Design students tackle feminist messaging in 24-hour creative marathon for Rome's Casa Internazionale delle Donne

AANT – Accademia delle Arti e delle Nuove Tecnologie and the Casa Internazionale delle Donne, two Rome institutions located just 600 meters apart, partnered for the 2018 edition of AANT's annual creative talent competition 'La 25esima ora'. The event, held over the past weekend, challenged student teams to develop design and communication projects within 24 hours, simulating agency work pressures. This year's brief focused on feminist messaging aimed at millennials, with the Casa Internazionale delle Donne as the 'mystery client'. The Casa, a historic feminist hub housing Archivia—a documentation center with over 30,000 volumes on 20th-century feminist struggles including the fight for Law 194 and abortion decriminalization—faces an existential threat due to a large debt to the city of Rome, which may reclaim the space. Vice president Marina Del Vecchio welcomed students, noting the need for new languages to convey the Casa's universal value. Winners included group 'Ipazia' for integrated communication and group 'Malala' for a signage proposal.