In 2024, the redesign of the visual identity for one of Bologna’s most important cultural institutions began: the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna. Since then, the museum has undergone significant structural changes and is now part of the unified network of the National Museums of Bologna. While the original brief focused on strong recognizability, a timeless yet contemporary approach, and ease of use by non-specialist staff, the identity has evolved to adapt to this broader institutional transition.

The project followed a historiographic method centered on a custom typeface inspired by the letterforms of Francesco Griffo — a Bolognese punchcutter who worked for the legendary Aldus Manutius. This typeface, named PNB De Aetna, is paired with a symbol of three asterisks arranged in an inverted triangle, a direct reference to the typographic layout of the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili, printed by Manutius with Griffo’s types. In that book, Griffo was among the first to formalize uppercase lettering in titling — a practice still in use today.

A companion sans serif, with matching proportions, complements the primary font, allowing for a flexible yet coherent visual system. The result is a refined, expressive identity that ties together place, history, and image through a subtle but distinctive graphic language.