Piazza Venezia - the central hub of Rome where four major roads meet. While studying abroad in Rome, Italy (Spring 2022), in my Graphic Design class I was tasked with creating a brand identity for this piazza. This brand identity project allowed me to dive into the overarching process of brand identity development, including the fundamental aspects of the strategy phase, the design phase, and the production phase. I was randomly assigned a design brief that directed me to capture a brand identity that embodies a futuristic era, elegant style, and exuberant personality. After researching the piazza and going on-site to gain first-hand inspiration and ideas, my project culminated in the creation of a professional presentation that encompasses the entire range of the graphical language developed for the project. This project exposed me to the intricacies of the process of Corporate Identity and Branding.
SKILLS:
- Brand identity development (aspects of strategy, design, production)
- Following a design brief to create a mood board, color palette, typographic system, logo, illustrations/patterns/graphical elements
- Research and on-site observation
- Ideation, prototyping, creative problem-solving
- Adobe Illustrator
MOOD BOARD & COLOR STORY
After my research, I created a mood board that reflected the piazza's historical and traditional architectural elements, while drawing inspiration from more innovative and futuristic pieces that allow the brand identity to flourish forward toward a new, compelling realm. Next, I pulled out colors from the mood board to create a variety of hues to ensure variety and visual interest. The final color palette is shown below:
LOGO & TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEM
For this logo, I was inspired by the energetic traffic flow of Fiats, buses, pedestrians, Vespas, and bikes, as they all maneuvered around one another within the roundabout. I observed this from a bird's-eye view and was overwhelmed by the sense of organized chaos. Although exuberant energy was abundant within the streets, each mode of transportation managed to get to its desired destination without so much as an occasional honk of a horn. Thus, I used delicate, wispy, asymmetric lines on the outer ring of the logo, warm gold color, and elegant Cormorant Garamond font to visually represent my observations, while holding to my design brief expectations. The exact format of the logo arose from a large series of rough drafts (some examples shown below) which I used to execute my finished product.
I chose Cormorant Garamond for the primary font because it best embodies the elegant element within Piazza Venezia's brand identity. I selected Gill Sans MT for the secondary font because its sanserif nature compliments the serif primary font. Their combination enables an aesthetic balance.
ILLUSTRATIONS, PATTERNS & GRAPHICAL ELEMENTS
Creating these illustrations in Adobe Illustrator, I was inspired by my logo to use gentle, yet energetic lines that allude to Piazza Venezia's central location among the liveliness of Rome. I chose to illustrate two iconic features of the Piazza to maintain its recognizable image: the statue of Vittorio Emanuele II and the Altara della Patria (altar of the fatherland).
For this pattern, I chose to incorporate all three of my design brief values (futuristic, exuberant, and elegant) to capture Piazza Venezia's brand identity as a whole. The colors and line movement create visual interest that captivates the viewer.
I came up with these simple, yet effective graphical elements which act as distinguishing factors of Piazza Venezia's brand identity and image.
BRAND IDENTITY COLLAGE
I put together this collage to display the key elements of the brand identity I created for Piazza Venezia. By pulling out the most important aspects of the identity, a succinct and polished image comes forth to display the look and feel of the brand.
WORK IN PROGRESS
Here are a few works-in-progress items that highlight my creative process and some behind-the-scenes ideas that did not make it into the final brand identity, but helped inspire me and push me forward.
CONCLUSION
During this project, my mind flooded with ideas and problem-solving strategies. Ultimately, my strategies pushed me toward success in developing visual concepts and defining a strategy for a brand while responding to the technical and communication requirements of a design brief.
