PRODUCT DESIGN

An additional, less conventional application of my professional expertise lies in Product Design. Although this is not my primary field, it is an area in which I greatly enjoy working, as it is both stimulating and creatively rewarding, allowing me to draw upon my artistic training as well as my technical background.
In product design projects, animals and natural subjects are frequently employed, both for commercial purposes (such as packaging, promotional materials, and printed products) and for educational or exhibition contexts, often through highly engaging and innovative solutions.
While nature and wildlife are commonly associated with strictly scientific contexts, their aesthetic appeal and strong iconographic presence play a crucial role across numerous areas of visual and graphic arts. Animals convey emotions, symbolism, and messages that can significantly influence advertising strategies, brand identity, and the distinctive character of a product’s design.
Presented here are several recent projects in which my expertise as a scientific and natural history illustrator has merged with creative direction and design processes to develop everyday products intended for both cultural and commercial purposes.

Date: April 2025
Client: United Nations Postal Service, Cites (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)

At the end of 2024, I had the pleasure of collaborating with the United Nations Postal Administration on a special edition of postage stamps dedicated to endangered species.
Although the species had already been selected by CITES—the international authority for wildlife conservation involved in the project—the art director granted me full creative freedom regarding the visual concept and illustrative style.
The approach I adopted draws inspiration from traditional natural history illustration, framing each subject as though it were a small, self-contained painting.
The limited edition was printed in 8,500 sheets (34,000 stamps) and distributed worldwide.

Date: January 2022
Client: Wine Circus – Winery from Pikermi, Greece

In the autumn of 2021, I was contacted by Wine Circus, a winery based in Pikermi, to develop a series of wine labels dedicated to the local Miocene fauna discovered at the renowned Pikermi fossil site. What made this collaboration particularly meaningful was the fact that the client’s grandfather had taken part in the site’s excavations during the 19th century. I was specifically selected for the commission due to my expertise and experience in illustrating the subjects involved.
The client’s brief required the creation of four distinct labels, each featuring a different species, as well as the illustrations for two packaging designs—one for a single bottle and one for a three-bottle case.
I chose to adopt a digital engraving style in order to lend the project a sense of refinement and to emphasize its connection to the historical and scientific heritage of the region.

Date: May 2025
Client: Premio Italiano di Paleoarte, Museo Paleontologico di Montevarchi, Accademia Valdarnese del Poggio

In October 2024, I was awarded First Prize at the 4th edition of the Premio Italiano di Paleoarte, organized by the Paleontological Museum of Montevarchi. As per tradition, the winner is commissioned to create the official artwork for the poster of the following edition.
Below is an overview of the development process and the final outcome of this collaboration.
I was responsible for selecting both the subject and the setting. On the left are the preliminary concepts presented to the client. The brief required the development of imagery connected to the local paleontological heritage; however, the species initially proposed (such as deer, elephants, hyenas, and rhinoceroses) closely resembled extant animals and did not strongly convey a sense of prehistory. For this reason, I proposed an alternative subject, a mosasaur, which would more immediately evoke the prehistoric dimension for the viewer.
The proposal was received with enthusiasm and enabled the development of a project with a strong visual identity and significant imaginative impact.
For the chosen subject, I presented three different compositional studies. The selected concept was subsequently refined and fully developed into the final artwork, which was then incorporated into the official poster to promote the event through printed materials and social media channels.

Date: October 2025
Client: WWF Italia, Schmidth Ocean Institute, Area Marina Protetta Miramare (Trieste)

For this project, I was contacted by the Miramare Marine Protected Area (Trieste), managed by WWF, to develop a citizen science and educational initiative focused on cetaceans, in conjunction with the 58th edition of the Barcolana, the traditional international regatta held every October in Trieste.
The project was funded by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, which supports outreach and ocean conservation initiatives aligned with its mission.
The objective was to produce two infographics: one illustrating the ten cetacean species that can be observed in the Adriatic Sea, and the other providing visual identification tools to recognize these species from a distance. The illustrations needed to meet a high quality standard, suitable for printing on exhibition panels up to approximately two meters in length, while also being adapted for a smaller format to appear on a printed fold-out guide.
This fold-out, distributed during the event, included a QR code allowing the public to report their sightings. This was the citizen science component of the project: to equip local observers with practical tools for cetacean identification, enabling them to contribute to the monitoring and conservation of species in the Gulf of Trieste.

Date: October 2025
Client: WWF Italia, Schmidth Ocean Institute, Area Marina Protetta Miramare (Trieste)

In addition to the infographic campaign described above, the brief also included the creation of a bench representing the tail of a young fin whale at life size. This project was conceived in connection with the educational exhibition of a real skeleton of a juvenile fin whale, which had died of natural causes near Trieste and was recovered by the staff of the Miramare Marine Protected Area, with conservation treatment provided by specialists at the University of Padua.
The bench, constructed from recycled materials, serves a commemorative purpose and allows visitors to the exhibition pathway to appreciate and engage with the immense scale of this species of cetacean.