Pentagram’s Marina Willer creates the graphic identity for Ferrari: Under the Skin

Pentagram partner Marina Willer has created a bold and heritage-based graphic identity for the Design Museum show Ferrari: Under the Skin. Aiming to go “beyond the red and cliches of masculinity”, the visual language is based on elements from across the car brand’s archives and therefore feels classic and complementary to the objects on display.

Marina worked with the curators to develop the theme of the show, helping to identify objects, media and sound from Ferrari’s history that could be used to “go under the skin” of the brand. Swatches used by car designers in the 1960s provided the main inspiration for the colour palette, while promotional materials including vintage posters, brochures and yearbooks were used to develop the exhibition’s typography. This, the design team says, reflects the condensed typeface used by Ferrari.

The wayfinding system that guides visitors around the show was extrapolated from the visual language of the directional and safety markings found on the Ferrari factory floor.

Marina’s team and photographer Paul Zak created two films, shown as part of the exhibition, using over 100 clips of archival material. One is a tribute to Ferrari’s race car drivers, and the other explores the history of the brand’s engineering and the beauty of a car’s components. The designers also created the marketing campaign and printed collateral for the exhibition.

Ferrari: Under the Skin takes visitors through the carmaker’s 70-year history, via a series of themed installations, split into six sections. It includes £140m worth of rare cars, as well as original drawings and memorabilia displayed in public for the first time. The exhibition is open until 15 April 2018.