Le progettiste italiane e il computer come nuovo strumento di progetto negli anni Ottanta e Novanta

Starting from the Ph.D thesis Linguaggi ibridi. I progettisti grafici italiani e il computer come nuovo strumento di progetto tra gli anni Ottanta e Novanta (Hybrid Languages: Italian Graphic Designers and the Computer as a New Design Tool Between the 1980s and 1990s), situated within the history of graphic design, this contribution delves specifically into the contributions of two women, Patrizia Di Gioia and Alessandra Morcella, who were key figures in the Italian graphic design scene of the 1990s. Their work is among the case studies examined in the thesis research, which primarily emphasized the designers’ perspectives, focusing on their experiences and interactions with digital tools through an analysis of materials from their personal archives and those of their clients. The experiences of these two designers share certain defining characteristics: their involvement in a specific and previously unexplored design context that was more open to experimentation through digital tools – the nightlife entertainment industry; their geographical base in the Emilia-Romagna region; and their expressive approach to graphic design. This included deconstructed composition grids, digital typography, bright and fluorescent colors, abstract vector elements, and digitally processed photographic images – visually referencing the codes popularized in the UK by Neville Brody. The decision to highlight the work of these two designers stems from the dual necessity of providing an initial study of figures who have so far been absent from existing literature and giving greater prominence to the role of women in the history of contemporary Italian graphic design.