Riccardo Falcinelli on Design, Perception, and the Future of Visual Culture

Riccardo Falcinelli (Rome, 1973), one of Italy's most acclaimed graphic designers, discusses his career, inspirations, and vision for the future. He teaches Psychology of Perception at ISIA Rome's Design faculty. His books include 'Guardare. Pensare. Progettare. Neuroscienze per il design' (2011), 'Critica portatile al visual design' (2014), 'Cromorama' (2017), 'Figure' (2020), and he edited 'Filosofia del graphic design' (2022), all published by Einaudi Stile Libero, for which he also designs the current graphic identity. Falcinelli cites Pontormo and Hitchcock as key influences rather than Munari, emphasizing a cinematic, directorial approach to design and writing. He considers 'Figure' his most representative project, aimed at a sophisticated non-specialist audience, blending rigorous research with entertainment codes. Despite Rome's lack of a modernist design tradition, he chose to stay, finding inspiration in its pictorial, scenographic character. For the future, he predicts virtual reality will end the 'Albertian window' concept of framed images, and hopes cinemas will adopt a museum-like model, screening classics on film during weekdays. He stresses that creativity depends on cultural knowledge, not spontaneous imagination, and that the sacred remains essential for giving meaning to experiences.