El Raval Book
El Raval is a central neighbourhood in Barcelona shaped by cultural diversity, social tension and an ongoing housing crisis.
We spent four months researching the neighbourhood through fieldwork, interviews and conversations with residents and local organisations. We looked at the housing crisis from different angles, from evictions and speculative property companies to the independent neighbourhood associations that work every day to defend residents’ rights.
The book became the tangible outcome of that research. Rather than treating research and design as two separate parts of the project, we developed them side by side. What we learned in the neighbourhood directly shaped the way the publication was structured, organised and visualised.
SERVICES
Social Design, Book Design,
Editorial Design
COLLABORATORS
Ornella Gianforte – Visual Designer & Researcher
Alice Tealdi – Visual Designer & Researcher
YEAR
2022
The research revealed a place made of many overlapping realities, voices and contradictions.
We wanted the book to reflect that complexity without making it difficult to navigate.
Interviews, observations, data and historical context were organised through clear hierarchies, diagrams, summaries and visual cues, helping readers move through the research while keeping different perspectives visible.
The visual language grew from the character of El Raval itself: dense, layered, diverse and constantly changing.
Different types of information coexist across the pages, creating a publication that feels active and varied while remaining clear and readable.
The design was not simply a way to present the research. It became part of the research process itself, helping us understand, connect and communicate the neighbourhood.
The result is a publication that brings together anthropological research, social design and editorial communication, turning a complex local issue into an accessible visual narrative without reducing its complexity.
