Swiss design culture and the key visual of the Salone del Mobile 2023

In mid-January 2023, the largest furniture show in the world, the Salone del Mobile, presented its new communication campaign for this year. When we looked at the posters, we thought immediately of a project that we carried out for the Swiss company Wogg in 2021: a new blend of narrative format and visual communication. Five subjects were chosen and became the protagonists of a storytelling campaign for Wogg before the rollout of their new collection.

But first, let’s turn our gaze back to Italy: The Salone del Mobile in Milan entrusted the images of its communication campaign to Leftloft, a Milan studio for design communication, and Gio Pastori, a renowned illustrator and collagist in the Milan millennial art scene. Together they were tasked with consolidating the identity, topics and protagonists of the event and their development into a single original visual narrative: the result was a new ABC of design that describes the protagonists of the Salone.

And now let’s come back to Switzerland: We started our communication campaign with the nearly 40-year company culture of Wogg in mind and asked similar questions: Who are the minds behind the designs? What makes the designs special? The common denominator of the collection is: strong individual pieces and modular storage furniture that are always novel in their use of materials, function and aesthetic; modern, timeless. Since art and architecture are also part of the company DNA, it made sense to draw on another cultural asset of Switzerland that is known all over the world: poster art. The young design duo Badesaison translated five different pieces of furniture into five powerful images. The snaking sentences are miniature texts that describe what makes the pieces stand out. We see this type of communication not as advertising but as a new form of corporate communication that speaks to the current trend of short messages (WhatsApp, SMS, Twitter, etc.) and places them in a different context.

The Museum für Gestaltung Zürich (Zurich Design Museum) proposed the posters for its own permanent poster collection. We deliberately had the five images printed by the best screen printers in the industry. The A4 formats not only have a wonderful smell, but make for a great visual experience on the wall.

Looking ahead to April

At a press conference in the Franco Parenti Theater this past 15 February, Maria Porro, president of the trade fair, announced for the first time what novelties are in store from 18 to 23 April.

According to the organizers, the SalonedelMobile.Milano will present itself anew in its 61st year: with a mix of updated exhibition organization and cultural events. “One of the characteristics of the Salone del Mobile is its ability to evolve in order to respond to the most urgent challenges of contemporary life", said Maria Porro on Wednesday. "We worked on giving shape to the suggestions and visions that have emerged over the last few years, based on a couple of simple questions: what is the new role of the Salone?"

We will be in Milan on 17 April, and are looking forward to all the encounters, discoveries and conversations that await us all week long!