When Publishing Meets Creativity: an experience with designer and art director Jeannine Saba at RUFA. The meeting, led by the teacher and illustrator Francesco Fidani, will be held in English.
Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 10:00 am in the Aula Magna at the RUFA campus located at Via Taro, 14.
For the first Talk of the new year, RUFA is pleased to host Jeannine Saba, a London-based creative director and publisher, and founder of Piero Publishing. With over twenty years of experience in luxury publishing for prestigious magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Tatler, and Diplomat Magazine, Jeannine Saba is a leading figure in the international publishing landscape.
Since 2016, she has been leading Piero Publishing, an independent publishing house that collaborates with major corporate clients and institutions, including the City of London, Hines, The Dorchester, and Savoy.
The talk will offer an immersion into the world of print, focusing on the activities of Piero Publishing, which publishes renowned magazines such as The Covent Gardener, The Mayfarer, and The City Courant, as well as two custom publishing magazines (Hines Europe and the in-house magazine of The Dorchester hotel).
These publications are known for their production of richly illustrated, original, and collectible print magazines. During the talk, Jeannine Saba will present case studies such as St. George’s magazine, a publication co-produced with primary school students, which later inspired the creation of The Dorchester magazine.
The three independent magazines collectively reach over 120,000 readers per issue and feature limited advertising. Piero Publishing collaborates with hundreds of international illustrators, including notable names such as Quentin Blake, Milton Glaser, and Olimpia Zagnoli.
Key Themes of the Talk
The talk will address several key aspects related to the creation and management of a local magazine, with a special focus on how to establish a strong connection with the local communities of London. The discussion will highlight the cultural and historical storytelling of the area, emphasizing the role that print can play in promoting local businesses and supporting the community.
A further focus will be dedicated to the detailed description of all the stages of magazine production. From content collection to distribution, including advertising research, design, and working with illustrators, each stage will be explored with a practical and comprehensive approach. In particular, there will be an in-depth look at the entire production process of illustrated images, from artist selection to the printing of the final file, offering students a clear and complete view of the entire workflow.
The talk will introduce students to a concrete collaboration with the magazine The Covent Gardener: during the second semester, students will be involved in the creation of illustrations for the internal articles and the cover of an entire issue, which will be published in 2025 with the RUFA logo on the cover.
The talk experience at RUFA will itself be documented with an article published in an upcoming issue of The Covent Gardener. This is a unique opportunity for students interested in learning about the world of print publishing, gaining skills in professional illustration work, and participating in a real publishing project under the guidance of a renowned creative director.
> Registration for the talk will be available starting from Wednesday, January 8, 2025.
The Talks are open to all RUFA students. To register, log in to the RUFA Career System with your credentials.
If you have any doubts during registration, consult this Guide. If, after reading the guide, you still have questions, please contact careers.alumni@unirufa.it.
Addressed to: all students and particularly recommended for students of Graphic Design and GD-Comics and Illustration
Duration: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Event date: Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Location: Aula Magna – Via Taro, 14
Language: English