Introduction:
The brief I have chosen set by the ISTD is Milestones. Through unpacking the term ‘milestones’, one can arrive at two definitions: the first is of a stone set up beside a road to mark the distance in miles to a particular place and the second, a significant stage or event in the development of something or someone. I sought milestones in the automotive industry as I was influenced by physical connotations related to milestones and my passion for cars, and from here focusing on one brand as appose to an entire industry.
The brand I have chosen is Alfa Romeo, and the milestone is the centenary celebration of Alfa Romeo. Although founded in 1910 as A.L.F.A. (Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili), the company officially became known as Alfa Romeo only in 1915. The milestone draws emphasis on the emotive qualities of taking ownership of a car from Alfa Romeo and ergo, marks the target audience as Alfa Romeo owners and automotive enthusiasts as well as typographic and design appreciators.
Art Direction & Concept:
The publication is in the form of an A5 book that would accompany the owner’s manual in every Alfa Romeo produced in 2016, namely the new Alfa Romeo Giulia launching in 2016, which commences the reestablishment of the brand into a new direction. As a result, the book has a limited edition production run over one year and becomes a collector’s piece for the viewer that expresses the intimate relationship between man and machine and the idea of being apart of a family
The art direction is attune to that of the brand as it prides itself on Alfa’s tradition of sportiness and elegancy, as well as through design cues including highlights of Alfa’s red and a layout taking inspiration from car manuals of the past. The black and white photography is contrasted by the red typography and embellishments. Alfa Romeo symbols such as the Visconti serpent present in the Alfa Romeo logo and the Quadrifoglio Verde cloverleaf used as a distinctive symbol of their most prestegious and powerful cars are apparent.
My concept revolves around the appropriation in Alfa’s design language and identity over time. It explores the value of change as a key to progression and questions what remains and disappears through change. As Alfa Romeo’s evolve physically, the intangible spirit remains, that drivers are so often drawn to. The human element correlates with the heart and soul of the products, where the owner’s manual is being compared to the soul – the close companion providing morals and values; similar to those who are important in your life.
Typography:
The typography used is all taken into consideration and serves a purpose and a meaning. The front cover features the original Alfa Romeo marque used as a decal on the first production car’s grille – the Alfa 24HP in 1910. Headings and titles use the Alfa Romeo script typeface family in red to contrast with the black and white typography, designed by Alfaowner.com.
Numbering and sub-headings use the typeface Din (1451), designed by the German standards body DIN Deutsches Institut für Normung (German Institute for Standardization) in 1931. During this time Alfa gave birth to the Alfa Romeo 8C 2300, the famed sports car of the 1930s. It was Alfa’s primary sports model from 1931 to 1939.
The Din typeface became popular for use in road signage, and is still widely used today for this purpose. It is also used on car number plates in Germany and as the typeface for the Prussian-Hessian Railways Aministration. It’s use is therefore widely popular in the traffic and the transportation industry.
Around the inception of Alfa in the early 20th century, Futurism, launched by Filippo Marinetti, was the most influential style, with the application of slab seif design and appending serifs emerging. It rejected traditional forms and embraced energy and dynamism of modern technology.
The body copy makes us of Gill Sans, designed by Eric Gill, one of the influential type-designers within Futurism, in 1926 and further developed into a complete font family for Monotype after Stanley Morison commissioned it. Gill Sans is the typeface used across the British Railways, including the standard typeface on London and North Eastern railways (LNER) locomotive nameplates. During the incarnation of Gill Sans, Alfa Romeo was establishing themself in racing with the Alfa Romeo P2 and 8C and winning many championship titles.
Speed and dynamism were emphasised at this time, which is reflected in these typefaces.
