P101
P101 is a venture capital firm investing in early-stage digital companies in Italy. Its name recalls Programma 101—a milestone in the history of computing and a symbol of Italian ingenuity. Drawing on that same spirit of innovation, the identity created for P101 translates technological precision and visionary thinking into a contemporary visual language.
Programma 101, or P101, was the first personal computer sold on a large scale worldwide. Conceived, designed and built in Italy by Olivetti and engineer Pier Giorgio Perotto, it stands as an emblem of Italian innovation that left a lasting mark on the history of modern digital technology—well beyond national borders.
Herbert Bayer, 1953
Giovanni Pintori, 1955
The graphic language developed for P101 draws on the Italian modernist design of the 1960s, particularly the work of Olivetti’s designers such as Giovanni Pintori, Erberto Carboni, Franco Bassi and many others. They combined clarity, precision and expressive form to create visual communication that was both effective and distinctive.
The graphic system recalls the punched cards used to program early computers and the circuit boards where electronic components were first assembled. These references are reinterpreted as a modular vocabulary of grids, patterns and visual flows—abstract yet systematic, evoking both logic and movement.
The color palette, derived from the existing logo, was expanded to manage the full range of corporate and editorial applications.
Every year, we designed the P101 Annual Report, produced in collaboration with BeBeez (↗︎), a media outlet specializing in startups and investment. Over time, this publication has become a recognized reference within Italy’s venture capital and technology landscape.
Charts, tables and infographics turn complex investment information into a clear and visually engaging narrative, reflecting P101’s distinctive design language.
The same visual language informed the website design, which integrates institutional information, portfolio overviews and a blog dedicated to innovation and venture capital.
