Graphic design and scientific research: the INGV experience

Abstract. Part of the INGV activity is focused on the production of resources concerning Educational and Outreach projects on Geophysics and natural hazard topics. The forefront results of research activity, in fact, are periodically transferred to the public through an intense and comprehensive plan of scientific dissemination. In the past 15 years, graphic and visual communication has become an essential point of reference supporting institutional and research activities. Positive experiences are the result of a strict relationship between graphic design and scientific research, in particular the process concerning the collaborative work between designers and researchers. In projects such as the realization of museum exhibition or the production of illustrative brochures, generally designed for broad-spectrum public, the goal is to make easier the understanding and to support the scientific message, making concepts enjoyable and fruitful through the emotional involvement that visual image can arouse. The graphics and editorial products, through composition of signs and images by using different tools (colors, form, lettering) on different media (print, video, web), link to create a strong identity INGV style , in order to make them easily recognizable in Educational and Outreach projects. A project product package might include a logo or other artwork, organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color, which unify the piece. Color is used not only to help the logo stand out from the international overview, but in our case to have a unifying outcome across all the INGV sections. A recent and stimulating experience has been the collaboration between INGV project design and its reference scientific community in order to create edu-games, products specifically designed for scientific dissemination. The edu-games have been designed to be an efficient combination of educational content and playful communicative aspects, with the aim therefore to learn while having fun.