From fine dining to artificial intelligence, food communication turns the plate into a visual, sensory and design-led narrative
Food is no longer consumed through taste alone. Eating has become an experience that engages all the senses, and communicating food now means designing its texture, volume, space and even sound. In this new scenario, food ceases to be a simple product to be consumed and becomes a cultural language capable of bringing together aesthetics and storytelling.
From traditional recipe books with rather unappealing images, food communication has moved towards authorial photography, making the dish increasingly desirable until it becomes an object of aspiration. This has been made possible both by digital technologies and by an increasingly refined sensitivity that has turned the photographer into an artist in every sense. When the dialogue with the chef is constant, true masterpieces can emerge: images that go beyond the food on the plate to tell the story of the ingredients even before they enter the kitchen.
This is certainly the case with Niko Pagnotta, a photographer working with restaurants and companies in the food sector that, not by chance, focus on quality in every aspect of their work, including communication. After listening to the story of the dish from chef Emanuele Pucci of De’ Minini, the restaurant at Villa Paola in Tropea, Pagnotta created an image capable of going beyond the finished dish to convey messages linked to sustainability, respect for the environment, nutritional qualities and, in this case, animal welfare. The podolica beef on the “Miseria e Nobiltà” menu is prepared using meat from a breed raised in the wild, feeding on what it finds in nature: exactly what Pagnotta depicts around the plate, with wildflowers, wild herbs and roots.
The role of graphics is also fundamental in shaping the narrative around food and the architecture within which it is experienced. Essential, refined and effective, for example, is the recent work by the graphic design studio Labbestia for Masseria Scannagatta, a contemporary hospitality project immersed in the Apulian countryside.
Stefano Ciannamea and Serena Zanchi, founders of the studio, designed a visual identity rooted in a primitive and material approach, aimed at evoking the Mediterranean landscape and the traces left by centuries of agricultural work, reinterpreted through a contemporary lens. “Visual design is a strategic lever that influences the perception of value, memorability and the sensory identity of a place, just as it does with a dish or a glass of wine,” the two founders explain. In the case of Masseria Scannagatta, the aim was to convey to guests a balance between refinement and roots, in which every visual detail enters into dialogue with the space and the gastronomic narrative of the place.
Michelin-starred chefs also turn to graphic designers to communicate their vision. For his Ristorante Duomo in Ragusa Ibla, Ciccio Sultano chose the Sicilian team at Copystudio, who identified olive oil, salt and wheat as the key elements of the chef’s philosophy and designed his logo and other graphic materials accordingly. Starting from the logo itself, the chef then created a dessert, demonstrating how graphics and food constantly intersect and enter into dialogue.
Ciccio Sultano was also the protagonist of a new way of communicating food. He was the first guest on “Mizzica!”, the audio and video podcast conceived and hosted by Francesco Lauricella to tell the story of gastronomic Sicily. Other leading figures from the food world have also joined the project: episodes have already been released with Corrado Assenza of Caffè Sicilia in Noto, Tony Lo Coco of the Michelin-starred restaurant I Pupi in Bagheria, and Pierpaolo Ruta of Antica Dolceria Bonajuto.
Major changes have also been introduced by video which, unlike the static image of the finished dish, presents the animated sequence of its preparation process: the clean cut revealing the internal section of a layered composition, the fall of a sauce, the breaking of a crisp surface. This succession of moments transforms food into a continuous visual flow. For the viewer, the dish becomes a temporal and spatial sequence in which light, axial framing and macro detail create an immersive, almost tactile experience through the screen.
One of the most powerful stimuli in food storytelling often comes from sound design applied to food. Scientists have widely demonstrated that the sound emitted by food directly influences the perception of taste. Acoustic designers now work on what is known as sonic branding: the engineering of the precise sound of a can being opened, the thermal click of a jar seal or the sharp snap of a bar of chocolate being broken — sounds that can even come to replace the image itself. In podcasts, for example, storytelling relies entirely on these details, constructing in the listener’s mind an intimate, three-dimensional and highly evocative culinary space.
Communication is no longer a one-way street. To capture the public’s attention, gamification is increasingly being used: the introduction of game dynamics into everyday contexts. Interface designers use this approach to build user loyalty and encourage more conscious or healthier forms of consumption. Examples include apps that reward people with points, challenges and levels to unlock with every virtuous purchase, or interactive games designed to educate the public about the importance of sourcing from ethical and local supply chains.
In this context, the consumer ceases to be a passive target of advertising and becomes an active player, absorbing the values connected to food while having fun.
The future of the relationship between food and communication lies in the integration of all these languages. We are moving towards a dimension in which the visual codes of photography and graphic design, the active involvement generated by game systems and acoustic engineering will work together in unison. In this real and rapidly evolving scenario, visual and sound design will become an integral part of the nutritional and cultural value of food.
Artificial intelligence, meanwhile, represents the frontier of visual and narrative innovation in food. Designers, for example, can generate images of unprecedented textures before they are even cooked, while algorithms are already able to create bespoke experiences, transforming food communication into an interactive interface.
Cover image: The graphic design project by Labbestia for Masseria Scannagatta in Corato. Photo: Vito Lauciello
