archivio.com

Not just magazines

During my time with the Promemoria Group, I had the opportunity to work as an editorial graphic designer on Archivio magazine for issues 5 to 8 – plus a special issue – under the artistic direction of studio òbelo (÷) and Alice Guarnieri. However, the magazine had to end up on the internet with the creation of archivio.com. This online editorial space was to be in visual continuity with the magazine, but at the same time maintain its own autonomy and visual independence. As the main continuity, it was decided to keep the colours of the magazine, as they changed with the different issues of the magazine, and to create a visual structure reminiscent of the cover of Archivio.

Layering

The header of the website behaves similarly in layout to that of the magazine: ‘archivio.com’ is at the top, albeit in the background compared to the main body of the website. In this way, the main content block flows over the header as if it were floating above the other elements. All navigational aspects of the website, such as the header, menu and footer, have been kept in the background. This makes the main content stand out more, as it’s the focus and foreground compared to everything else.

The eye and the mouth

For the communication of the archivio.com website, I created new visual elements that allow greater visual independence than the magazine: an eye and a mouth. Then I animated the two symbols by first making them interactive with Processing (Python language) and then adapting them for the website with p5.js. These two elements respond to mouse movements – in the form of horizontal movements – and to clicks of user interaction. The Promemoria Group’s web development team, which was responsible for the backend and frontend of the website, then integrated these codes into the respective areas for which they were intended.

More than just icons

The visual elements of the eye and mouth serve as distinct logos that identify the two sections of the site, named ‘Think‘ and ‘Desire‘. These icons are carefully crafted to provide a striking visual metaphor for the concepts they represent, while subtly connecting themselves to the sensory experience.