Brand
Visual Identity Project of the Brand “Evaporitic Karst and Caves of the Northern Apennines”
Among the strategic objectives of the Emilia-Romagna Region, as the managing authority of the EKCNA World Heritage Site, is the development of a visual identity project and its distinctive brand, as well as the creation of a coordinated institutional communication manual to support the launch of communication activities.
The site's visual identity project was developed through a semiotic analysis aimed at identifying the essential characteristics required to best represent the EKCNA site as a whole. First and foremost, it clearly emerged that the visual identity needed to strongly evoke the geological-geomorphological-speleological criteria on the basis of which the site was inscribed on the World Heritage List.
The brand is abstract and evocative, yet firmly rooted in the geological values of the site, as it aims to convey the speleological features and morphological aspects of karst phenomena. It offers multiple levels of interpretation through its various elements (color, shape profiles, number of components, and their horizontal and vertical arrangement), while being immediately recognizable and clearly connected to the site. The blue line crossing the massive elements symbolizes the constant presence of water, which is the true “engine” of karst processes in evaporitic rocks.
To complement the visual component, the Italian tricolor has also been included as a dual symbol of identity: on the one hand representing Italy, and on the other the Emilia-Romagna region, where the tricolor was originally born. The iconographic element should never appear alone and must always be accompanied by the textual component to ensure complete understanding. The presence of the acronym EKCNA, which corresponds to the English translation of the site’s official name, contributes to the brand’s international recognition.
The brand is available in both Italian and English and was designed by A²studio_research & projects for the alpine landscape.
Use of the Brand
The Region may grant the use of the EKCNA World Heritage brand in order to promote and pursue, through coordinated actions, the dissemination, conservation, and enhancement of its universal values, in compliance with the institutional framework of the involved parties.
Details regarding the granting of usage rights, such as through sponsorship or licensing, are currently being defined.