Rome city council seeks free graphic designers for sports pictograms

Angelo Diario, head of the Rome City Council's Sports Commission, posted a call on his institutional Facebook page seeking graphic designers to create pictograms for municipal sports facility websites—for zero compensation. Diario, who previously called private investors in Rome 'luridi' (filthy), boasted that while former mayor Ignazio Marino spent €20,000 on the 'Rome&You' tourism logo, his commission will allocate €0 but offer 'gratification'. The request involves days of work to design original pictograms, not copied from Olympic sets. Critics argue this exploits local creative professionals and devalues their training and expertise. The article highlights Rome's broader issue of underpaying creative talent, driving artists, architects, and designers to leave for Milan or abroad. Diario defended the call by saying he is not forcing anyone to apply. The piece questions selection criteria, copyright transfer, and whether the city can even produce a proper waiver form.