detail of ‘fratelli in italia’ poster by leonardo sonnoli leonardo sonnoli interview

italian graphic designer leonardo sonnoli talks to designboom about his typography and poster designs.

DB: could you tell us briefly about your background? LS: I received my masters degree in graphic design from the isia of urbino, italy. in 2005 I became a partner of tassinari / vetta studio where I started as intern. there are 4 people working at the main office in trieste and myself and one other person working from a small office in rimini.

whats a typical day at your studio? me and my collaborator irene start at 9AM. around 11AM we take a break to drink an espresso (on the rocks in the summer) at a local cafe. at 1PM we have lunch for about half-an-hour and it’s normally 9pm when we stop working.

how would you describe your design process? finding the answer to a question, often this answer references works of the past… it’s connected to the history of graphic design and inspired by the modern and contemporary art. in a special way there is a link to futurism, conceptual art and the dada movement.

many of your works involve experimental / non conventional typography, how important for you is legibility over creating something that’s visually intriguing? it all depends on the medium and the context. I’m interested in crossing the borders of readability if the letters take on extra or different meanings.

are any of your typeface designs commercially available? no, because I only really design display fonts that are used once, to translate specific content. it doesn’t make much sense for other people to use them for something else.

leonardo sonnoli interview ‘fratelli in italia’ poster

leonardo sonnoli interview riviera di rimini identity

leonardo sonnoli interview riviera di rimini identity

leonardo sonnoli interview riviera di rimini identity

leonardo sonnoli interview ’20th chaumont festival of graphic design posters’ poster

leonardo sonnoli interview variations of the ’20th chaumont festival of graphic design posters’ poster

leonardo sonnoli interview editorial image for an article on biotechnology in the new york times T magazine

 

leonardo sonnoli interview book review cover for the new york times

leonardo sonnoli interview

identity for the napoli theater festival

leonardo sonnoli interview

posters for the napoli theater festival (2008)

leonardo sonnoli interview

leonardo sonnoli interview

leonardo sonnoli interview

posters for the napoli theater festival (2009)

leonardo sonnoli interview posters for the napoli theater festival (2009)

leonardo sonnoli interview posters for the napoli theater festival (2010)

leonardo sonnoli interview leonardo sonnoli

you have designed many posters – how do you see the future of this medium? it’s still alive and in good health. recently I started developing some digital, animated versions of my posters.

how do you approach a poster project? first it’s important to understand the main theme and think of a strong sign / image to communicate it. it should have impact, so that it’s possible to understand the message from far away. after that I concentrate on the secondary info that can only be read from close up.

besides design what do you have a passion for? my sons, books, art, sleeping and teaching.

what piece of advice should every designer remember? don’t listen to any piece of advice.

what piece of advice should every designer ignore? don’t listen to any piece of advice.