Emanuela Fanny Bonini Lessing | Università Iuav di Venezia (original) (raw)

Papers and chapters by Emanuela Fanny Bonini Lessing

Advances in Design and Digital Communication IV. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Design and Digital Communication, Digicom 2023, November 9–11, 2023, Barcelos, Portugal, 2023

The paper presents the findings of anextended research study into the status of the digitisation ... more The paper presents the findings of anextended research study into the status of the digitisation of items concerning pre-digital typographic techniques and technologies, to be found in Italian museums.
The paper explores: (1) the cultural context and the relevance of the topic with regard to the renewed interest in long-neglected typographic forms and sources; (2) what is meant by ‘typographic items’ and their digitisation (archiving and display); (3) what the corpus of typographic museums we have taken into consideration is, namely the Italian Association of Printing and Paper Museums; (4) the methodology that was implemented to define the type of digitisation of items and the accessibility of the digitised files to museum staff and/or external users; (5) the possibility of expanding the research framework, by including other actors – other museums not belonging to the Association and the many printing workshops scattered across the country, which have saved traditional printing equipment and supplies with the intent in part to preserve their historical value, but primarily for their functions and the possibility of bringing them back into use. (6) Some final remarks, including a comparative study of the Italian case studies and others in Europe.

Lessons to Learn? Past Design Experiences and Contemporary Design Practices Proceedings of the ICDHS, 2020

There is a renewed interest today, in Italy and abroad, towards forms of typography and publishin... more There is a renewed interest today, in Italy and abroad, towards forms of typography and publishing tightly linked to the revival of pre-digital tools and techniques (Bonini Lessing, Bulegato & Farias, 2019). Over the past thirty years, the instantaneous speed of mass production made possible by digital technologies has been accompanied , almost as a natural counterpoint, by the interest of producers , designers and users in rediscovering manual production and the material, aesthetic and sensory qualities of short-run or custom-printed artefacts. This 'rediscovery' was, to a great extent, motivated by an appreciation for craftsmanship, that is, for the skill required to make things by hand, but also for the imprecision inherent in the techniques used. It is also linked to the emergence of more selective and competent consumers, supporters of 'slow' consumption practices, custom-made goods, and of issues such as sustainability, ethics, and respect for tradition. As we will see, this revival was fuelled both by the interest of design historians and theorists in original or long-neglected forms and sources, and by the interest of designers and printers in collecting and reviving typefaces, presses and tools for typesetting by hand, papers and Print culture, typography, graphic memory In the early decades of the twenty-first century, parallel to digital technology developments and growing concern about sustainability, design literature recorded a renewed interest in early typographic practices, such as letterpress printing, handmade paper and binding, and short-run editions. This interest materialised in various ways: the digital revival of historical typefaces; 3d printing of physical type; 'independent' letterpress printers; and archives, collections and museums dedicated to type and typography. This state of affairs provided new perspectives and concerns for design as a field responsible, among other things, for the conception and production of printed artefacts. It also posed a call for new ways of capturing and describing the multiple aspects of typographic culture and history. One of the main sites where typography developed historically in Europe, is the city of Venice and the Veneto region, where pioneer letterpress printers and type designers, such as Aldo Manuzio and Francesco Griffo, as well as important binders, paper mills and ink manufacturers have worked since the fifteenth century. This article presents and discusses the results of a research project that examined how design studies and methods can contribute to a better understanding and to the preservation of typographic heritage in Italy.

Papers by Emanuela Fanny Bonini Lessing

InfoDesign - Revista Brasileira de Design da Informação, 2019

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: they are all users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to visually coordinate the sometimes contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: they are all users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to visually coordinate the sometimes contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities

MD journal, 2019

«Da tutte queste cose emerge una forma del tempo, si delinea un tratto visibile dell'identità col... more «Da tutte queste cose emerge una forma del tempo, si delinea un tratto visibile dell'identità collettiva, sia essa tribù, classe o nazione. Questo autoritratto riflesso nelle cose serve al gruppo come guida e punto di riferimento per il futuro e diviene finalmente il ritratto tramandato ai posteri».

