our site might be reached from a variety of devices and a multitude of screens and platforms, and it better look the best in all occasions.

User Interface Design & User Experience  The difference between feeling loved, or perceiving neglect Modern communication is filled with jargon, so lets start with some definitions (and those of you who know, just be patient, or skip over)  User Interface Design (UID) (or user interface engineering) is the design of websites, computers, appliances, machines, mobile devices, and software applications with a specific focus on the user’s experience in interaction. The goal of user interface design is to make the user’s interaction as simple and efficient as possible, so that accomplishing his/ her goals is as pleasant and smooth as possible (this approach is often referred to as “user-centered design”). User Experience Design (UX, UXD or UED) is the process of enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty by improving the usability, ease of use, and pleasure provided in the interaction between the customer and the product. User experience design encompasses traditional human-computer interaction design, and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users. User experience includes any, and all, aspects of a person’s interaction with a given system, including interface, graphics, industrial design, physical interaction, content, download or waiting time... and even the instructions’ manual. It is obvious, then, that in the process of building and/or reinforcing a brand the User Experience as well as the quality of the content and of the service are fundamental for a positive return.

content curation & design  There’s got to be more than a pretty picture... The key words, here are #storytelling and #social_content_curation  Storytelling is also a term that has gotten quite “too” trendy, at the moment, and yet telling a story is the key principle of any effective communication. To someone like me, who comes from an “advertising” background, the fact that there needs to be a story to be told seems quite obvious (we used to call it “concept”) and yet we often see images or solutions that are visually pleasant and yet leave you untouched. Stories are told with words, images, design, spaces. They ate told literally or visually. And though technology offers many ways to produce a sleek final product, you still need creativity and talent to tell a great story. Content: here’s another hot issue that so many overlook as they leap haphazardly into “the Net”. I think we all have (maybe even more than) one blog, sitting somewhere lonely, with a post from 2011. We all think (well, I do), before falling asleep or under the shower, about that really cool topic for a post, about that great (or lousy) restaurant we want to review... But then you get to work, you have “real” things to do and the post from 2011 remains there, all alone. It is no big deal if what is left behind is your personal weblog, or your social page (though #personal_branding is another hottie). It’s a big NO-NO not to nourish your company “feed”. Yes, it takes time. Yes, you’re out of ideas. Yes, it is not your job. That’s the point. Creating content is a job. Curating content is a job as well. And unless you are very talented and have lots of time on your hands, rather than showing a company blog with a lonely post from 2011, you might prefer handing the job over to a pro.

social media  A strong strategy and a tight, curated, presence Social platforms are here to stay. We might not like them, find them a silly waste of time, or too intrusive. But they represent an extraordinary tool for communication and an easy way for our customers to interact with us and find insights about our products. Consumers expect companies to be present and to be actively monitoring their presence, especially when they have a question or - ! - a complaint.

blog design  An editorial presence of value requires the proper visual form Wether is a personal mean to express particular interests or to share knowledge, or a informal platform of interaction with our clients o with our employees, all blogs deserve a visual care that can no longer left to hobbyists. In an effort to build your product, corporate or personal brand, your blog should be considered an extension of your voice, and it should reflect the values you wish to represent.

apps and e-pubs  The future present of optimized mobile interaction

digital photography 

Mint Garden CafĂŠ, Milano

Agriturismo e Azienda Agricola San Polo Castelvetro (Mo)

digital story/mood/style-boarding 

motion media design  The power of a [sustainable] moving image

[click on the image above to start video on Vimeo]

digital presentations  Delivering the pitch with [a powerful] extra value

Thank you for your attention! î € more of my work @ www.thesignportfolio.com

www.thesign.it raffaella isidori thesign via quarto dei mille 25 21040 gerenzano (va) tel. +39.02.96.82.057 fax +39.02.97.38.81.29 r.isidori@thesign.it

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