Faces of true Venice
Basic information
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Full project title
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Project Description
'Faces of true Venice' is a dynamic identity system designed for the city of Venice with the goal to fight overtourism and to encourage the average tourist to adopt a more conscious and sustainable behavior. The identity system is based on Venice unique architecture: all the experiences that Venice has to offer to the tourist are paired to a part of the human face. The project explores different mediums: form the planning of the trip online to the communication scattered around the city.
Geographical Scope
Project Region
Urban or rural issues
Physical or other transformations
EU Programme or fund
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Description of the project
Summary
By looking away from the map and ignoring the more traditional routes, tourists can get lost in the true authenticity of Venice and meet the different faces that make up the vibrant mosaic of the city.
The past of the Serenissima, the stories of its inhabitants and its ancient legends are preserved in every corner of the city (walls, doors, buildings...) and they are waiting for someone eager to know them. Venice and its thousand faces, fragile but fascinating, continue to live on in its architecture, in the traditional crafts and in the memory of its inhabitants, custodians of a long tradition that continues to live and evolve.
We created dynamic identity that attribute a part of the human face to every authentic aspect of Venice, bringing the tourists back to a state of awareness of his own actions and offering them all the activities they needs to enjoy the authenticity of Venice to the full.
According to Carnival tradition, masks show the true nature of the evil forces within the human being. We want to show the beneficial forces of this centre of life and culture and reveal its secrets. A 'face to face' between the tourist and the city's most hidden traits that will awaken curiosity and enrich the experience of travelling, which is often sacrificed by the rush of time.
The project is part of a bachelor thesis in which we thoroughly investigated the past, the present and the future of tourism in Venice and we came up with a solution that, thanks to the mediums of communication, can be a future example of sustainable tourism in highly visited areas. By showing the secrets of the city, we want tourists to learn how to appreciate them and respect them, as they need protection.
The project includes a full basic concept, developed in different areas of graphic communication, such as on-line and in-life communication, UX-UI, advertising to increase awareness of the situation and physical material to guide the tourists in their visit.
Key objectives for sustainability
Sustainability is one of the key principles on which our project is based.
Our aim is to promote a respectful behaviour towards the Venetian territory and its population.
Learning to adopt more sustainable methods is not only important for the fate of Venice - that seems to be crushed under the effects of overtourism - but these norms should be assimilated by every individual in order to guarantee the survival of the foreign ecosystem we plan to visit.
This is why it is also important to talk about sustainable tourism, a sector that is often left out of the discussion.
Venice goes beyond the polished and glorious image that everybody is aware of. Venice also has a fragile, serene and welcoming side, waiting for some off-course tourists to assimilate it and enrich it with their point of view.
The incomparable value of Venice is its culture and tradition, but also the authenticity of the habits of its citizens and their hospitality which is profoundly conditioned by tourism. The uniqueness of this city on the water and its rich past can still be felt along the streets and canals, but it tends towards a poetic decadence.
Venice has a thousand of hidden faces, intimidated by the attitude of those who want everything and who want it now.
But tourism should not be blamed for this, as it represents a great opportunity for Venetians to appreciate the uniqueness of this city through the eyes of a stranger.
All this can be achieved with mutual respect and information. We want tourists to learn about the beauty, but also about the fragility of Venice. We want people to carefully observe, listen and ask questions, without forgetting to reflect on the impact of their actions and on the importance of the experience they are making.
Key objectives for aesthetics and quality
Starting from the symbols that are scattered around the city, we built an identity system which includes the main aspects of graphic communication.
We started from shapes, symbols and silhouettes that you can find while exploring the streets, the canals, the buildings and the walls in detail, until we came up with a series of signs that resemble the characteristics of the human face.
The face includes eyebrows, eyes, ears, nose and mouth, essential elements for the process of perception and expression. Each of the parts is linked to a task and consequently to an action, which symbolizes the many experiences Venice has to offer.
Tourists from all over the world can engage in the life of the city of Venice by interacting with its culture and its citizens. In order to guarantee that, we studied a system of symbols that are linked to 5 categories of physical perception: Reflect, Observe, Taste, Breathe and Listen.
REFLECT
Symbolized by the eyebrows: we used the verb "to reflect" as a title to represent the concept of total immersion in the experience, with a focus on understanding the most suitable behaviours in order to maintain a respectful attitude towards the city.
OBSERVE
Symbolized by the eyes: we used the verb "to observe" to invite the people to penetrate deep into the true essence of the city and to not be superficial.
TASTE
Symbolized by the mouth: we used the verb "to taste" to invite to explore the genuineness of Venetian products and traditions.
BREATHE
Symbolized by the nose: we used the verb "to breathe" to propose an unforgettable experience by exploring the hidden sides of the city and by "poking your nose" into details that will create unique memories.
LISTEN
Symbolized by the ears: we invite tourists to perceive the real soul of Venice and what is the right way to by hearing the voice of the inhabitants, the wisdom of the real Venetians.
Key objectives for inclusion
We want to offer to every tourist of the world the equal opportunity to learn about the situation in Venice and to plan their visit considering the matter of sustainability. During our researches, we have identified the major platforms that travellers refer to when booking a holiday - with a focus on holidays in Venice - in order to position the new brand and to bring awareness to every individual that shows desire to plan a visit, both online and offline.
An official platform will be created, that will provide useful information about sustainable transports, local accomodations, touristic seasonal peaks, main attractions and a wide choice of tours that will help the influx of tourists to spread all around the urban space.
We also designed a signage system for the city that doesn't refer to tourists with written words, but through graphic symbols that will guide them to new routes. The purpose is to avoid the creation of touristic hot spots and to facilitate the flow of people in the narrow Venetian streets.
Physical or other transformations
Innovative character
During our researches we listen carefully to the people of Venice, we talked about their desires and their opinions towards tourism and we tried our best to represent their voices.
They told us the typical mistakes that tourists do in Venice and together we come up with many solutions to avoid disrespectful behaviors towards the city and its inhabitants. By finding a way to inform tourists before their travel and by reminding them during the trip that their actions will have a reaction, we will be able to improve the quality of life of Venice citizens and the experience of the tourist as well. Thanks to information, not only the city will be protected, but tourists will also learn about the delicacy and the beauty of Venice and about the impact of their visit.
