Pirelli has released a digital graphic novel to tell the story of the company and its 147 years of activity characterized by technology and innovation, in terms of products, corporate culture and communication.

The five episodes of “Pirelli an Italian in the world” uses styles and techniques that include illustration, archival images and motion graphic design, offering the viewer the possibility of accessing additional extra content during the viewing.

The project, conceived to spread awareness of the most important stages in Pirelli’s history to the public, draws on material from the archives of the Fondazione Pirelli while basing historic reconstructions on Professor Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini’s book “Pirelli. Innovation and Passion”, published by Il Mulino. In roughly twenty minutes, the five episodes – accompanied by specially produced music and illustrations – cover Pirelli’s story from 1872, the year of its foundation in Milan as "G.B. Pirelli & C.", to today.

A 147-year story, made up of people, technology and a pioneering spirit recognized throughout the world, an important historic tradition and a corporate culture that brings together industry and humanity. These elements have made of Pirelli a true symbol of the country’s modernization, characterized by the values of social solidarity and faith in progress.

In the first episode, The Future’s Rubber, Giovanni Battista Pirelli, the company’s founder, looks from his window in the factory at Sevesetto and asks himself what drives a crowd to rebellion, in May of 1898, as the angry throng moves through streets of Milan. These thoughts and reflections inspire the history of the company and in the second episode set in the 1930s we see his son Alberto inherit his father’s entrepreneurial and cultural legacy. Alberto Pirelli, in A Brand is Born, leads Pirelli into tire production and in its first steps towards internationalization. Pirelli continues to grow through to the middle of the 20th century (1932-1967) and needs to find new forms of communication. It needs a language that is direct and immediately recognizable, a Rubber goes pop – the title of the third episode – as revealed in the first edition of the Pirelli Calendar, in 1963, and the launch of innovative products that revolutionized mobility: the Cinturato.

In From the Road to the Information Highway Pirelli is crossing the threshold of the new millennium, dealing with technological challenges, a renewed group strategy and the launch of high quality products: the P Zero line. The Journey Continues is the final episode capturing the company in the period from 2000 to today, as the company experiences various reorganizations with the entry of new shareholders, the focus on the consumer business, the ongoing technological advancement and an ever stronger brand.

Five episodes, in an innovative language, to describe Pirelli’s industrial growth, closely intertwined with the fabric of the economy and society, the challenging years, changes, and targets achieved. Met by Pirelli, without losing sight of its founder’s passion and ambition.

All material can be downloaded at the following link: https://www.pirelli.com/pirellihistory/

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Tagged: Carlo Bellavite Pellegrini

Pirelli narrates history of company through digital graphic novel