Voices

“In a world saturated with images, sound is one of the most powerful attention triggers—even with eyes closed,” begins Enrico Giaretta, musician, composer (or rather, “cantaviatore”) and Sonic Brand Director at Inarea. After various experiences with overseas agencies, Giaretta brings to Inarea a unique approach to sound design, centered around a core concept: a ‘pure sound source’ as the foundation for multiple outputs. The goal is to provide the brand with a communication tool that seamlessly integrates into its identity world, much like a symphony. In general, creating a sound is not complex; what is challenging is crafting one that can integrate across all levels and forms of corporate communication. It’s similar to the red used by Valentino Garavani, which, regardless of the garment it’s applied to, is always associated with the designer. How is a brand’s sonic identity built? “Once we understand the content, values, and meanings associated with a brand, as well as its existing sonic elements and characteristic phonemes,” Giaretta continues, “we then identify the physical and digital touchpoints where the brand can be perceived. For example, sounds below 80 Hz are not audible on all mobile devices, while in environments like a stadium, frequencies can drop well below 80 Hz. Next, we define the brand’s sonic DNA: that unique and recognizable source that allows the brand to be instantly associated with its sound. For example, the sound essence of Banca Ifis is characterized by a “glissando” that recalls its payoff “the value of growing together.” For Bauli, we selected the A3 note (at 440 Hz), the tuning reference for nearly all instruments, which we associated with the animation of the letter “i” at the end of the sound logo.” The sound logo is usually less than two seconds long. The shorter and more essential it is, the more effective and memorable it becomes, and consequently, the more enduring over time. Towards a Sonic Future: Inarea’s Musical Alphabet If words are increasingly intertwined with sound, and sound itself is deeply connected to perception—since the human brain reacts more quickly to auditory stimuli than any other, interpreting a sound in just 0.146 seconds—then the next step could be enabling a brand’s communication through music alone. With this goal in mind, at Inarea, we are developing the concept of a “sound alphabet,” which assigns a musical note to each letter, creating a universal language. This is a pervasive and engaging tool that, starting from a simple identifying sound cell, can transform into small melodies and even into complex brand themes. A prime example of this is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which emerges from the evolution of a simple rhythmic cell composed of just four notes.

With a poetic and ironic language, the Inarea Calendar has been capturing contemporary themes for over thirty years, addressing topics such as sustainability and interpreting aspects of everyday life, from our relationship with pets to the tools of various trades—contrasting with the unstoppable digital dematerialization. Yet, despite its ability to be a synthesis of thought and lightness in expression, the Calendar’s production process is anything but simple: each edition involves approximately seventy preparatory sketches, thirty semi-final drawings with material indications, over twenty mock-ups to be photographed, numerous photo shoots with post-production (cut-outs, retouching, two or three layout proposals, and print tests), as well as packaging and shipping. The theme is conceived at the beginning of the year to be released at the end of the same year. A dedicated team of around ten designers, the same ones year after year, ensures continuity and depth of understanding in this complex project. If in 1991, the first Calendar was sent to approximately 1,500 people, by its twenty-fifth edition in 2016, it had reached 16,000 recipients worldwide. Irony and Surprise: The Secret Ingredients of the Calendar The Inarea Calendar pursues an uncompromising standard of quality, reflected in its format (48.5×34 cm), white background, and high-end typographic printing. “Surprise is its key element,” says Monica Solimeno, Project Director at Inarea, who has been overseeing the project for over fifteen years. “The unexpected effect comes from semiotic play and the decontextualization of everyday materials in the creation of each subject. The figures emerge from the formal correspondence with these materials or from the composition of multiple elements. The more essential the shape, the more effective the result. This visual language is rooted in a systematic communication method, first developed in the 1980s, which organizes images through ready-made abstraction. The Calendar embodies synthesis, essentiality, and meticulous attention to detail—qualities that form the very DNA of Inarea and its interdisciplinary approach (known as plural design). For example, despite the different visual outcomes, the essential shape of the tulip in the Sara Assicurazioni logo follows a similar use of metaphor and sign abstraction, surpassing the conventional language of its industry. How Can the Calendar Evolve? Considering that in over three decades, the Inarea Calendar has built a strong and loyal following, can this project be reinterpreted through new tools without losing its identity? If the mock-ups are still crafted by hand, could artificial intelligence assist in this phase or facilitate the creative layout process? “A few years ago,” Solimeno continues, “we experimented with objects like mugs and placemats featuring some of the calendar subjects. However, these designs live best on a white background, printed on high-quality paper with top-tier typography. Transferring them onto plastic supports did not yield the same result.” The only successful adaptations outside of the Calendar itself have been notebooks and shopping bags, where the use of paper preserved the quality and visual impact. Recently, an app was launched to showcase 34 years of work. For now, it serves as an image repository, but it has the potential to create an interactive and immersive experience for users—something that cannot be achieved on paper—thus bridging the gap with younger, digitally connected generations. More than three decades of Calendar production have generated a vast archive of sketches, discarded subjects, work-in-progress mock-ups, and both analog and digital photographs. A creative treasure trove that retains its ironic and playful essence, offering endless possibilities for new associations and interactions. Once again, everything is already there—just waiting to be rediscovered. SCOPRI I CALENDARI DI INAREA