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: all of them are users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to coordinate the often contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities. The graphic design process includes:-focus on specific local needs (what has to be improved)-highlight on addressees of the design project (communication targets): i.e. inhabitants and/or foreign investors, tourists, etc.-design out put that, according to the previous steps, may include a range of products, from way finding system (integrating i.e. public transport, pedestrian walks, monuments' signage), to social and civic campaign encouraging some habits-like cultural integration (i.e through posters and flyers)-, to place branding campaign (touristic promotion abroad), etc. As result, graphic design can contribute to reinforce and rationalize the offer of local services. This affects the way people perceive opportunities and what use they make of public spaces. Best achievements are reached when the graphic design process is integrated to urban design and urban planning strategies. A selection of case studies and best practices will be shown. Some Western European cities like Bristol, Amsterdam and Berlin have recently adopted a combination of urban-and communication design strategies. Even if the cultural, economical and historical background of these cities is very different than that of Tirana, these case histories may offer interesting methodologies to the need of an increment of local services' offer and welfare. 2 INTRODUCTION Graphic design shapes the relationship among entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and investors are specific categories of entities: they are players in the urban context. Graphic design (also called in a wider meaning visual design or communication design) can be a useful tool to coordinate the often contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards an increment of the use of public services and facilities. Public design and info-design are the two branches of graphic design whose task is to draw the form of communication among different types of players in a city or in a territory. On the one hand, the aim of public design is that of communicating which services are available and how to use them (i.e. when, where, etc.) to a large audience-possibly all city users. On the other one, info-design aims at giving the most suitable form to the content, according to the category of users (i.e. young or elderly people, natives or foreigners), their needs (how and when getting the information), etc. Both of them are basically two top-down communication actions: from those who decide polices and provide services to the users.

Team PI: Emanuela Bonini Lessing (IUAV-University of Venice) CI: Andrea Facchetti; Simona Morini,... more Team PI: Emanuela Bonini Lessing (IUAV-University of Venice) CI: Andrea Facchetti; Simona Morini, Sara Dotto, Giovanni Fiamminghi, Luisa Tuttolomondo, Maurizio Pioletti, Adriano Cancellieri, Micol Roversi Monaco, Giulia Cantaluppi, Giacomo Zonta (IUAV University of Venice); Fabio Vanin, Marta De Marchi, Roberto Genna, Marco Ranzato, Olivia Casagrande, Chiara Ferronato, Marta Finotello, Thomas Stefani (Latitude); Daniel Achutti, Cristiane Fagundes de Oliveira, Fiammetta Bonfigli, Marcos Catalan (Centro Universitário La Salle – Unilasalle)

Al centro di questo libro è posta una riflessione sui caratteri che i paesaggi delle aree deltizi... more Al centro di questo libro è posta una riflessione sui caratteri che i paesaggi delle aree deltizie europee assumono oggi, in un difficile rapporto tra strategie di sviluppo e condizioni di fragilità. Entro questa riflessione, ad essere messi a confronto sono differenti saperi e ...

Advances in Design and Digital Communication IV. Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Design and Digital Communication, Digicom 2023, November 9–11, 2023, Barcelos, Portugal, 2023

The paper presents the findings of anextended research study into the status of the digitisation ... more The paper presents the findings of anextended research study into the status of the digitisation of items concerning pre-digital typographic techniques and technologies, to be found in Italian museums.
The paper explores: (1) the cultural context and the relevance of the topic with regard to the renewed interest in long-neglected typographic forms and sources; (2) what is meant by ‘typographic items’ and their digitisation (archiving and display); (3) what the corpus of typographic museums we have taken into consideration is, namely the Italian Association of Printing and Paper Museums; (4) the methodology that was implemented to define the type of digitisation of items and the accessibility of the digitised files to museum staff and/or external users; (5) the possibility of expanding the research framework, by including other actors – other museums not belonging to the Association and the many printing workshops scattered across the country, which have saved traditional printing equipment and supplies with the intent in part to preserve their historical value, but primarily for their functions and the possibility of bringing them back into use. (6) Some final remarks, including a comparative study of the Italian case studies and others in Europe.

