The Milestones of our Communication

Iris Ceramica floor coverings underline the qualities of ceramics in an instantly perceivable and effective manner: an innovative and reliable solution for coverings in Italian homes.

In the first advertising campaigns, Iris Ceramica materials became part of the history and customs of a country with big dreams as it watched the moon landing.

The projects and tools developed to tell of the challenges and changes are emblematic of the company’s history, characterised by strong, far-thinking contents that consistently offer messages with substance and artistic value.

A gem in the Group’s Historical Museum is the advertising insert in a 1975 issue of Topolino (the Italian Mickey Mouse magazine), a funny children’s story about parents. Ceramics, a natural material, elegant, hygienic, washable…and you can write on them with felt pen! 

The Group’s Brand made an incredible appearance in the famous Netflix series "Stranger Things": Lucas, one of the stars, wears a cap with the logo of Ariostea, sponsors of the professional cycling team that won many races in the Eighties. 

April 1973 saw the first issue of the magazine Humus, the four-monthly format distributed by Iris Ceramica, edited by one of Italy’s major communication agencies of the time, Al.Sa by Gianni Sassi and Sergio Albergoni. 

Agorà is one of the leading ceramic collections of the Seventies. It was presented at SAIE - the International Building and Engineering Exhibition - in Bologna in 1973, in an experimental setting: a human-sized living project, with functional spaces inspired by nature.

In 1972, at the Cersaie trade fair, the Pollution project took over Piazza Santo Stefano in Bologna with an artistic “j’accuse” of pollution through an amazing communication message.

46 years after the revolutionary artistic event of 1972, again in Piazza Santo Stefano, Iris Ceramica Group set up the installation Pollution 2018 RefleAction: a wood, symbolising the new approach to the relationship between humans and nature, between cities and the future.

Partnerships with artists to tell the history of the company and of ceramics is confirmed as the distinguishing feature of the Group’s communication model. In 1987, the Klee collection presented designer coverings with an unmistakeable style, inspired by the German artist.

In 2013, for the first Vatican Pavilion at the 55th International Biennale in Venice, Studio Azzurro produced a video-installation on four large ceramic slabs, representing the Creation. The result of reprocessing of many iconographic sources, the work is now housed in the permanent collection at the Vatican Museums.

Reaching its tenth edition in 2021, the prize, organised in partnership with some of Italy’s major universities, addresses young international architects and designers willing to compete on innovative projects on the topic of sustainable building.

In 2010, Iris Ceramica and FMG Fabbrica Marmi e Graniti contributed to the project "AILATI. RIFLESSI DAL FUTURO": the exhibition at the Italian Pavilion, curated by Luca Molinari at the XII International Architecture Exhibition in Venice. 

The Group took part in the 16th International Architecture Exhibition, Progetto Arcipelago Italia, curated by Mario Cucinella. In the Italian Pavilion, a journey through forests, hamlets and small towns in the Apennine mountains enhances the role of contemporary architecture, relaunching them through experimental projects, tangible symbols of rebirth.

In 2021, Iris Ceramica Group was the Main sponsor of the project Resilient Communities, the theme inspiring the Italian Pavilion curated by Alessandro Melis, focusing on the debate on climate change.  In the exhibition, Active Surfaces® bring life to the curatorial installation Cyberwall.

Inaugurated in May 2019, the museum tells of the birth and development of the whole production system which over time has made its name as one of the strongholds of Italian manufacturing, bound firmly to the evolution of our customs, from the economic boom until today.

For Iris Ceramica Group, the Sustainability Report is a transparent declaration of social and environmental responsibility, as well as the confirmation of a journey that began over 60 years ago.