Poster Session Design and illustration for the communication of cultural heritage: Some remarks and two case studies Federico Florindo Introductory remarks A process in which the communication of specialistic content opens to the general public, as is the case of cultural heritage communication, inevitably is a process of simplification. Within such a process, in fact, large amounts of data, facts and interpretations are compressed into small and easily tractable bundles that are expressed through different media — mainly spoken word and visual products. In the latter case, the variety of techniques, knowledge and tools that describe the practice of visual design preside over the conception and development of such products. Simplification does not imply an absence of complexity. On the contrary, effective visual communication takes place when uncomplicated systems are able to convey complex meaning with remarkable clarity. As a designer and illustrator with a background in archaeology and experience in working for cultural institutions, in this contribution I set out to to briefly discuss these ideas further by examining two cultural heritage communication projects I have recently been involved in. In so doing I will focus on three concepts that can be recognized as constitutive elements of an aware and meaningful simplicity in visual communication (in other words, in the production of effective and uncomplicated visual products): order, consistency, and formal thoroughness. First case study: Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tuscolo In late 2019 I was commissioned by the direction of the Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tuscolo (Monte Porzio Catone, Italy) to devise and design a new system of print materials for the communication of the park’s history, heritage and amenities. Throughout the project, visual order and consistency were mainly achieved through a conscious and meaningful use of typography and color (Fig. 1, 2). One single, albeit quite structured typeface system was adopted and used across the entire project: this was the ‘Monterchi’ type superfamily, designed by the Florencebased type foundry Zetafonts as a study of (and a tribute to) the Humanistic revival of the Roman capitalis monumentalis. A coherent color palette, named ‘Daylight in Tusculum’ and composed of 20 hues of warm green, was specifically developed for the project starting from the digital sampling of the 1860 oil painting ‘The Amphitheatre of Tusculum and Albano Mountains’ by American painter T. W. Whitteredge. The same attention to order and consistency was paid in creating the illustrations which were included in the print materials, as can appear particularly evident in the two illustrated maps (Fig. 3) that were designed to act as Poster Session Design and illustration for the communication of cultural heritage: Some remarks and two case studies wayfinders of both the whole park and of the so-called monumental area (the forum of ancient Tusculum and its immediate surroundings). Second case study: Antiqua Archeologia In Autumn 2021 I worked with Emanuele De Gattis, the founder of the on-line archaeological education project "Antiqua Archeologia", for the design of some visual elements for the project’s platforms. These elements included a set of vector icons (Fig. 4) onto which I would like to focus here, since they offer a different take on the same ideas of order and consistency outlined above and, moreover, let me introduce one further concept: formal thoroughness. Icon design sits at the meeting point of graphic design and illustration. In the "Antiqua Archeologia" case, type design tools were introduced in the process exactly in order to achieve and preserve a level of formal thoroughness: the precise curve-control tools offered by type design software Glyphs were used to (a) adjust stroke weight while introducing optical corrections, and (b) to perform visually correct (i.e. smooth, with non-fixed radius) corner curvature. Order and consistency were, at the same time, achieved at shape-level by the adoption of a set-wide grid system and by the use of consistent stroke weights and matching curvature radiuses. Federico Florindo Libero professionista idea@federicoflorindo.com IAS 2021. 24-26 MARZO 2022. ONLINE CONFERENCE Fig. 1 - One of the two folded leaflets designed for the Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tuscolo. Fig. 2 - The first edition of the "Tuscolo Card", the new membership card designed for the Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tuscolo. IAS 2021. 24-26 MARZO 2022. ONLINE CONFERENCE Fig. 3 - One of the two illustrated maps designed for the Parco Archeologico Culturale di Tuscolo folded leaflets. Fig. 4 - Three of the vector icons designed for Antiqua Archeologia.