Guests

James Clough studied typography in London and since 1971 he has worked at Milano as a designer, calligrapher, teacher and historian of typography. In addition to his teaching in Italy, he has taught in England, in several European countries and in the USA. He is the author of Alphabets of wood, 2014 (the first history of wooden characters in Italy) and L'Italiasegnna, 2015. From 2016–2019 he wrote a weekly column for La Repubblica.

Monogramming

25.10

Talk with James Clough, Fabrizio Falcone
11:30 ADI Design Museum Monograms are extreme simplifications of alphabetic communication and this book demonstrates how they are more powerful, expressive and meaningful than logos. With hundreds of illustrations, accompanied by the author's comments, anecdotes and stories, Monogrammi is the very first narrative story dedicated to this subject. Part 1 explores the evolution of styles, from the coins of ancient Greece through the centuries to the modernism of the twentieth century – the last movement characterized by a recognizable general style. Part 2 focuses on the multiple approaches to design adopted after World War II, during the rise of consumerism and the consequent need for competitive ideas. Selected monograms of famous and lesser-known designers, and even some students, are analyzed and discussed.