Michele Jocca, designer of Italy's road signs, dies at 97
Michele Jocca, the Italian artist who designed the pictograms for Italy's road signs, died on July 9, 2023, in a Rome clinic at age 97. Born in Calascio, L'Aquila, in 1925, Jocca moved to Rome with his family in the 1930s, returned to Abruzzo in 1943 to escape bombings, and later evaded conscription. After the war, he began illustrating for small publishers and worked on the TV show Carosello. In 1959, he took a job at the Genio Civile, where he specialized in creating road sign designs for the new Highway Code. His minimalist, highly legible pictograms—such as the deer crossing and the tree with a match for fire risk—remain iconic across Italy.
Key facts
- Michele Jocca died on July 9, 2023, in a Rome clinic at age 97.
- He was born in Calascio, L'Aquila, in 1925.
- Jocca designed the pictograms for Italy's road signs under the 1959 Highway Code.
- He moved to Rome in the 1930s and returned to Abruzzo in 1943 to escape bombings.
- He evaded conscription and hid in Rome to avoid the death penalty.
- After WWII, he illustrated for small publishers and the TV show Carosello.
- He joined the Genio Civile in 1959, where he created road sign designs.
- His iconic signs include the deer crossing and the tree with a match for fire risk.
Entities
Artists
- Michele Jocca
Institutions
- Il Messaggero
- Genio Civile
- Carosello
- Crestarossa
- Bambola
- Amichetta
Locations
- Calascio
- L'Aquila
- Italy
- Rome
- Abruzzo