We are four people in Alcamo, a town on a hill in western Sicily, roughly halfway between Palermo and Trapani. We design brand identities.
The studio opened in 2019. The idea was simple: there were plenty of graphic designers in Sicily but very few proper brand identity studios. Most businesses would get a logo from a freelancer and then figure out the rest themselves. The result was usually a nice logo surrounded by inconsistent everything else. We wanted to offer the full package: logo, visual system, verbal identity, guidelines, everything needed for a brand to look professional across every touchpoint.
Six years later we have designed identities for about 85 businesses. Mostly Sicilian: wineries, olive oil producers, hotels, restaurants, bakeries, ceramics studios. Also some clients in Rome, Milan, and northern Europe. Each project is different but the approach is the same. Research first, strategy second, design third.
Alcamo has a population of about 45,000 and not a single traffic light in the historic center. It is quiet, it is beautiful, and it lets us focus on the work without the distractions of a big city. Most of our clients are a train ride away in Palermo or Trapani, and the rest we meet over video calls.
Why brand identity specifically?
We could do web design, print, social media, all sorts of things. But we decided early on to focus on one thing and do it well. Brand identity is what we know best. When you try to do everything, you end up mediocre at all of it. When you focus, you get really good at that one thing. That is the trade-off we made and we are happy with it.
The team
Four people. Two handle design work (one focused on visual, one on verbal). One manages client relationships, timelines, and the business side. One is a production specialist who prepares files for print, screen, and signage. We occasionally bring in freelance illustrators or photographers for specific projects.
Tools we use
Adobe Illustrator for logo and identity work. Figma for presentations and collaborative review. InDesign for brand guidelines documents. Procreate for initial sketches. Notion for project management.
Research first.
We do not design based on what looks nice. We design based on what the research tells us will work for your specific audience.
System thinking.
A logo without a system is decoration. We build complete visual ecosystems where every element supports every other element.
Sicilian pace.
We work steadily, not frantically. Good brand work needs thinking time, and Alcamo provides plenty of that.