Works

About

Field:

Branding, Ux/UI Design, Game Design, Prototyping, Art Direction

Type:

Master final project

Year:

2025

Lumina Milia: Expeditio in Silva Arcana

Nestled in the mountainous Carnia, in the heart of Friuli, Lumina Milia invites visitors into Italy's only nighttime forest experience: a one-way trail through nature, lights, and woodland folklore.

As my master's final project, I led Lumina Milia's complete rebrand and digital transformation. I began by exploring the park’s current identity through research, audience insights, and cultural references, weaving these findings into a visual rebrand inspired by Celtic and Carnic craftsmanship.

The core innovation was introducing Expeditio in Silva Arcana: a mobile experience and competitive game designed to be played during the exploration. Participants form groups, follow narrative clues through a shared device, and face exciting challenges moving to different forest locations.

Audience insights (finding the problem)

Social media analytics, secondary studies, and a questionnaire sent to real visitors, all pointed to the same gap. Lumina Milia is a one-way trail, once you've walked it, you've seen it. Without a new layer of engagement, there was little incentive for repeat visits. That became the design challenge: how to introduce a replayable, gamified experience on top of the trail without disrupting the immersion that makes the park special in the first place?

Audience insights (finding the problem)

Social media analytics, secondary studies, and a questionnaire sent to real visitors, all pointed to the same gap. Lumina Milia is a one-way trail, once you've walked it, you've seen it. Without a new layer of engagement, there was little incentive for repeat visits. That became the design challenge: how to introduce a replayable, gamified experience on top of the trail without disrupting the immersion that makes the park special in the first place?

Expeditio in Silva Arcana (designing the solution)

At this stage of the project, Expeditio in Silva Arcana was still a concept taking shape. The idea: a story-driven competitive game built on top of the existing trail, guided by a shared app and designed to be different every time. Teams would move through the forest following narrative clues tied to Carnic folklore and face quests that could change with the season, Celtic celebration, or special occasion.

Expeditio in Silva Arcana (designing the solution)

At this stage of the project, Expeditio in Silva Arcana was still a concept taking shape. The idea: a story-driven competitive game built on top of the existing trail, guided by a shared app and designed to be different every time. Teams would move through the forest following narrative clues tied to Carnic folklore and face quests that could change with the season, Celtic celebration, or special occasion.

The User journey was developed around Marco, as he represents the primary target audience for Expeditio in Silva Arcana. Future expansions will introduce experiences tailored to other personas, broadening the park's appeal to diverse audiences.

Early brainstorming wireframes explored multiple versions of the app's core screens, from dashboard layouts to team setup flows. Each iteration surfaces a specific UX question and moves the structure one step closer to something testable.

Local visual research

With the audience and UX research done, I started gathering visuals to capture the essence of Lumina Milia. After carrying out a focused visual study on Celtic art and Friulan culture consulting volumes at local library (Codroipo) and Carnic Museum (Tolmezzo), I collected a series of references from wood carvings, metalwork, and textiles.

Local visual research

With the audience and UX research done, I started gathering visuals to capture the essence of Lumina Milia. After carrying out a focused visual study on Celtic art and Friulan culture consulting volumes at local library (Codroipo) and Carnic Museum (Tolmezzo), I collected a series of references from wood carvings, metalwork, and textiles.

Logo explorations

I explored opportunities for the new logo by reimagining the ornamental motifs, collected from the visual research, into simplified and modern marks. Guided by traditional Carnic wood patterns, the variations explore symmetry, spirals, and flowing curves, creating a versatile emblem that feels both mystical and contemporary.

Logo explorations

I explored opportunities for the new logo by reimagining the ornamental motifs, collected from the visual research, into simplified and modern marks. Guided by traditional Carnic wood patterns, the variations explore symmetry, spirals, and flowing curves, creating a versatile emblem that feels both mystical and contemporary.

The rebrand aimed to capture Lumina Milia's unique blend of immersion, collaboration, and folklore. My goal was to create a cohesive identity that feels magical and rooted in local history.

The palette moves between the deep darkness of the forest at night and the bioluminescent mint of light cutting through it, a glow that carries from the brand into the prototype's UI.

Visual identity rooted in local craft, built for digital. The organic geometry of the mark traces back to Carnic craftwork, while its symmetrical structure also holds a quiet detail: the shape reads as both an L and an M, the two initials of the park.

Players choose their experience, enter a unique game code to sync with their group, and set up their teams before stepping into the forest. The setup is intuitive by design, so the adventure can begin as quick as possible.

The first thing that players see after onboarding is the home screen. Here each team can have a live snapshot of their adventure: a list of the upcoming quests, live guidance on where to go and how they're doing overall.

Quests come in three formats: multiple choice, open text, and photo capture. Each answer lives somewhere in the park itself, meaning that players have to look, move, and explore the physical world around them to find it.

Every quest opens with a story. Before players see the riddle, they meet the creature behind it, grounding each challenge in the folklore and landscape of Carnia.

The feedback popup adapts to every outcome and, in case of wrong answer, offers hints, skips, or another attempt. Each choice has a point cost and the glow keeps it all on theme.

ATLAS of ARTIS

ATLAS of ARTIS

Color for Miyazaki

Color for Miyazaki

Hochstatt Agency

Hochstatt Agency

La Seppia

La Seppia

Based in Amsterdam, available worldwide

Based in Amsterdam,
available worldwide

Based in Amsterdam, available worldwide