Paperzine - News

Matitegiovanotte is a young design and communications practice founded in Forlì in 1986 by Giovanni Pizzigati and Barbara Longiardi. The practice now comprises ten designers, art directors, copywriters and strategic planners, who work in marketing, communications, web and events for the public and private sectors, as well as non-profit organisations.
 
How did Matitegiovanotte start out and then grow?
Our original idea was to be a creative boutique serving other structured agencies: that immediately brought us into touch with situations and businesses that we would hardly have been able to reach otherwise. This approach increased the scope of our working relations and the networks that we found to be accessible to us and our message. That in turn enabled us to indulge in a series of cross-fertilisations in areas other than the ones typical of visual communications, so that we never really had a single profile, but across-the-board skills in design, communications, the web and events. Our added value is a “collective creativity” that develops in the course of the teamwork we use for every project we do.
 
How would you describe your approach to visual communications and how do the projects you do relate to each other?
We set out to create as many networks as possible between small, young and independent structures and to activate joint initiatives and partnerships. At the moment, we are working with the Ph5 Group of Faenza on the Rimini Trade Fair and for the ceramics industry; we are partnering with the Nologo Network of freelance professional practitioners on advertising and below the line projects; in the non-profit sector, we have been working with Romboli Associati for a year; in the area of web design, we have a love affair going with Simone Medri and Soluzioni, but there are other new practices springing up, too, such as LoZoodiVenere and Marketing Informatico. We are providing technical back-up to nelsegnodell'8 in Bergamo, which is organising the Web International Festival in Milan. In the area of architecture, GSA Associati is the source of plenty of ideas and has us involved in the Angelo Grassi events with La Fabbrica and with Gianluca Naftalina Camporesi for videos. We are involved in lots of projects and all of them are interesting.
You will not have any difficulty understanding that we are firm believers in the strength of relationships and of reciprocal visibility. That means that everyone’s contribution is transparent for everyone else, including the client. The most important example for us is the project for the Romagna Creative District, which offers a starting point for helping us, getting to know us and working. So far, we have 480 members registered and, sincerely, the profiles we have and the quality of their experience mean that we would really like to involve all of them in our work.
 
Matitegiovanotte means widespread creativity. What philosophy stands behind that claim?
I believe that our main philosophy is that today, nearly twenty-five years down the road since we started out, we still enjoy doing what we do and learning all the time. What you notice immediately if you visit us in Forlì is the positive energy that we pour into relating with people and into our design work, which is always shared and common ground. Several people have told us that the office feels more like a home than an agency... and that is very important to us.
 
www.matitegiovanotte.it