Tam Festival: Florence's first art book fair debuts with Etruscan-inspired identity

Tam Festival, Florence's first fair for independent publishing, launched with a visual identity rooted in Etruscan history. Co-founded by graphic designer Edoardo Cantarella and illustrator Livia De Magistris—who met in 2024 at Weird Studio in Florence—along with Elisa Basilissi, the festival aims to fill a gap in the city's independent publishing scene. The branding features custom typography inspired by the Etruscan alphabet and a mascot named 'zix' (Etruscan for 'to write, book, or document'). The analogue, hand-drawn aesthetic uses a single, slightly crooked line for characters, applied across banners, T-shirts, and tote bags via screen printing by Colla, Risograph by Todo Modo Dilà, digital printing by Fustelgrafica, and letterpress by Torchio Letterpress. The identity deliberately distances Florence from Renaissance imagery, instead celebrating Etruscan civilization. The festival's name derives from the Etruscan word 'Tham,' meaning 'to create, design, or build.' Photography by Roni Blen.