Stefano Boeri and Mario Piazza Remember Italian Graphic Designer Italo Lupi

Italo Lupi (Cagliari 1934 – Milan 2023), the influential Italian graphic designer and art director, is remembered by Stefano Boeri and Mario Piazza. Boeri, who directed Abitare from 2007 to 2010 after Lupi's 12-year tenure, notes that Lupi gave the magazine a distinctive and high-profile imprint. Lupi also served as art director of Domus from 1986 to 1992, a magazine that, along with Casabella and Abitare, shaped global architecture before digital media. Mario Piazza, who succeeded Boeri at Abitare and previously co-directed Domus with him, describes Lupi's graphic style as akin to watching Pelé's Brazil team: effortless, controlled, and joyful. Lupi's extensive body of work for the Triennale di Milano exemplifies a modular yet flexible visual system. He also designed the institutional logo for the Triennale, winning an invited competition despite criticism from the press (Il Sole 24Ore called it "Immobile, goffo, eppur vincente"). The logo remained in use until 2019, proving its enduring authority. Lupi's work fused the generative, colorful grammar of Italian graphic design with narrative brilliance, serving as a guarantee for the future of the field.