ITALIC

BEAUTIFUL TO READ

Every month, ITALIC brought thirty-two pages of news, fresh ideas, and positive stories from Italy to newsstands. This was the second publishing venture to come out of the loft, with art direction by Bellissimo.

In 2011, Luca Ballarini launched ITALIC, a monthly magazine covering cities, creativity, and work. With ten issues per year, an innovative 32-page format, original articles, and zero commentary, its aim was to showcase the best of Italy —“briefly, yet in depth”— through the themes and ideas that truly matter. For Bellissimo’s creative director, it was a new venture as a publisher, following ten years working on the style magazine Label.

From the first cover, hitting newsstands in April, the publication took inspiration from Anglo-Saxon quality newspapers. The careful attention to content and editorial detail guided a design focused on maximum readability and “timeless” elegance. Graphic elements and infographics followed the same direction, evolving issue by issue.

The story of ITALIC captures a vibrant moment in Italian publishing. In just a short time, the magazine brought together a lively community of young adults — curious, engaged readers looking for fresh stories and high-quality writing and design that daily newspapers couldn’t provide. The editorial team extended this spirit online, with Bellissimo leading a web project that translated ITALIC’s distinctive style to digital platforms. As creative partner, the studio also curated a series of memorable promotional initiatives.

The experience further strengthened the studio’s connection with the publishing sector. Within the team, the knowledge gained month by month in managing content for complex editorial projects remains vivacious. The value of ITALIC is still clear years later in the network of professional contacts it fostered with writers, journalists, photographers, and illustrators.

ITALIC team: Luca Ballarini (Editor), Gaetano Prisciantelli (Executive Deputy Editor), Federico Confalonieri and Giuliano Tedesco (Deputy Editors), Luigi Gariglio (Photo Editor), Barbara Villanova (Art Director), Matteo Acmè, Edoardo Bergamin, Valerio Pierantozzi (Editorial Staff).