Lessons to Learn? Past Design Experiences and Contemporary Design Practices Proceedings of the ICDHS, 2020

There is a renewed interest today, in Italy and abroad, towards forms of typography and publishin... more There is a renewed interest today, in Italy and abroad, towards forms of typography and publishing tightly linked to the revival of pre-digital tools and techniques (Bonini Lessing, Bulegato & Farias, 2019). Over the past thirty years, the instantaneous speed of mass production made possible by digital technologies has been accompanied , almost as a natural counterpoint, by the interest of producers , designers and users in rediscovering manual production and the material, aesthetic and sensory qualities of short-run or custom-printed artefacts. This 'rediscovery' was, to a great extent, motivated by an appreciation for craftsmanship, that is, for the skill required to make things by hand, but also for the imprecision inherent in the techniques used. It is also linked to the emergence of more selective and competent consumers, supporters of 'slow' consumption practices, custom-made goods, and of issues such as sustainability, ethics, and respect for tradition. As we will see, this revival was fuelled both by the interest of design historians and theorists in original or long-neglected forms and sources, and by the interest of designers and printers in collecting and reviving typefaces, presses and tools for typesetting by hand, papers and Print culture, typography, graphic memory In the early decades of the twenty-first century, parallel to digital technology developments and growing concern about sustainability, design literature recorded a renewed interest in early typographic practices, such as letterpress printing, handmade paper and binding, and short-run editions. This interest materialised in various ways: the digital revival of historical typefaces; 3d printing of physical type; 'independent' letterpress printers; and archives, collections and museums dedicated to type and typography. This state of affairs provided new perspectives and concerns for design as a field responsible, among other things, for the conception and production of printed artefacts. It also posed a call for new ways of capturing and describing the multiple aspects of typographic culture and history. One of the main sites where typography developed historically in Europe, is the city of Venice and the Veneto region, where pioneer letterpress printers and type designers, such as Aldo Manuzio and Francesco Griffo, as well as important binders, paper mills and ink manufacturers have worked since the fifteenth century. This article presents and discusses the results of a research project that examined how design studies and methods can contribute to a better understanding and to the preservation of typographic heritage in Italy.

InfoDesign - Revista Brasileira de Design da Informação, 2019

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: they are all users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to visually coordinate the sometimes contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: they are all users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to visually coordinate the sometimes contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities

MD journal, 2019

«Da tutte queste cose emerge una forma del tempo, si delinea un tratto visibile dell'identità col... more «Da tutte queste cose emerge una forma del tempo, si delinea un tratto visibile dell'identità collettiva, sia essa tribù, classe o nazione. Questo autoritratto riflesso nelle cose serve al gruppo come guida e punto di riferimento per il futuro e diviene finalmente il ritratto tramandato ai posteri».

Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrato... more Graphic design draws the form of the interaction among different entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and local investors are specific categories of entities: all of them are users (sometimes also providers) of urban services. Graphic design is a useful tool to coordinate the often contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards the use of public services and facilities. The graphic design process includes:-focus on specific local needs (what has to be improved)-highlight on addressees of the design project (communication targets): i.e. inhabitants and/or foreign investors, tourists, etc.-design out put that, according to the previous steps, may include a range of products, from way finding system (integrating i.e. public transport, pedestrian walks, monuments' signage), to social and civic campaign encouraging some habits-like cultural integration (i.e through posters and flyers)-, to place branding campaign (touristic promotion abroad), etc. As result, graphic design can contribute to reinforce and rationalize the offer of local services. This affects the way people perceive opportunities and what use they make of public spaces. Best achievements are reached when the graphic design process is integrated to urban design and urban planning strategies. A selection of case studies and best practices will be shown. Some Western European cities like Bristol, Amsterdam and Berlin have recently adopted a combination of urban-and communication design strategies. Even if the cultural, economical and historical background of these cities is very different than that of Tirana, these case histories may offer interesting methodologies to the need of an increment of local services' offer and welfare. 2 INTRODUCTION Graphic design shapes the relationship among entities. Citizens, administrators, institutions and investors are specific categories of entities: they are players in the urban context. Graphic design (also called in a wider meaning visual design or communication design) can be a useful tool to coordinate the often contrasting interests of city users and stakeholders towards an increment of the use of public services and facilities. Public design and info-design are the two branches of graphic design whose task is to draw the form of communication among different types of players in a city or in a territory. On the one hand, the aim of public design is that of communicating which services are available and how to use them (i.e. when, where, etc.) to a large audience-possibly all city users. On the other one, info-design aims at giving the most suitable form to the content, according to the category of users (i.e. young or elderly people, natives or foreigners), their needs (how and when getting the information), etc. Both of them are basically two top-down communication actions: from those who decide polices and provide services to the users.

