Line of Demarcation was the first major UK exhibition of the work of Rodolfo Aricò, an important figure in post-war Italian art who is primarily known for his ‘object-paintings’. Originally trained in architecture, Aricò explored time, space, perspective and geometry through these three-dimensional works, which bridge the gap between painting and sculpture.
Our designs for the invitations and the exhibition catalogue draw upon the physicality of Aricò’s paintings. Representations of key works in the show are formed through the use of densely pigmented cardstock and carefully aligned die cuts, creating a tactile, layered effect. The cover for the book, with its cutout revealing the paper below, references an early publication of Aricò’s with a similar die-cut detail. Inside, texts are set in Forma, a typeface designed in Italy and first released in 1968, at the height of Aricò’s career.
In 1965, renowned Italian foundry Nebiolo assembled a group of type designers, led by Aldo Novarese and also including Bruno Munari, to create a new typeface that would act as a more mature and humanist counterpoint to popular neo-grotesque styles such as Helvetica. Forma was the result of this process. Though well-received, it never thrived commercially, and disappeared with the dissolution of Nebiolo in 1978 before being revived by DJR in 2013.
