AIAP CDPG, the Graphic Design Documentation Centre of AIAP, preserves materials and promotes initiatives to enhance the culture and history of graphic design and communication design.
A collective heritage of inestimable value to study, care for and preserve.
In the Graphic Design Historical Archive more than 120 fonds are preserved in the name of well-known and less well-known figures of Italian and international graphic design. A collective heritage of inestimable value to be protected, cared for and preserved. Design archives, funds and collections that bear witness to the wealth of visual and graphic design culture, available to AIAP’s members, scholars and students.
Explore Historical Archive
The Graphic Design Library collects and preserves more than 8,000 volumes and magazines dedicated to the culture of graphic design and communication design. A heritage, constantly updated, available for consultation for study and research purposes. Periodicals, yearbooks and specialist publications, both Italian and foreign, covering a time span from the 1940s to the present day.
Explore Library
During the industrial boom following the Second World War, Italy experienced a lively tradition of house organs and company magazines. This tradition was not limited to famous publications such as «Pirelli» or «Civiltà delle Macchine», but was also widespread among smaller companies, often belonging to strategic sectors of Italian manufacturing. This phenomenon has continued and still represents an opportunity for some Italian companies to mediate between the worlds of production and culture.
Explore the Thematic Path
The history of the arts and professions has predominantly been written from a male perspective. For at least 20 years, AIAP has been promoting and curating various projects investigating women’s design issues from different standpoints, such as the AWDA (AIAP Women in Design Award). In terms of historical research, since 2019, the AIAP CDPG has curated a series of exhibitions united by the provocative term ‘PINK’.
Explore the Thematic Path
Gather and organize the materials from the Historical Archive and the Graphic Project Library in a single space. Choose whatever inspires you, assemble the contents as you like, and shape your collection.
The Graphic Design Library and Archive can only be accessed by appointment and a temporary membership. When making an enquiry, it is advisable to state the reason for the consultation in as much detail as possible: greater clarity will enable us to provide the best possible service to students and researchers and to prepare the materials accordingly.