Rai Storia is an Italian television channel dedicated to history and culture, operated by Rai Cultura, an arm of the public broadcaster RAI. The channel launched in 2002 as Rai Edu 2 and adopted its current name on 2 February 2009. It broadcasts on digital terrestrial television in Italy on channel 54. [1]
Design and History
Rai Storia’s current visual identity dates to 10 April 2017, when the channel was among ten thematic Rai networks that received new logos, graphics and colors. The rebrand completed a process that had begun in September 2016 with the four generalist Rai channels, giving the entire public service portfolio a coordinated image for the first time. [2]
The project was curated by the Rai creative direction led by Massimo Maritan, directed by Roberto Bagatti, Chief of Brand & Creative, in collaboration with designer Florencia Picco. [2] Bagatti explained that, starting from the square, the shape of the Rai logo, each channel received its own visual identity. For the thematic channels, the square became a container from which the themes and genres of each channel’s editorial offering emerged. [2]
With the 2017 rebrand, Rai Storia moved from light yellow to dark green. [3] The channel had previously undergone a graphic restyling on 18 May 2010, which also affected the logos of other public service channels. [3]
Meaning and Symbolism
The square format is central to the Rai identity system. Bagatti cited designer Bruno Munari, noting that the square, present in the most ancient structures and in the rock images of the first humans, signifies the idea of home and country. For the thematic channels, the square acts as a container where the representation of the themes and genres of each channel’s editorial offering emerges. [2]
Typography and Design
The Rai wordmark has used Futura Bold as its primary typeface since the “farfalla” (butterfly) identity introduced in 2000. For the 2016 rebrand of the generalist channels, the numbers were shown in a slightly modified ITC Lubalin Graph Bold, a typeface also used off-the-shelf for other aspects of the brand. [4] The 2017 extension of this identity to the thematic channels, including Rai Storia, followed the same visual system. [4]
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