Learn From Experience: Giuliana Giannetto

How can visual design guide us towards sustainability?

From this question Giuliana Giannetto develops her work based on visual culture, working with graphic and photographic tools that focus on the simplicity and familiarity of the transmission of the message, she argues that in a world full of complex images, the essential is the key.

Specialized in artistic design for business she is currently a teaching assistant in Contemporary Art at Abact. She works with multidisciplinary communication, supporting education and environmental protection activities.

What are the rules of your work?

Responsibly feel the value of visual communication as a tool that contributes to changing the world.

Tell us about an experience that definitely changed the way you work and made you grow.

In 2018 I joined an environmental association that gave me the opportunity to actively participate in an environmental protection project. Thanks to this experience I understood what I want to communicate with my work.

How do you combine photography with visual design?

Photography is visual design. Everything that we can read, see on a screen, paper or on product labels is visual design.

Is there a difference in your creative process when you create a photograph or a graphic design element?

Rather than a creative process, it’s planning. The steps for the creation of my projects are essentially always the same: analysis, research, proposals.

Tell us about your creative process and if there are any particular techniques you use during your work. (If you have any photos of this, please send them as an attachment).

I am inspired by the teachings of John Maeda: facing complexity, the first rule is to “break down” according to the approach coined “SHE” (shrink, hide, embody) and it’s a principle that can be applied to multiple purposes.

If you were to create an open call, a contest, what kind of theme would you give? What would you like to look at and why?

Definitely, a call that manages to combine design with sustainability. One of the main objectives of the 2030 Agenda is to inform and raise awareness of the population on environmental issues and I believe that it’s the task of visual artists to focus their work in this direction.

Tell us about your equipment, what kind of cameras do you shoot with and what tools do you use and prefer?

After using reflex systems for years, I switched up to mirrorless for practical reasons. I currently use Fujifilm XT-3 with a 35mm. I prefer fixed lenses.

How do you think photography and design should communicate together?

Photography and typography are two complementary elements that every graphic designer constantly consults to communicate a specific message.