The graphic designer takes us on a tour of his home studio and discusses the influence of collecting books and ephemera on design.

‘Michele Bellinaso (1999) works as a graphic designer and web developer between Padua (25°C) and Venice (25°C). He has a cat called Blackie, a girlfriend called Alice, a band called Freez, and another musical project called Ray + Beauties. He has a passion for Japanese literature, ambient music and Le Corbusier. His zodiac sign is Cancer Ascendant.

Last reading: The Exhibition of Atrocities, J. G. Ballard, Universale Economica Feltrinelli. Current reading: La speranza progettuale, Tomás Maldonado, Nuovo Politecnico Einaudi.’

With these words, and with the exhaustive synthesis of a graphic designer who grew up on bread and 1960s paperbacks, Michele Bellinaso sums up his profile. Working at the Lorenzo Mason Studio in Venice, one of the Italian studios most appreciated in Europe for their work straddling graphics, publishing and artistic practices, Michele divides his time between the lagoon and Padua. Here, in his home studio, we met – and photographed – him to discuss his work on Le Magnifique, Claude Bolling’s soundtrack for a 1973 film by Philippe de Broca recently unearthed by the CAM Sugar archive. 

In the studio, everything is an emanation of Michele’s taste and practice, among metal shelves full of socio-political texts by Italian publishers of the 1960s and 1970s, Enzo Mari prints, the iconic Sunsets by Lorenzo Mason and vinyl, ranging from ambient to classical, via ça va sans dire soundtracks.

An avid book collector and the son of a record store owner, in Michele’s practice music and graphic design are in constant dialogue, expressed in a minimalist style balanced between the tradition of European publishing, the refined divertissement of artist’s books and an awareness of their digital declinations. For CAM, he drew inspiration from the frames of Le Magnifique and the film’s archive to conceive two gatefold artworks, which we discussed in conversation.

CAM Sugar: What inspired you when designing the artworks for Le Magnifique?

Michele Bellinaso: François Merlin (Jean-Paul Belmondo) in the film Le Magnifique publishes all his books in this black paperback series, it seemed interesting to propose a bootleg of his covers for the soundtrack that accompanies his stories. The white cover, on the other hand, is an homage to the film’s original poster.

CS: Currently, what informs your visual and design research the most?

MB: Books certainly, old and new. Historical Italian publishing houses such as Editori Riuniti, Satelliti Bompiani, Nuovo Politecnico Einaudi, Biblioteca Sansoni, among others, introduced me to the world of graphic design and to this day they are still a wonderful source of inspiration. Obviously Venice, along with all that it has to offer on a cultural level, is also very important for the work I do, especially for the Lorenzo Mason Studio, where I work, which is a huge constant inspiration. There, Lorenzo (Mason) and Simone (Spinazzè) are the people I engage and exchange with on a daily basis.

CS: How does the relationship between music, graphic and product design unfold in your practice?

MB: I try to work with as little as possible, ideally with a single idea behind it. I like characters and good photos: I believe these two elements are enough to get a good result, without the need to add any big special effects. Complexity over complication [laughs].

CS: Your home studio is an emanation of your style. What do you usually collect and what pieces do you look for to furnish it? 

MB: Mainly books I would say. Lately I’ve picked up a few titles on the social architecture of the Balkans, a couple of books on Ettore Vitale’s work for the Italian Socialist Party and a beautiful 2002 catalogue on Paul McCarthy. However, I always try to treat myself with a few vinyl a month, especially since my father (still) owns a record shop. Not bad eh?

Opening image: Michele Bellinaso in his home studio, Padua, 2024. Photography by Nicolò Bressan.