ITALIAN STARTUPS IN NEW YORK: DESIGN AS ART AND BUSINESS. ART REBUS: Word the Pic!

Lisa Capezzoli, the creator and architect of a project that will add a little color to our lives, spills the beans: “The project began a couple of years ago. I was mad at a friend, so as a joke I created the first art rebus, ‘Don’t Break My Balls.’ It was just the first of a series,” she tells us.

“After years in America, I wanted to use my English and learn some American expressions.  So I began choosing a few common sayings. And that’s when the notion of a rebus came tomind, which is well known in Italy but less so in America. When I was a kid I would entertain myself by solving them, and that’s why I wanted to add an educational element to the game, combining the two.”   

Her skills as a designer allowed her to take an important step forward. “I substitute the words with well-known design objects and for every art rebus I make a riddle so that people can learn the story behind it.”  

More than just a lark

A project for a lark began for a lark, but Lisa knew it could be more than just a lark. After leaving the international agency of design where she had been working, Lisa founded her own company, EVOL Design, where ART REBUS took shape. 

“The idea had already been incubating and it rematerialized. Instead of using photos, I made the first 10 artworks with illustrator Xiaobei,” she says proudly. “I presented the project at Milan Design Week, where I participated in the ‘Fuori Salone’ event.”
 

Starting up
In the following months people became curious about it and several industry blogs in Italy mentioned it. And then ART REBUS was invited to participate in the event “WOMENinART/WOMENinNOVATION.”  
 

At that point, Lisa sought someone willing to invest in the project. Enter her friend G. C., who partnered with her to found ARTREBUS IIc. The startup launched on November 24th with it’s own business plan and an online shop (www.artrebus.com). 
 

Good luck, guys!