The latest project promoted by Italian-based W2P specialist Pixartprinting as part of its content creation strategy involves an unusual tour of Milan, in search of the city's historic signs.
The company - now calling itself an Upload&Print leader - is continuing its quest to produce non-commercial content to spread the word on topics related to the world of design, printing and graphic design. The Milan Re-Tale page provides visitors with a visual itinerary that takes them on a "typographical shopping trip", illustrating the variety of styles and the creativity involved in producing the ancient signs for the city's shops and boutiques.
From 19th-century embellishment to art nouveau typefaces, and from refined golden letters to the work of old sign painters, the 30 shots by photographer Marco Valmarana combine to produce an absorbing piece of visual storytelling. These artefacts, perfectly preserved, represent one of Italy's fortes from a bygone age, and help give modern, cosmopolitan Milan its character.
And it is not just the shops emblazoned with lettering that feature in Milan Re-Tale: the owners are also shown in the images, standing in front of their shop windows and bearing witness to the amount of passion for the business passed down through the generations. Each photo is accompanied by a tale that reveals interesting facts, such as, for example, the origins of the oldest bookshop in Italy or the bar where the first house aperitif was invented.
“Signs are important pieces of cultural and aesthetic heritage for cities. Through the Milan Re-Tale project we wanted to create a meeting point between a past which is still strongly imprinted in the collective imagination and the vibrancy of contemporary creativity," said Andrea Pizzola, sales and marketing director at Pixartprinting. “Today the visual communication used by retail outlets has abandoned artisan methods in favour of industrial production techniques. But the design element can still draw on the immense historic expertise we have narrated in this project.”
As well as iconic Milanese food and wine venues such as Bar Magenta, the Peck delicatessen and the Cova patisserie, to name but a few, Milan Re-Tale also pays homage to historic signs that recall the art of printing. The Bocca bookstore, the Fratelli Bonvini printers and stationery shop, the Pettinaroli stationers, which also does printing and binding, and the Centenari art print shop epitomise the tradition of a business which has evolved thanks to technological innovation, and where Pixartprinting is now the European leader.
"Within our holistic strategy our content marketing activities are receiving a lot of positive feedback from users, and are helping with engagement and retention" added Davide Turatti, digital marketing manager at Pixartprinting.