Born in 1917 in Turin, Italy, Armando Testa is considered the father of modern Italian
advertising. He was most known for his work as an illustrator, cartoonist, graphic
designer and all around conceptual artist. His great talent lied in creating poster art
by use of conceptual images in his artwork. Conceptual images aimed to give
meaning to something by using metaphorical objects, these objects would ultimately
represent one thing while meaning something else.
Armando Testa, poster for Pirelli, 1954. The strength of a bull elephant is bestowed
on the tire by the surrealist technique of image combination
Even outside the specific context of poster art he was a master of communications,
a creative artist who invented new languages, always adopting the most technologically advanced means. It is possible to differentiate his production depending on the function it was meant
to carry out, from advertising messages to cultural promotions, from ironic greeting
cards to community service posters.
Armando Testa is in fact not only the name of this great mastermind, but also that of
the communication agency he eponymously founded in 1956; ‘Armando Testa
Group’. Amongst which represent some of the most highly acclaimed, important
clients worldwide.
During the 1960s, colour photography, a typical product of mass culture,
progressively replaced drawing in the world of advertising. Armando Testa, being
the head of an agency destined to become a leader in Italy and beyond, adjusted
unconditionally to the new medium, conceiving campaigns that would mark a new era in his own country.
It is the largest advertising agency in Italy, by revenue and activities and has three
offices in Italy; Turin, Milan and Rome and five offices in Europe; Brussels, Frankfurt,
London, Madrid
0 comments