Automatico Studio

AquaGranda – Visual Identity and Poster Design

The communication campaign for AquaGranda visually translates the idea of stratified water levels — a metaphor for both the physical phenomenon of Venice’s tides and the layered memories of its community. The poster plays with typographic weight and transparency, using superimposed metallic grey tones to evoke the gradual submersion of the city. The printing was produced in Venice, directly “on the water,” reinforcing the conceptual and geographic connection to its subject.

The design employs Automatico Text Regular, our custom typeface distinguished by its unique uppercase Q, which adds a subtle identity mark to the project. The vertical reading of the title “AQU-A-GRA-ND-A” breaks into rhythmic segments, echoing the visual rhythm of rising tides.

On November 12, 2019, Venice was submerged under 187 cm of water — one of the most catastrophic floods in its history. From this event arose AquaGranda, a collective digital memory project that brings together science, art, and civic participation. Led by Ca’ Foscari University of Venice and the Venetian Research and Innovation District (DVRI), the initiative collects digital traces left by citizens — photos, videos, messages, and testimonies — to transform them into a living, evolving archive.

The 2023 edition, titled Incontri e dialoghi sulle maree (“Encounters and Dialogues on the Tides”), unfolded across Venice with talks, workshops, and a moving exhibition on an ACTV vaporetto, featuring Stratigrafie Operative — an artistic work by Giulia Bruno, Armin Linke, and Lorenzo Mason. The project, which explores the fragile balance between the city and its lagoon, received an Honorary Mention at Ars Electronica 2023 as one of Europe’s leading Citizen Science initiatives.

Project management: