Contaminated creativity: working with global brands and interdisciplinary talents

Your work often becomes part of pre-existing projects, contributing supporting visual outputs. In these cases, how do you manage to maintain a certain level of creative freedom to express your style at its best?

By definition, every project is framed by theoretical and stylistic concepts defined by the creative direction. However, within this aesthetic and conceptual framework, there's always room for a distinctive interpretative twist—something that leaves a mark. In general, the “treatment” is the direct expression of the studio’s stylistic and narrative vision, applied to creative concepts that originate from agency briefs or directly from the client. Any references or inspirations are filtered through the team's visual culture and artistic sensibility. Personal ideas and stylistic elements are then shaped and adapted to suit the project, enhancing and enriching the existing creative direction.

Your videos clearly showcase a blend of different components working together—from storyboarding and object design, to 3D modeling, 2D/3D animation, and sound design. Is your team made up of multidisciplinary professionals? What’s the production process that allows such diverse talents to collaborate effectively?

Our team includes professionals with different levels of experience and specialization who, despite coming from varied backgrounds, are able to contribute harmoniously on both creative and technical levels. Depending on the complexity of the project—as well as personal aptitudes—each phase is overseen by the most suitable team member: some focus on production, others specialize in modeling, animation, or visual look development, and some are generalists. Production becomes a real team game, where the ball is passed between players across the many stages of development until final delivery. Creative direction plays a crucial role, acting as both glue and quality seal to ensure a consistent, coherent result. More often than not, the diversity that each team member brings to the table leads to unexpected insights, enabling us to explore approaches and techniques that might otherwise remain undiscovered.

Do you prefer to create abstract or more concrete outputs? And why?

Both realms—despite their apparent differences—are equally fascinating. Whether working with realistic or abstract worlds, each has its own complexities and limitations, with strengths and weaknesses that often complement each other. A concrete visual narrative must be rich in detail and realism, but still maintain a touch of that graphic "magic" that adds emotional value. A good example from our portfolio is the video we created for the H-3 lamp: a real product with tangible material qualities, yet told in a poetically abstract way. On the other hand, abstraction, to be truly effective, needs to hint at something real—photorealistic lighting, believable materials, interactions that follow the laws of physics. The opening titles we produced for the 2019 Digital Design Days are examples of abstract forms given a tangible plasticity. As often happens, we don't work in purely isolated territories, but rather in border zones, where varying levels of hybridization occur.

You’re currently collaborating with some of the most important and exciting agencies and brands on a global scale. What’s the most inspiring aspect of these collaborations?

Working side by side with top-tier agencies and globally renowned brands definitely adds great value, especially due to the visibility and impact of what we build together. But perhaps the most exciting aspect is the creative cross-pollination: when there’s real chemistry between teams, each one elevates the others, exponentially raising the quality of the final outcome.

3D is becoming increasingly prominent in both graphic and general design, evolving into a field that requires deep specialization. How do you see the future of 3D in design?

AI-driven image and video generation tools are gradually reshaping how 3D software and traditional production methods are used. The future is therefore not so much about the tools—which are constantly evolving—but about investing time and method into the cultural education of the directors, art directors, and designers who will shape the next wave of projects. In a world where tools are increasingly democratized, personal style and design culture will always make the difference.

How do you see the world of design education in Italy?

Italy certainly has a strong, globally recognized tradition in creative education—graphic design, product design, architecture, and fashion, to name a few. The national landscape offers many solid options, both public and private: from more structured paths like bachelor's degrees, master's programs, and postgraduate courses, to shorter, intensive experiences that still effectively prepare future professionals. However, when it comes to motion design, Italy still seems a step behind compared to other parts of Europe and international institutions. Courses tend to focus heavily on technical know-how and software skills, which can be limiting. That said, we see this not as a flaw, but as an opportunity for growth and innovation within the educational offering.

How do you see the role of young graphic designers in Italy?

The role of the graphic designer today—in Italy as elsewhere—is increasingly marked by the shift away from vertical specialization toward a broad, horizontal skill set that spans many areas of visual communication. The graphic designer now acts as a kind of director: someone who masters, balances, and blends different disciplines and tools—layout, typography, illustration, branding, photography, video, motion, coding, AI—to build effective and hybrid communication systems that match the fluidity of our contemporary world. The new designer is, essentially, a creative orchestrator, who mixes and matches diverse languages to achieve original and impactful results.

What advice would you give to a young graphic designer entering the job market today in Italy?

Our advice for emerging professionals is to build a solid foundation in the core elements of traditional design—layout, typography, editorial design, and branding—but at the same time, don’t be afraid to dive into less conventional disciplines: 2D/3D animation, creative coding, video making, and generative AI are just a few expressive tools that can bring fresh and dynamic energy to a designer’s work. Over time, this is what allows one to develop a strong and recognizable personal style—something the global creative industry needs now more than ever.