I am Alice

When this project first started, the initial mandate was to expand Alice’s visibility, either via a website redesign or with the introduction of a new promotional object. As the design process started, multiple conversations and numerous hours of research were done. At first, it was to better understand the mandate. What actually happened was quite different; Alice’s real impact was revealed. The project was no longer a simple rebranding of an organization. It became an engine to develop methods to change behaviors and develop the adequate discourse (written and visual) to communicate the importance of sustainability and the economic viability of marginalized communities, throughout Italy.
The Italian design community has always been the reference for the height of design capabilities. These brands aren’t just brands. They are cultural vehicles. They are tools to help achieve cultural sustainability through design choices.
This was the moment Alice’s project took flight. The research conclusions indicated that Alice was not only proud of Italy’s rich history of craftmanship and the techniques behind it. It had also become an archivist for future generations. In doing so, it was a pillar for cultural sustainability.
As an innovative brand, Alice had begun the difficult task of breaking the stigma associated with the communities that they worked with. They knew the benefits that were associated with an ethically locally-made production, which allowed for an economic viability and a lesser environmental impact.
If being sustainable requires new, innovative and more efficient ways to fulfills ones needs and to prevent the depletion of resources for future generations, then design is the perfect partner for it. It seeks long-term impact, and is a way of communicating situations, experiences and aspirations.
Design, and sustainability, all have the means of guiding us towards our vision of a better future. It is important to highlight how creativity can achieve these goals, as creativity helps manage the microeconomic theory of rarity. As a society, we have unlimited wants and needs, while the resources necessary to meet them are limited. We find ourselves confronted with a scarcity in resources.
If creativity is an ever-changing, evolving, renewable source of solutions, then the partnership is that much more crucial.

Partnership

The notion of partnerships has been developed throughout the campaign on multiple levels. The first one, can be found between Alice and its workforce. The second is demonstrated between the organization and the business partnerships developed. The third is showcased when Alice introduces itself to a general public and the role that they play in supporting the brand. Finally, the most important type of partnership presented, is the kind that switches the role of the interlocutor. In this scenario, the general public becomes the messenger and the audience becomes Alice. They become not only our brand messengers, but the instigators of change required for Alice’s success.
Every single one of these types of relationships have the power of creating a network effect. In order to get that chain reaction going, the visual language developed in parallel with the written words, had to incite a strong enough reaction, to engage and entice the audience to participate.
Victor Papanek once wrote: ‘The ultimate job of design is to transform man’s environment and tools and, by extension, man himself.’ He even goes so far to say that the designer is an interpreter, between the different teams working on a project.
We all speak a language. From our childhood onwards, we are taught the tools to communicate with the world around us.
Letters are learned and progressively transformed into words, themselves becoming building blocks to longer and more complicated structures, such as sentences and paragraphs. However, the way these elements are pronounced and written are specific to the individual using them. While following guidelines, we each learn how to utilize languages in our own way.
But what most people forget is that we don’t just speak languages, we also see them. Creatives are taught how to develop their visual vocabulary. They communicate through their graphical and material representations. Their work becoming a physical manifestation of their process and intentions. They each have their own language and continue personalizing it, one creation at a time.
The creative industries are perpetually adapting and changing. Individuals tackle relevant and important subjects. They choose to not only better themselves, but the world in which we all live in, by being human-centric. This key factor is the reason businesses should never forgo benefitting from them. The creative process isn’t just for designers anymore. It is the missing link for corporations in finding new perspectives and solutions, to known or unperceived issues.
Alice has understood this necessity and took on the role of interpreter, between the different levels of society, by developing a three-tiered campaign around it.
The first one is the red dot campaign. As Alice’s logo, the dot symbolizes the all-encompassing and inclusive nature of the organization. The color red was selected since it is one of the colors found on the flag. It was also selected to demonstrate that whomever shares in the values of Alice, also becomes an ambassador of Italy and its heritage. Regardless of ethnicity, gender or geographic location, when you support Alice, you are part of its extended family. You become blood.
The Red Seal
This campaign aims to give a voice to the faceless, to give freedom to people who are no longer behind bars and to best demonstrate how a shared value-system can change a country, one person at a time.
Each participant is presented in an authentic manner, without artifice. While they are anonymous, they introduce themselves with their words: who they are, why they chose to become advocates for Alice and the concrete actions they are taking. Their actions become more important than their physical appearance.

