When a project finally finds its face
Some updates are measured in lines of code. Others change the way a project is recognised, remembered and understood. Ivrea Observatory’s new symbol belongs firmly in the second group.
After many attempts, the right answer came from taking things away. The final mark is built from a single interrupted circle. The gaps create the profile of a person looking upwards: not a dome, not a telescope and not an illustration of the night sky, but an observer.
One circle. Nothing else.
The geometry follows a deliberately strict rule: one centre, one radius and no decorative element inside or outside the circumference. Even the small detached stroke belongs to the same construction and quietly suggests a lowercase “i”.
That restraint allows the mark to carry several ideas at once. It is a head, the O in Observatory, the hidden “i” in Ivrea and, above all, the simple human act of looking up.
A complete replacement, with no disruption
The new master has been applied across the project without changing the site’s layout, content or behaviour. The main brand image, social preview artwork, favicons, Apple touch icon and PWA assets—including maskable variants—now all use the same symbol.
The change is intentionally quiet. Everything works as it did before, but every surface now speaks the same visual language.
The Journal grows up too
This release also marks a change in how the Journal is treated. It is no longer just a record of fixes and features. It is becoming the Observatory’s build log: a place for real images, decisions, experiments, mistakes and the next things on the bench.
The Italian and English editions will tell the same story without becoming mechanical translations of one another. Each piece should feel as though it was written naturally in its own language.
Highlights
On the workbench
- Make Tonight easier to use for naked-eye observing
- Prepare the first public Android beta
- Continue SkyCam tests with the standard Camera Module 3