Novità Italia becomes Moosso
The agency founded by Barbara Musso changed its name: its new identity is as dynamic, open and international as its unique way of communicating the world of architecture and design.
Novità Italia, an international strategic communications, public relations, and brand consultancy agency in the world of design and architecture, is getting a makeover and choosing a new name for the occasion: Moosso. A rebranding teased during Milan Design Week 2022, developed spontaneously as part of the journey of a brand identity that has seen its values and goals evolve over time.
“Moosso communicates fluidity and dynamism. It is a word that can be pronounced in any language, making it as open and international as we are. This is the name that fully reflects us: we are no longer just the “news” of Novità, but we are promoting and amplifying the voices that are currently using design and architecture to build a better world,” explains owner Barbara Musso.
After an education as a designer, Barbara Musso served for 15 years as a communications consultant for the New York-based PR and marketing agency Novità Communications, and in 2015 founded her own agency in Milan under the name Novità Italia. The Milan office soon became a “boutique” agency and, while still collaborating with its American counterpart, quickly distinguished itself for its solid grounding in design expertise. This is reflected in its storytelling, shaped through the narrative of details that a designer’s voice and passion can capture with unprecedented care and expertise.
Authentically international.
Robust and genuine international relationships, developed over two decades of foreign activities, confirm Moosso as a solid partner for projects across Asia, the UAE, Europe, North America, South Africa and Australia.
Today Moosso boasts established partnerships with agencies in New York, London, Cologne, and Tokyo, and short- and long-term collaborations with influential national and international associations. From the Milan Triennale to the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Poland, Moosso works as a “creative connector”, bringing institutions and brands, designers and companies, foundations and events into dialogue with each other. The agency’s clients are brands, designers, architectural firms, curators and associations. The affinity is a natural one, because they too are innovative, international, sometimes irreverent but often poetic and sustainable, always authentic, ethical and memorable.
Show, don’t tell.
“Show, don’t tell” is the mantra that welcomes the agency’s visitors. It is a daily challenge, but also the overarching passion of this lean but well-rounded team: they do not simply recite the facts of design and architecture but bring them to life, visible and tangible, through words, presentations and images. It is a living, empathetic and concrete concept of storytelling. Design and architecture convey not only beauty, but also formal harmony, refined materials, excellent craftsmanship, creative insights, constructive devices, and aesthetic and sensory inventions.
The Soul Code.
Since 2020, Moosso has been graced with a Brand section, currently led by former Moleskine global brand manager Fabio Di Liberto.
“A brand, whether a professional or a company, is a living organism in an ever-changing environment. Working closely with the Communications team, our task and passion is to identify and codify the unique character of the brands that rely on us- what I like to call their Soul Code- so that they can continue to stand out and speak to their audience with a meaningful and relevant voice,” explains Fabio Di Liberto.
Starting with brand pillars, from purpose and corporate ambition to the Tone of Voice manual and editorial programs for social media, the team devises a verbal and visual narrative tailored around their brands.
From fluorescent to black: the formal balance of a media-friendly logo.
The authenticity of relationships returns in the choice of art director Franco Cervi, who was the first Italian client of the agency. Franco’s graphics for Moosso have a strong formal identity, featuring elegant and light tones that recall Moosso’s style of communication. Its contemporary and minimalist character reflects the team’s fluid but assertive spirit.
The logo consists of a single, sinuous, unbroken line, entirely modulated on a matrix. Each element of the design is in mathematical proportion to the others, from the caliber and length of the lines to the width of the radii. This minimalist approach is also manifest in the economy of the design: the “s” is derived from the “m”, and the “o” is a perfect circle, just as the curvilinear parts of the “m” and “s” are semicircles and quarter-circles respectively.
RGB brightness on screen. Texture, elegance, and scale on paper.
“The idea of a logo that shows up in different colors depending on whether it is in the interactive or paper environment struck me as an effective metaphor for Moosso’s business,” explains Franco Cervi, well aware of the need to “adapt the multiple needs of communication to different media in order to best convey the message.”
Every action has an impact on people and the environment. Moosso’s cohesive and reliable team is composed of expert professionals who also become active amplifiers and promoters of values such as ethics, respect, and responsibility, in human relationships as well as in design.
“Respect, ethics, and a strong push for sustainability are the themes we pursue, knowing that Design can actively contribute to designing a better future,” concludes Barbara Musso. She has no doubt that everyone has a role to play in bringing together good design, well-being, and respect for people and our Planet.
