Fàulas — Visual identity and cultural festival system
Context and Objectives
• The festival invites Sardinians to reflect on their stereotypes with irony and lightness •
Fàulas (in Sardinian, “lies”) is the ANS festival that deconstructs and overturns prejudices and clichés about Sardinians and Sardinia. The festival explores identity and self-perception: who we are, who has told our history, and who is telling our present. It doesn’t aim to provide absolute truths but encourages reflection and doubt through art, music, theater, gastronomy, and multimedia.
Aimed at all Sardinians, the festival offers a mirror to examine stereotypes and challenge common misconceptions through a creative and playful approach. The collapse of certain myths can be liberating but also disorienting: lightness and irony are essential tools to experience this process without weight, transforming it into a surprising and joyful encounter. The strength of the festival lies in its ability to challenge ingrained beliefs and stimulate new perspectives in a festive and engaging way.
My Role
• I designed the festival’s value-based and visual identity, guiding the entire experience •
I designed the multimedia platform and the festival identity, encompassing both visual and value-driven aspects. From the conception of key concepts to their translation into visual elements, I built a strong and distinctive identity that set the festival apart from other cultural events on the island and conveyed its core values of surprise, joy, and irony. My contribution defined the tone, style, and visual experience of the entire project.
Design Challenge
• Make the festival recognizable, coherent, and surprising without diminishing its cultural depth •
The main challenge was to convey surprise, joy, festivity, irony, and lightness while maintaining the intellectual and cultural value of the festival. The identity had to be consistent yet adaptable to diverse moments such as panels, talks, performances, art, music, and gastronomy, all taking place across Oristano’s historic center. The festival needed to surprise the audience, break clichés, and create a playful, festive atmosphere.
Event as an Extension of Design
• Urban space becomes part of the visual system, transforming the festival into an immersive experience •
The festival’s visual elements occupy public space: streets decorated with festival colors, surprised faces, comics, and hot-air balloons, involving local shops and restaurants, creating a strong identity link between the city and the event. Visual design is not only aesthetic — it is a communication and experience tool, making the festival instantly recognizable and memorable.
Evolution and Impact
• The festival consolidates its identity and progressively engages the community, breaking clichés with lightness and irony •
Over the years, Fàulas has strengthened its connection with the community, increasing audience participation and recognition. The combination of a strong identity and lightness balances irony, festivity, and cultural depth, making Fàulas an original, memorable event that surprises and challenges stereotypes about Sardinia.
Manifesto / Takeaway
Visual design does not represent the festival: it makes it recognizable, inhabitable, and repeatable over time.
Design is the matrix, not an accessory role.
