Article
A journey of self-discovery
A journey of self-discovery
The story of how umn content agency found its visual identity
Defining ourselves is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. Finding the right words is a real challenge: who are you, really? “I am what I think you think I am”, argued Charles H. Cooley in his theory of the looking-glass self. Just to complicate matters a bit: the definition of the self encompasses our sphere of self-determination, but also the web of social relationships from which it cannot be separated.
So, we began our journey of self-definition fully aware that each of us has a different perception of what umn content agency is and, above all, that each of us has an idea of what others think of umn. With this creative confusion in mind, we wrote a manifesto, a statement of identity that summarises all our points of view in fewer than 300 words. A Titanic undertaking, to say the least.
With that manifesto, three months ago, we arrived at the Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti. That day, in front of a room full of students and lecturers, we presented ourselves as a case study for defining our ‘brand identity’. Thus began our journey of self-discovery, within the halls of NABA, near the banks of the Naviglio, our new Ganges.
Why work with students?
umn content agency was born from the meeting of two very different people, belonging to two different generations and two different cultures, and we needed to find a way to tell our story that would tie together the threads of a complex narrative. We needed a fresh approach, as far removed as possible from preconceptions and familiar graphic designs.
Furthermore, we wanted to honour our core commitment: every creative project will be conceived and developed by humans. There is no one more human than a student. ‘In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's there are few’, writes Shunryu Suzuki. We believe we made the right choice.
NABA welcomed us with enthusiasm. Students and lecturers understood what we told them about ourselves and transformed it into something of their own, and it was extremely interesting to see ourselves reflected in their proposals. We learnt a great deal about ourselves, both during the process and whilst selecting the winning project.
I invite you on a journey
“I must admit that the first time I saw this logo, something clicked in my mind; I’ve always been visually drawn to sinuous, meandering shapes: a river, a furrow in the ground, a scratch on the skin”, says Giorgia.
Balázs admits he had a harder time identifying with anything visual. “I didn’t feel a visceral connection — I tried to look at the proposals through the eyes of others: which ones do they think resemble me, resemble us? Luckily, I had abundant help in my business partner, loved ones, and friends as well. In the end, I find our ‘final’ logo a perfect identity: an unexpected signature, or a river that might not be a straightforward route, but that is the only way to get to our destination.”
It wasn’t an easy choice. There are so many different, clever and interesting ideas – even in the other projects – that it feels shameful to have to choose just one. We’re sure that many of those ideas will influence our future work; we’ll treasure them like a little gem.
Our new logo is an invitation to journey into a world that had ceased to be “a blank space of delightful mystery, a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. And suddenly there was… a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land.” Joseph Conrad - Heart of darkness
Our new logo is also Haku, in the form of a dragon. It symbolises our guide to a better understanding of the world around us, for we are aware of the journey but not of the destination, and this is the most beautiful magic of all. Whether it be towards the unknown heart of darkness, or towards that land that resembles us so much [1] , we are ready.
We invite you to come with us.
umn
A journey of self-discovery
The story of how umn content agency found its visual identity
Defining ourselves is perhaps one of the hardest things to do. Finding the right words is a real challenge: who are you, really? “I am what I think you think I am”, argued Charles H. Cooley in his theory of the looking-glass self. Just to complicate matters a bit: the definition of the self encompasses our sphere of self-determination, but also the web of social relationships from which it cannot be separated.
So, we began our journey of self-definition fully aware that each of us has a different perception of what umn content agency is and, above all, that each of us has an idea of what others think of umn. With this creative confusion in mind, we wrote a manifesto, a statement of identity that summarises all our points of view in fewer than 300 words. A Titanic undertaking, to say the least.
With that manifesto, three months ago, we arrived at the Nuova Accademia delle Belle Arti. That day, in front of a room full of students and lecturers, we presented ourselves as a case study for defining our ‘brand identity’. Thus began our journey of self-discovery, within the halls of NABA, near the banks of the Naviglio, our new Ganges.
Why work with students?
umn content agency was born from the meeting of two very different people, belonging to two different generations and two different cultures, and we needed to find a way to tell our story that would tie together the threads of a complex narrative. We needed a fresh approach, as far removed as possible from preconceptions and familiar graphic designs.
Furthermore, we wanted to honour our core commitment: every creative project will be conceived and developed by humans. There is no one more human than a student. ‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few’, writes Shunryu Suzuki. We believe we made the right choice.
NABA welcomed us with enthusiasm. Students and lecturers understood what we told them about ourselves and transformed it into something of their own, and it was extremely interesting to see ourselves reflected in their proposals. We learnt a great deal about ourselves, both during the process and whilst selecting the winning project.
I invite you on a journey
“I must admit that the first time I saw this logo, something clicked in my mind; I’ve always been visually drawn to sinuous, meandering shapes: a river, a furrow in the ground, a scratch on the skin”, says Giorgia.
Balázs admits he had a harder time identifying with anything visual. “I didn’t feel a visceral connection — I tried to look at the proposals through the eyes of others: which ones do they think resemble me, resemble us? Luckily, I had abundant help in my business partner, loved ones, and friends as well. In the end, I find our ‘final’ logo a perfect identity: an unexpected signature, or a river that might not be a straightforward route, but that is the only way to get to our destination.”
It wasn’t an easy choice. There are so many different, clever and interesting ideas – even in the other projects – that it feels shameful to have to choose just one. We’re sure that many of those ideas will influence our future work; we’ll treasure them like a little gem.
Our new logo is an invitation to journey into a world that had ceased to be “a blank space of delightful mystery, a white patch for a boy to dream gloriously over. And suddenly there was… a mighty big river, that you could see on the map, resembling an immense snake uncoiled, with its head in the sea, its body at rest curving afar over a vast country, and its tail lost in the depths of the land.” Joseph Conrad - Heart of darkness
Our new logo is also Haku, in the form of a dragon. It symbolises our guide to a better understanding of the world around us, for we are aware of the journey but not of the destination, and this is the most beautiful magic of all. Whether it be towards the unknown heart of darkness, or towards that land that resembles us so much [1] , we are ready.
We invite you to come with us.
umn
[1] Personal translation of the Italian song Invito al viaggio – Franco Battiato.