The Comune di Urbino (Municipality of Urbino) is an Italian city in the Marche region, historically known as a Renaissance cultural center. Its visual identity is best understood through two distinct strands: the official heraldic stemma (coat of arms) used for institutional purposes, and a modern logotype created in the late 1960s as part of a pioneering coordinated design project.
Design and History
In the academic year 1968/1969, Milanese graphic designer Albe Steiner, together with students from the CSAG in Urbino (Corso Superiore per le Arti Grafiche, now ISIA), developed a coordinated plan for the city that included a new logotype, signage for the historic center, and a local newspaper.[1] The project, named “Grafica e segnaletica di un centro storico,” was included by architect Giancarlo De Carlo in the XIV Triennale di Milano in 1968, though the exhibition was interrupted on its opening day amid general protests; it was re-installed the following year in Urbino’s Palazzo Ducale.[1]
The project had notable symbolic and practical relevance, as it was the first time a design approach already widely implemented at the international level was adopted in Italy, notably in a local context.[2] Steiner’s work for Urbino is described as rendering “the Renaissance soul of the city with the clarity and immediacy of images.”[3] The Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI) confirms that Steiner, with his students, “designed an identity for the historic town of Urbino.”[4]
It is important to note that the attribution of this 1968 logotype to a designer named “Bert Aureli” is not supported by any available research. All documented sources consistently credit Albe Steiner and his CSAG students for the project.
Meaning and Symbolism
The official stemma of the Comune di Urbino is described in heraldic terms as: “D’azzurro a tre bande d’oro, caricata la prima di un’aquila ad ali spiegate, di nero” (Azure with three gold bands, the first charged with a black eagle with spread wings), with the shield surmounted by a ducal crown.[5] The municipal statute describes the gonfalone as a traditional rectangular banner divided into two fields, gold-yellow and azure, with the Montefeltro shield in the center (three gold bands on an azure field, with the Feltresca eagle on the first band), surmounted by a gold-yellow crown.[6]
Regarding the 1968 Steiner logotype, sources describe its creation and context but do not provide a detailed breakdown of its individual symbolic elements. The project is characterized as an effort to give the city a modern, coordinated visual language rooted in its Renaissance heritage.[3]
Typography and Design
No research sources provide specific typographic details for the 1968 Steiner logotype. The project is documented as part of a broader coordinated identity system that included signage and municipal publications, but specific font choices or construction methods are not described in the available sources.
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