Team PI: Emanuela Bonini Lessing (IUAV-University of Venice) CI: Andrea Facchetti; Simona Morini,... more Team PI: Emanuela Bonini Lessing (IUAV-University of Venice) CI: Andrea Facchetti; Simona Morini, Sara Dotto, Giovanni Fiamminghi, Luisa Tuttolomondo, Maurizio Pioletti, Adriano Cancellieri, Micol Roversi Monaco, Giulia Cantaluppi, Giacomo Zonta (IUAV University of Venice); Fabio Vanin, Marta De Marchi, Roberto Genna, Marco Ranzato, Olivia Casagrande, Chiara Ferronato, Marta Finotello, Thomas Stefani (Latitude); Daniel Achutti, Cristiane Fagundes de Oliveira, Fiammetta Bonfigli, Marcos Catalan (Centro Universitário La Salle – Unilasalle)

Al centro di questo libro è posta una riflessione sui caratteri che i paesaggi delle aree deltizi... more Al centro di questo libro è posta una riflessione sui caratteri che i paesaggi delle aree deltizie europee assumono oggi, in un difficile rapporto tra strategie di sviluppo e condizioni di fragilità. Entro questa riflessione, ad essere messi a confronto sono differenti saperi e ...

Il libro indaga i modi per aggiornare il valore culturale e sociale, oltre che economico, degli a... more Il libro indaga i modi per aggiornare il valore culturale e sociale, oltre che economico, degli artefatti editoriali di piccola tiratura, ottenuti dalla riattivazione di strumenti e tecniche predigitali, inserite in un processo che combina l\u2019impiego del digitale e dell\u2019analogico.Non si tratta per\uf2 di un mero ritorno al passato. La riscoperta e riattualizzazione, in Italia come all\u2019estero, delle raccolte di caratteri tipografici, di carte a tiratura limitata e di rilegature artigianali da riportare in uso nella produzione corrente, pongono al design questioni sia di carattere storico e teorico sia di ordine progettuale e produttivo. Ad accomunare storici e progettisti, esigenze di tipo culturale e commerciale, vi \ue8 la necessit\ue0 di pensare a nuove forme di accessibilit\ue0 delle informazioni contenute in raccolte e archivi tipografici, spesso frammentati nel territorio e per la maggior parte in possesso di privati. I temi trattati si basano sugli esiti del progetto FSE - Regione del Veneto: Processi editoriali e innovazione 4.0: recuperare valore attraverso la sinergia fra analogico e digital

Back to the future. The future in the past : ICDHS 10th+1 Barcelona 2018: conference proceedings book, 2018, ISBN 9788491681717, págs. 328-332, 2018

In 1987, Universit\ue0 Iuav di Venezia instituted the Archivio Progetti to conserve materials reg... more In 1987, Universit\ue0 Iuav di Venezia instituted the Archivio Progetti to conserve materials regarding Italian architects and designers. Since 2001 it has offered undergraduate and graduate programmes in product and visual communication design which, like other Italian universities, separates the teaching of design history from the studios that teach design. Between 2014 and 2016, the editorial design studio experimented with a different approach, using a project to design magazines dedicated to contemporary design culture to encourage research into Italian design, relying on the materials from the Archivio Progetti. The students were given a double role as designers and \u201cproducers\u201d of historical research. This paper illustrates the core methodology, which was effective in raising the students\u2019 awareness of the indivisibility between content and editorial appearance, of the questions involved in using materials from the past and the value of a document that bears witness to a specific cultural context. The experience has also served as a stimulus, leading students to consider the possibility of studying design history though Italy has no specific university programmes in this field. It also involved the Archivio Progetti in an effort to cultivate its heritage with a more contemporary perspective, by integrating teaching and research