Origami

The second element is the origami fortune teller. While it may appear to be a strange medium to introduce Alice, there are clear similarities between the two. The first parallel we can make is in accordance to the fact that more than one person is required, to initiate the conversation. You have one person operating the fortune teller, while another guides it. Another similarity is that level of personal and social engagement required to build, play and then accomplish the action or engage with the answer found at the end. The final element is the network effect of our decision-making process, within both the game and the organization.
All of these factors are also important for Alice. In order for Alice to be successful, it needs different members, at all-levels of participation. Systematically, the choices taken will either guide the issue or work to resolve it. While we may start with two players, just like the game, there is a contagiousness in one’s willingness to help others in our society. One person’s passion becomes the starting point of much greater things for all.
The outer layer shows words that best represent characteristics of Alice’s mission. The numbers, in the second step, represent the UN Global Goals for 2030 which best apply to the organization’s mandate. Finally, the player is shown an affirmation which ties into Alice’s manifesto. All of them begin with ‘ I am’ and become positive reinforcements for the user of the fortune teller.

The booklet
The third method is in the form of an informational booklet, which becomes an archival artefact, in itself. It is the educational tool that can be displayed and shared. Containing the key facts on Alice, the affiliation to Italy is the most present, as it utilizes the colors of the Italian flag. This campaign also removes the harshness associated with the penal system, by giving it a design centered around the beauty of coming together and becoming ambassadors of Italy.
Beauty in design is a necessity. It becomes a tool of communication. Beauty and sustainability have a bright future together, because the preconceived notions of what sustainability should look like is no longer valid. Sustainable can be beautiful. In fact, it has to be. Otherwise, the general public will have greater difficulty in believing in its true power.
If the scale was to be modified, the reading of the document would pertain to an exhibition-style format. Each panel would allow the reader to enter into a journey of discovery on who and what Alice does.

The selected tools

When the three campaigns come together, Alice demonstrates the new language that it has created. It even translates it, in three different ways, to better ensure that every stakeholder can best understand and share it with others. Since we personalize our language, we can also personalize elements of the different campaigns. Just like any other language, Alice’s gives you the necessary base, but lets you make it your own.
By making these creative decisions, it is Alice’s want to not only build its own brand, but also societies. Alice creates for people. Their processes can lead to a better planet, but most importantly, to a more fulfilling future within Italy.
Alice demonstrates that the smallest gesture can make a large impact towards sustainable development goals. That change can be incremental and the more you see the positive impact it can make, the more you will want to pursue it.
Visual identity overview

Alice Mission
Alice’s mission is to build an inclusive society that empowers individuals and supports sustainable development through craftsmanship and ethical work practices. It allows for different levels of society to interact and learn from each other. Since its creation, it has helped break stigmas, allowed for gainful employment, preserved disappearing craftsmanship, encouraged a more sustainable lifestyle (for individuals and companies), but most importantly, it has allowed for marginalized communities to achieve economic independence and viability.
Its impact can be felt immediately in the lives of those who make up the core team of the organization.
Alice’s work isn’t one that should be taken lightly. Alice has become a contemporary representation of Italy’s beauty. If it should ever stop existing in its current format, the ramifications could be felt throughout the country, for decades to come.
When Alice thrives, Italy thrives.

