Vous avez toujours eu l'image des grandes assemblées d'actionnaires chiantes, des rapports annuels bardés de chiffres et de mots techniques incompréhensibles? Eh bien tout cela c'est fini! Le 10 mai dernier, la marque Pirelli a convié Darkplanneur dans son siège milanais pour vivre une expérience singulière, la présentation d'un rapport annuel d'un genre nouveau, un book arty!
Pirelli à l'image de ses fameux calendriers semble aujourd'hui vouloir créer de véritables "oeuvres d'art" de chiffres et de lettres, imaginez plutôt: ce sont 22 illustrations accompagnées de 4 textes qui vont agrémenter sublimement l'Annual Report Pirelli 2011. Cet objet curieux, Darkplanneur vous en présente les visuels, et autre cadeau, l'interview exclusive des 2 hommes au coeur de ce projet inouï: mr Marco Tronchetti Provera (CEO de Pirelli, l'un des hommes les + puissants de l'industrie transalpine..mais surtout une classe incroyable!!!!!) et le jeune designer néerlandais Stefan Glerum.
Darkplanneur: Why chosing this disruptive approach?
Marco Tranchetti Provera: Pirelli has always have a creative approach! whatever we do here is driven by the creativity: think about our revolutionnaries tyres, think about the aproach in our clothing line, have you visited our P Zero concept store here in Milan? And moreover think about our Pirelli Calendars! The Pirelli motto is to always be a leader, our aim is to stretch our creativity to the maximum for our consumers.. that's what it's all about.. that's why we wanted our Annual Report book to be different, to embody this creativity spirit: it's what we call here the "Rubber Soul"
D: And the risky choice of an emerging young designer?
MTP: It's in Pirelli's soul to always take risks, to always look forward.. to wprk with what we consider as the best creative ... and working with emergin is always more stimulating for the both parts: we enjoyed the whole process with Stefan.
Darkplanneur: When have you begun to work on this "Annual Report Book" project?
Stefan Glerum: I was asked in december last year to visit Milano and to see the Pirelli office to get a feeling for the company. I was given a tour at the Fondazione Pirelli, the Research and Development section and the P Zero store. After having taken in all this inspiration the actual work started.
D: What was Pirelli's Brief?
SG: The concept for the annual report was to illustrate the various keywords the company Pirelli represents.
D: What drove your inspiration and work?
SG: I get my inspiration from multiple sources. Boyhood fascinations, like planes, cars, ww2 miniature model kits. But I also get inspired by the colors of pictures in second hand books about birds, old cars and old costumes. Stylisticly I am inspired by avant garde art and design of the beginning of the 20th century and Clear Line comic art. For the Pirelli annual report I had to find out which of those sources would work for each drawing. In the end it is a good mix.
D: We talked with Mr Marco Tronchetti Provera of encapsuling the "Rubber Soul", what is about?
SG: I think the rubber soul of Pirelli is everything the company represents, a part from just numbers and figures. The soul is made of the multiple facets, the multiple keywords that are part of the Pirelli’s identity. Those are exactly the subjects I have depicted in the illustrations for the annual report.
D: What was your creative approach of this challenge?
SG: It was a process of creating ideas and sketches and communicating these with Francesco Valtolina (the art director) and Pirelli. Together we had to find out what would be the right approach for the Annual Report. After filtering the sketches and ideas, I would work out the sketches into the final drawings.
D: One of the most spectacular part of your work was your graphic / visual's approach of the Pirelli's values..can you pitch us some of them? let's say "RESPECT" and "PASSION" ?
SG: To explain the keyword ‘respect’ in an image was not easy. It is not as straightford as a concept like ‘speed’, where I could draw a speeding motorcycle. I had to find a good metaphore to make the concept ‘respect’ more tangible. So I chose to depict a gentleman bowing and giving a lady a handkiss. To tie that into the Pirelli world, I chose to make the lady a tire. The gentleman and the lady embodie an action of respect and caring.
‘Passion’ was more straightforward for me. A sort of image that comes from intuition. People making out between the tires with vibrant red colors, that felt right for me.
D: What story did you want us to listen through this work?
SG: The story of Pirelli’s rubber soul.
D: If you had to sum up in one word this book, what would it be?
SG: A succes!
Un mot pour conclure: "Pirelli, un peu d'Art dans un monde de chiffres"
