The challenges we are being presented with sometimes bring us to beautiful places. When the city of Parma approached us with the question ‘can you translate our city to the world through design?’, for example. The city won ‘Capitale Italiana della Cultura 2020’ (Italian Capital of Culture 2020) and needed to become more accessible to both native Parmigiani and tourists in advance of the celebrations.
Problem
The city’s branding no longer reflected the city as it was
Solution
Translate the city to the world through design by bringing together the city’s history, culture, and future
Parma, the unsung capital of Italian culture and cuisine
The Italian capital of culture. A capital, however, not many of us have been to. Yet.
Everyone recognizes the name Parma: it’s where your favorite pasta, ham, and cheese come from. But have you ever been there? Can you point it out on the map?
When people think of Italy, they tend to think of huge, famous cities like the ancient ruins of Rome, the fashion-forward streets of Milan, or the canals and gondolas of Venice. But some of Italy’s most successful exports come from Parma: the pasta brand Barilla, Prosciutto di Parma, and, of course, Parmigiano– no pasta dish is complete without it. But for a place that has produced such prolific and delicious brands and products, it’s a relative unknown for most people.
Everyone recognizes the name Parma: it’s where your favorite pasta, ham, and cheese come from. But have you ever been there? Can you point it out on the map?
When people think of Italy, they tend to think of huge, famous cities like the ancient ruins of Rome, the fashion-forward streets of Milan, or the canals and gondolas of Venice. But some of Italy’s most successful exports come from Parma: the pasta brand Barilla, Prosciutto di Parma, and, of course, Parmigiano– no pasta dish is complete without it. But for a place that has produced such prolific and delicious brands and products, it’s a relative unknown for most people.
“It was astounding to see the entire city of Parma pour out onto the streets, waving our designs in the air and singing– it’s a real testament to the power of design to bring people together.”
Defining the identity of an iconic, ancient city as it evolves into the modern age
The old city branding wasn’t comprehensive and flexible enough anymore, to cover the wide range of needs that the city was facing and a step towards a more digital era was now needed. The branding lacked a systemic, generative approach and no longer reflected the city as it was: a cultural hub, both of art and food, and one of Italy’s most progressive cities (Parma’s two-term mayor, Federico Pizzarotti, is the founder of Italia in Comune, a progressive green party).
So our challenge was to ‘translate Parma to the world’ by designing an identity that brought together the different elements of the city’s history, culture, and future even beyond 2020. We didn’t want our branding to appeal just to tourists, but also to the city’s residents: it had to be participatory, bringing together those who know nothing about Parma and those who have spent their entire lives there.
“We approached it like an Italian dish. You only need a few excellent ingredients to make a delicious meal, and the Italians know that better than anyone!”
An inclusive, empowering identity for the city of Parma
Simple yet strong elements arranged into an easy-to-use digital toolkit so that any layman can access a wide range of tools, assets, and resources. It’s not just about creating the resources – it’s about making them simple and accessible so that anyone can use them.
The creation of a design language centered on a few relatively straightforward elements, like the bespoke modern interpretation of the classic Bodoni font, the strong, striking cut-out P and the vibrant, cheerful yellow to represent the intersection of classical Italian culture, political progressivism, and a dynamic future.
The yellow of Parma is an immediately recognizable element of the city’s communications. ‘Yellow is the color of Parma,’ says designer Chris Merk, pointing out the yellow of Parma Calcio, the local football club, as well as the official color of the Comune di Parma’s coat of arms, not to mention the warm tones of the sun-washed sandstone in the evening sunlight.
The creation of a design language centered on a few relatively straightforward elements, like the bespoke modern interpretation of the classic Bodoni font, the strong, striking cut-out P and the vibrant, cheerful yellow to represent the intersection of classical Italian culture, political progressivism, and a dynamic future.
The yellow of Parma is an immediately recognizable element of the city’s communications. ‘Yellow is the color of Parma,’ says designer Chris Merk, pointing out the yellow of Parma Calcio, the local football club, as well as the official color of the Comune di Parma’s coat of arms, not to mention the warm tones of the sun-washed sandstone in the evening sunlight.
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