A messy but meticulous design space with its own megaphone

Cacao Design was founded in 2004 by Masa Magnoni, Alessandro Floridia and Mauro Pastore (standing on the desks, left to right). It specialises in branding, web design and below-the-line campaigns

Cacao Design was founded in 2004 by Masa Magnoni, Alessandro Floridia and Mauro Pastore (standing on the desks, left to right). It specialises in branding, web design and below-the-line campaigns

Visitors to Cacao Design's studio are, more often than not, welcomed into the colourful, chaotic space by way of a megaphone (1) on the mezzanine level. It was a 40th birthday present for Masa Magnoni, who founded the studio back in 2004 along with Alessandro Floridia and Mauro Pastore, and is also the means by which the creatives request coffee.

Cacao is located in a historic courtyard in the sociable Navigli area of Milan. "It's surrounded by craftsmen's workshops and traditional 'case di ringhiera' – low tenements with communal balconies," explains Magnoni. "What with the 'aperitivo' being an obligatory ritual after work, we couldn't be in a better location."

The aforementioned hot beverages are delivered via a large coffee bean dispenser (2), which fills the space with a faint waft of caffeine that keeps the creatives perky. Other surfaces overflow with colourful books (3). "We are big consumers of design books," explains Pastore. "They are always interesting, often inspiring, and sometimes they publish our work."

The studio may seem messy, but is actually very organised, insists Floridia. "It looks like a bomb has just gone off, but in fact it's all meticulously thought out. Every object has its own place, and we're careful to put things back where they belong."

A venture back into the depths of the mezzanine level rewards visitors with more hidden gems, including a large, ominous, carved wooden implement (4) that turns out to be a weapon used by the police in Zanzibar. "It was given to me by my kids on their return from a holiday," says Pastore. "It has proved useful to Cacao Design in our debt recovery activities."

This article originally appeared in Computer Arts issue 228.

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.