Tuscany Writers Conference OVERVIEW Glick Design creates a graphic identity for international conference. BACKGROUND The relationship between the client and Glick Design evolved from a design that was prepared two years earlier for the San Francisco Writers Conference. The Tuscany event, described as a “retreat to nourish a writer's soul,” takes place in a 14th century villa near the picturesque town of Lucca, Italy. Writers and lovers of the written word from around the English-speaking world are invited to attend. The fact that this was the inaugural conference placed even more importance on crafting just the right graphic identity for the marketing effort. After reviewing historical examples of the region’s architecture and landscape, a simple design sketch was developed. This included references to the arches, columns and Italian cypress trees often associated with the Tuscany region. The design was stylized and simplified and then illustrated as a vector drawing. A palette of ochre, brown, green and warm grey was established. Research was then done to find a type font

that further supported the historical theme. The font that was selected was inspired by letter designs found in medieval calligraphy. It was set and then carefully arranged to balance with the graphics and color. Tonal gradations in the artwork and a drop shadow on the lettering were also added to further embellish the graphic identity. SUMMARY This graphic identity design was immediately approved by the client and employed in their web site and print materials. It was deemed to be instrumental in setting the tone for the marketing imagery. This design was awarded a 2007 Pele Award of Merit in the graphic identity category.