Even if the Azzurri in 2018 are hopelessly out of world competitions, what keeps Italy always in the Olympus of the famous international tournament is without a doubt Ciao, the mascot of Italia 90. Constantly resurrected, criticized, praised, the tricolor pinocchio that summed up the “notti magiche” in the summer of 1990, is still in our hearts.

Beyond the three-dimensional mascot, the visual communication of the 1990 Italian World Cup was a field for experimenting new languages ​​and choral design methods with the help of technologies. The visual identity of the Italian world championship offers an unequivocal testimony of a historical moment of strong momentum, of optimism, of confidence in success and in unconditional progress of a nation.

With a compilation of unpublished images, video clips and interviews Michele Galluzzo talks about the visual identity project of the Italia 90 World Cup, highlighting its influence on the national and international visual, cultural and social panorama, contrasts and gray areas hidden behind inexpressive mascots, animated logos, virtual three-dimensional scenarios, behind Schillaci and Moroder.

Michele Galluzzo: (Francavilla Fontana – Brindisi, 1985), after a degree in Communication Sciences, he attended the master’s degree course in Design and Communication for Publishing at the ISIA in Urbino, graduating in 2013 with the thesis The dialectic between graphics and industrial design in Italy: the Exhibition Design group. From 2014 to 2017 he was research assistant and designer in the Documentation Center on the AIAP Graphic Project in Milan and in 2018 he completed his PhD in Design Sciences at the IUAV in Venice with a survey entitled Are graphic designers always protagonists? Advertising in Italy 1965 – 1985 (prof. Carlo Vinti). Member of the editorial staff of “Graphic design: International graphic design magazine”, currently works in Milan as a graphic designer and researcher.