Alice Innovation
At first glance, Alice might not appear to be an innovative company. However, the beauty of Alice’s innovative nature comes from its objectives of bringing incremental changes. They concentrate on improving the quality of the items produced currently, to find more efficient manners of productivity and how to better their offer, to really distinguish themselves in the market.
Every decision that Alice takes is to allow growth and innovation, not only for themselves, but also society. They look to also improve upon the perceived perceptions of what it means to belong to a community in difficulty.
Alice always takes into consideration that an action doesn’t just disappear upon completion. It creates a by-product that becomes another link in their desired circular economy. The weight of this process now becomes the starting point of the following procedural step. They look to achieve a harmony between the people who produce, the authenticity of the work and its sustainability.
Alice knows that their work has only just begun. By allowing the process to adapt and evolve with them, it will yield a more powerful impact. As Alice believes in people, places and production, they must innovate on all three fronts accordingly.
When Alice thrives, Italy thrives.

Alice tone of voice

While considering the tone to take, in the creation of this campaign, we went to the roots of its two key components: Alice and Italy.
During the exploratory stages, we started to enumerate the key characteristics which best described Alice as an organization. Once the list was created, we did a cross-analysis with the desired criteria in our brand’s personality, the emotional appeal anticipated, the chosen tone and how to keep it consistent with the graphic design being developed simultaneously.
Our analysis showed that the junction of all of these elements, came to the pairing of empower and advocate.
To empower means to give power or authority. It is to enable or permit.
Being an advocate is defined as being a person supporting an idea or a cause publicly.

In parallel, we researched Italy. We discovered that the country’s official motto is: “L’Italia e' una Repubblica democratica, fondata sul lavoro." Translated to English, as "Italy is a democratic Republic, founded on labor."

By joining these two findings, we concluded the following:

By breaking down the country’s motto, we can see that our choice of empower and advocate align perfectly with the motto. Italy is a democratic Republic. In order for it to be democratic, it implies that it is based on the notion of equality for all. Equality comes from the empowerment of all, where we all have access to the same routes to success.
The second half of the motto mentions the labor required to build something worth preserving (an entity built on everyone’s work) where everyone is an active stakeholder in the process; therefore, we are all advocates of its success.

By drawing these parallels between Italy and Alice, we see that this organization has become a contemporary physical manifestation of Italy’s values. This shared value-system reinforces the language used throughout the campaign, especially while using the tag lines I am Alice and I am Italy. These statements become interchangeable, since once you are an active member of the Alice family, you become Italy; and this regardless of gender, ethnicity and geographic location.

The visual language came to enhance these characteristics of empowerment and advocacy, in order to create a cohesive vision of who Alice is and what they aim to achieve.

The visual identity overview touches on the brand’s foundation, visual identity breakdown, tenets, principles, program, visual identity usage, logomark and wordmark intent, symbol, pattern and color intent, layout, grids, strategy, visual assets and educational campaign.

Alice visual identity foundation
The Cooperativa Alice brand is a valuable asset. We want to foster advocates for the Alice brand and to help them use it consistently. The brand is expressed in many ways from behavior, products, and communications. We want people to pay special attention to all the ways the brand is expressed.

Alice visual identity rationale
The rationale behind Alice’s visual Identity is to make clear Alice’s reason for existing. Our approach is to give purpose and to support Alice’s actions, to guide the organization forward and to demonstrate Alice’s values. Lastly and most importantly our work allows for consistency and appropriateness; two yardsticks by which communications should be judged as per Massimo Vignelli’s Graphic Design for Non- Profit Organizations published in 1980.

Alice tenets
human Centred, italian made, beautiful, made with purpose, sustainable, ethical

Alice’s principles
From the begining Alice has placed people first. As such Alice isn’t just a non-for-profit organization. It is a fashion laboratory, a meeting place for schools, corporations and designers to better educate the rest of society on the benefits of bringing back ethical practices into the creation of consumer pieces. It is a reminder that behind every object, there is a human.
Alice works hard to demonstrate how restoring someone’s dignity through work is not only a profitable business model, but also a worthy societal investment. Alice doesn’t just sew objects and garments. It sews partnerships, develops communities and breaks stigmas. 

Alice program
Alice’s program is structured around work. Alice raises awareness and creates change through its laboratories consisting of individuals working together and learning new skills guided by leaders in the fashion industry. The aim: to change the way fashion is made and consumed.

