Rassegna Battiti

Print design

Every performance has a beatdesign is how that movement speaks.

Project overview

Battiti Festival is an internationally recognised event organised by Teatro Furio Camillo in Rome, showcasing dynamic performances by global circus artists and contemporary scenic arts. During a three-month Leonardo da Vinci scholarship in 2014, I served as a graphic designer for the company. My task was translating the raw energy and physical suspense of these international performers into a cohesive print identity. This unique opportunity allowed me to dive into the heart of the Italian performing arts scene, developing visuals that captured the “heartbeat” of the festival.

The Challenge: The goal was to deliver high-impact promotional materials despite a major language barrier. With the Co-Artistic Director speaking only Italian, I relied on visual thinking to create a cohesive identity.

Project Scope: I delivered a unified print identity across posters, workshop collateral, and newspaper advertisements. The bold aesthetic consistently captured the festival’s raw theatrical energy across every single audience touchpoint.

Credits: Design includes photography by © Matteo Nardone and Bertil Nilsson.

Industry
Performing Arts

Duration
3 months

Tool Used
Adobe InDesign

Design Process

Festival Research
Performer Observation
Italian Content Audit

Concept Layouts
Mood Boarding
Thematic Colour

Your Title Goes Here

Typography Testing
Contrast Analysis
Collateral Review

Print-Ready Files
Media Assets

Discover

At the start of this project, I felt confident in my design skills, but working abroad with limited language ability introduced immediate challenges. It was my first time designing within a team in an Italian company. I faced a language barrier with the Artistic Director, who only spoke Italian, while mine was at a basic level. As communication is key in any project, I utilised my other skills to overcome this situation.

I saw this as an opportunity to adapt, learn, and grow. Pivoting to an observation-first approach, I audited their photographic and video archives. At the same time, I closely studied the performers’ movements to understand the rhythm and energy. This research helped me translate abstract circus themes into a high-contrast visual system focused on raw emotion and impact.

Ideate

Inspired by Rome’s historic architecture and the performers’ kinetic energy, I began bridging location and art. Experimenting with sketches that blended city landmarks with high-contrast performance photography, I developed a vibrant, visual-first system. To deepen this connection, I integrated my own photography of Piazza del Popolo alongside the provided assets. The focus was on refining typography and layouts that captured the raw, suburban energy of the venues while remaining clean and reliable for the public.

Step 1:

Created an atmospheric canvas is prepared, layering faint, monochromatic textures to build a subtle, mysterious depth.

Step 2:

Personal photography from Piazza del Popolo enters the scene, grounding the composition in Roman street energy.

Step 3:

The aerialist takes centre stage, bringing high-contrast drama and a singular, commanding focus to the artwork.

Step 4:

The final frame is set, integrating bold, abstract elements to complete the performance’s visual narrative.

Prototype

Moving from concepts to print-ready prototypes meant stress-testing the designs against the chaotic backdrop of Rome’s streets. In the beginning, direct feedback from the Artistic Director arrived in pure Italian, leaving me to rely entirely on visual proofs to bridge the gap. We quickly realised that design is a universal language; even when words failed, she completely connected with the visuals I was producing.

As the project progressed, my basic Italian naturally improved, but the real breakthrough came from syncing with the festival’s rhythm. I refined typographic weights and tonal balance to match this “beat,” ensuring performers stood out against the vibrant street textures. Every margin and alignment was adjusted until the layout mirrored the showcase itself, balancing elegance, urban grit, and raw physical suspense.

01 | Refined Elegance:

Fonts: Arsenica Variable & Adore You

Beautiful and elegant but feels too corporate and exclusive for a dynamic live circus art workshop.

02 | Dynamic Impact

Gibson & Adlery Pro

Punchy and high impact. The bold geometry delivers maximum legibility from a distance, perfectly matching the workshop’s energy.

03 | Raw Expression

Canvas Script & Ed’s Market Upright Script

Beautifully artistic and handcrafted but combining two distinct scripts creates a chaotic hierarchy that reduces quick readability.

Define & Deliver

With the foundational grid locked and the typographic variations finalised, the creative assets were implemented into a cohesive, high-impact promotional design series. The final posters fused Rome’s historic character with the raw energy of contemporary performers. Each layout combined precise structural alignments with bold, disciplined typography to create a modern yet theatrical atmosphere. The result was a commanding visual presence that captured the raw rhythmic beat and high-stakes suspense of the stage, stopping passers-by in their tracks.

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