Exactly thirty years ago, in the attic of a house with wooden railings in the heart of Milan’s Chinatown, Fabrizio Bernasconi and Stefano Fabrucci were laying the foundations for what would later become RBA Design.
The agency we know today, which finds one of its greatest expressions in the spacious, bright open space of its creative hub in Via San Francesco, was founded in 1995, driven by the visionary passion of two friends who were convinced that design was not just an image but a fundamental tool for communicating value and uniqueness.
Touchpoint Magazine, a renowned publishing platform for design and communication professionals, has dedicated a special issue to RBA Design, not only to celebrate this successful thirty-year anniversary, but also – and above all – to capture the experiences of the people who, over time, have helped make the agency one of the benchmarks in the Italian and international food & beverage sector.
We are therefore talking about the two founding partners – Fabrizio and Stefano – to whom Nicola Mincione and Carlo Aliverti were later added as partners, but we are also talking about young talents and promises in the fields of branding and design.
And then, of course, there is also talk of Italianity, one of the core concepts of RBA Design, from the very earliest days of the agency’s existence. The Italian Touch Italianity of RBA Design is manifested in projects where Italianity is never banal or folkloristic, but rather reflects the intertwining of authentic stories, deep ties with the territory, and people who have managed to transform passions and traditions into true lifestyles, iconic experiences and rituals that are undeniably Italian.
But what are, in fact, the secrets of these 30 years of success for RBA Design? We’ll reveal three of them – one for each decade:
- Come together: not the Beatles song, but a real working philosophy for the agency, namely the daily gathering of creative minds and diverse perspectives within the walls of the RBA Design hub, the beating heart of the agency, where projects are born and new talents grow amidst coffee and a work table.
- Power to our people: Branding and design are our strengths – but without the people behind every project, we wouldn’t have lasted thirty years. The presence of senior and junior figures, and professionals in different fields who work side by side, is what has always made us distinctive and forward-looking.
- Go beyond: packaging is never just a means to an end; it is an opportunity to communicate valuable messages. Only by pushing ourselves to think – and create – outside the box can we reach insights and inspirations that allow us to transform packaging design into a fundamental tool for branding.
Happy birthday to RBA Design, then, and a heartfelt thanks to Touchpoint Magazine for hosting us among its pages!