With the support of the Municipality of Milan and the Ministry of Justice, Alice has grown via the offered training programs and varied initiatives, developed to help many individuals in need over the years. Our administrative board is composed of highly trained, specialists in the fields of fashion and sustainability.

Alice visual identity
Color, design, words, and symbols come toghether in the brand’s visual identity. These elements combined make everything from business cards to posters recognizable, memorable, and most importantly cohesvely create a powerful visual presentation of Alice’s brand.

Alice visual identity usage
The Alice Graphic Identity is comprised comprised of 4 parts: logomark, wordmark symbol and pattern. The logomark and wordmark examples of use are: stationary, invitations, posters, and brochures. The logomark examples of use are: social media, apparel, merchandize. The wordmark examples of use are: tags and website, apparel and merchandize. The pattern examples of use are: posters and merchandize.

Formats
Shown below are the format sizes we used for the printed communications. All can be printed with minimum paper waste.

Grids
We used a grid in order to achieve a disciplined look with a minimum of restrictions. Shown below is the same grid applied to every suggested format. Its basic unit is the 35mm. If on a particular commission, however, the grid seems in some way inappropriate, we can study the the problem and modify the grid. We chose to work with a grid because considerable efficiencies are realized with the use of a predetermined grid.
Alice brand typeface
The selection of the typeface is an important tool to achieve visual consistency. We commited to Helvetica, a typeface that has established itself as a classic in today’s graphic design vernacular.

Layout guidelines
The layout guidelines prepared for Alice take into account type alignment, proper rag, line spacing, paragraphing, quotations, numbering, subheading, letterspacing of display type, contrasting type weights and contrasting typesizes.

Logotype

Alice Logomark intent: we emphasize the red circle as our most important visual sign. It is both recognizable and memorable for Alice. A circle specifying a group of people, it represents how Alice encompasses not only the sub-lines, but also the people who make it thrive. The circle is representative of going around a course. In this case, the course is to achieve an ethically made product, all while promoting the benefits of a circular economy. Furthermore, these emotions of warmth, love, comfort and togetherness are evoked by using the color red, seen throughout the logomark, the logotype and the identity.

Alice Logomark evolution: the most recent evolution of our circle is the addition of the thumb print. Red is the color of urgency and in this case demonstrates that whomever shares in the values of Alice, also becomes an ambassador of Italy and of the italian heritage. Regardless of ethnicity, gender or geographic location, when you support Alice, you become a part of its extended family. You become a blood relative.

Alice wordmark intent: “Alice doesn’t just sew objects and garments. It sews partnerships, develops communities and breaks stigmas.” As such the wordmark is shown written as one word composed of two different weights (light and bold) of Helvetica. This decision is made to illustrate the importance of parnerships for Alice.

Alice symbol intent: “Empowering Alice isn't just a way of becoming part of a movement; it is a means of unleashing our individual capacity to make an impact on the world. It is a method of communicating that the strength of one, comes from how it can influence the collective.” When a regular i (Helvetica bold) joins Alice’s Logomark (the circle) their combination creates Alice’s symbol “i am”. The result is an empowered and participatory i, changed both in appearance and meaning by Alice’s circle. This i embodies the Alice ethos, i am dignified, i am global, i am inspired, i am accountable, i am important, i am ethical, i am sustainable, i am craft, i am tradition, iam italy, and finally i am Alice.

Alice pattern intent: “Every person, who becomes an i, weaves themselves into Alice's rich mosaic of equality, tradition and sustainability”. We created a pattern (“i am”) to highlight the importance of each member of the cooperative. One-by-one, the rows of empowered i’s are lined up . Furthermore, they are multiplied to make a bigger impact on the overall imagery, just like in the partnerships made by the cooperative. Our aim is to show graphically the strengh and necessity of one in the collective. I am Alice and I am Italy.

Alice brand color: Alice’s primary and secondary color schemes are inspired by the italian flag. The main protagonist is the colour red; the color of urgency, warmth, love, comfort and togetherness. The color specifications depend on the itended media. Considerations are different for print: paper applications; work viewed on-screen (projected presentations or websites) use an RGB value; other: embroidered amenities and other product applications need special attention.