WWI Cultural Trail Map Book

Press Kit

Unique Properties

The Design of this book has one purpose: melt together the visual of a contemporary ultra-trail run (fun, colors, athletic effort) with the cultural heritage of the WWI. That's why the art direction and the graphic design of the book uses symbols, fonts and graphics coming from another era but modernized in contemporary graphic design. The book itself is a plot between the description of the modern trail and the thoughts and stories of the people fighting in these mountains and glaciers during WWI. Modern outdoor guide, with a cultural to tell: the unique graphic design of the book is the visual result of this concept.

Dimensions & Packaging

The book is 94 pages within 18,5cm x 23,5cm. In the last page there is a paper fold with the map which (open) 70cm x 70cm.

Tags

book, world war I, map, cultural trail

Production Technology

The project concern a book and a 1:25.000 scale Cartographic Map. In order to give a touch of old and "army" (WWI) atmosphere, I developed an art direction visual (fonts and color palette) that could, just a bit, remind of those years and context. In order to to this, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop made their best. QGis was used to design the map.

Design Challenge

The main creative challenge was to communicate to the reader (and the hiker) that the territory of the trail (Val Camonica, and Adamello massive) is a beautiful natural area but also so rich of history. The tricky thing was to mix the "outdoor activity" and the "cultural activity". We didn't want to create a book concerning the World War I, nor a book concerning an outdoor ultra trail: these two main features are mixed to release the main message: a great mountain place rich of history.

Project Duration

The entire project took place between Valtellina, Valcamonica and Dolomites: the area surrounded by the trail. It took 4 months for planning, tracking the trail, design the book and create the map.

Operation Flow

The book is a 94 pages book with a fold that contains the map. Reader can fid informations about the trail and the history that rides in it. Once reader decide to hike one of the stage proposed, he can bring just the map (lighter than the whole book) and still find interesting details in it and also, of course, find his way on the right trail.

Research

In order to set the trail and the story around it, it took severals cartographics and tracking skills supported by SeTe srl. Then, the knowledge of the territory was crucial to describe the stages (8 in tot.) of the track. This was the great job made by Emanuela Spedicato, Mario Sterli and Matteo Aielli. After collected all this, the creative design process started by searching inspirations, design mockeups and fit the map with the visual of the book.

Inspiration

I grew up in northern Italy, in the in the middle of the Alps between Valtellina, Dolomites and Swiss. I always loved mountains; but what I love most is the history within them, the history of the man who made that rocks and ice so important. I go up in the mountains too, hiking and climbing. In those moments I always think of how hard was life years ago, not to talk about fighting a war. I think of those people and I instantly admire them. They inspire me in my every day life.

Patents

©Emanuela Spedicato 2021

Colors of WWI Cultural Trail Map Book