H-57
H-57 is a Milan-based creative studio founded in 2004 by Matteo Civaschi, offering branding, motion graphics, advertising, and art direction services to enterprise clients across fashion, F&B, automotive, telecom, and entertainment, anchored by its proprietary "Shortology" pictogram IP and a 2023-launched imPOSSIBLE generative AI video studio.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersMilano, Italy
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What H-57 does
H-57 (legal entity: Creative Station Srl) is a Milan-based creative studio founded in 2004 by Matteo Civaschi, providing branding, illustration, motion graphics, advertising, art direction, video production, and packaging design services to enterprise clients across diverse industries including fashion and luxury (Adidas, Tod's, Fiat), food and beverage (Coca-Cola, Ferrero, Heineken, Yakult), entertainment (LucasFilm/Star Wars), automotive (BMW, SMART), telecommunications (Vodafone), retail (Coop, Unieuro), and banking/insurance (BNL, Fineco, Genertel). The studio's core proprietary asset is "Shortology," a registered graphic language of minimal pictograms that has been developed into an internationally published book portfolio (Life In Five Seconds, Film In Five Seconds, Cinemology, Proverbiology, Testology, Minimal Film, Favole Mondiali, Perle ai porci) by tier-1 publishers including Taschen, Rizzoli, and Skira, winning a Cannes Lion (Design) and an Epica Award.
The studio operates two distinct technology stacks: (1) traditional creative production including Phantom high-speed table-top photography (used for clients such as Barilla, Buitoni, Danone, and McDonald's), and (2) the 2023-launched "imPOSSIBLE" generative AI studio for video and image production that combines AI with analog/digital filming, led by co-principals Massimo Volta and Alessandro Tavoni alongside Civaschi. H-57 also extends the Shortology IP into licensed product categories (notably the Dal Negro playing card and packaging partnership, awarded Best Entertainment Package Design of 2023 by DesignRush).
The business model is hybrid. The primary revenue stream is project-based B2B creative services priced via custom quotes per engagement, with distribution through direct outreach and email inquiries ([email protected]) and a portfolio-led funnel across Behance, Vimeo, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The secondary revenue stream is consumer book sales through H-57's own e-commerce storefront and Amazon, with unit prices ranging from approximately €8.50 to €28.50 per book. The studio also collaborates with major advertising networks (M&C Saatchi, Publicis, McCann, We Are Social) as an implementation partner and with cultural institutions (Fondazione Cineteca Italiana) on co-developed projects. The company is privately held, founder-controlled, and operates without disclosed institutional investment or M&A activity.
H-57 firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- H-57
- Legal name
- Creative Station Srl
- Website
- https://h-57.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- H-57 is a Milan-based creative studio founded in 2004 by Matteo Civaschi, offering branding, motion graphics, advertising, and art direction services to enterprise clients across fashion, F&B, automotive, telecom, and entertainment, anchored by its proprietary "Shortology" pictogram IP and a 2023-launched imPOSSIBLE generative AI video studio.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
H-57 industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Creative Design and Advertising Services
- NAICS
- Graphic Design Services (54143), Motion Picture and Video Production (512110), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio) (BPAFAAAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams) (BPAFAIAJ)
Keywords
Where H-57 is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Milano
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
H-57 business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Creative Services (B2B): H-57 generates primary revenue through providing creative services to corporate clients including branding, advertising campaigns, motion graphics, illustration, and art direction. Services are project-based and customized for each client.
- Book Sales: Sale of published books through the company shop and Amazon. Books include Cinemology (€14.90), Favole Mondiali (€20), Filmology (€9.40), Minimal Film (€28.50), Proverbiology (€8.5), Shortology (€9.90), and others. One-time purchase model for individual consumers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cinemology book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Favole Mondiali book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Filmology book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Minimal Film book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Proverbiology book |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Shortology Rizzoli edition |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels8 records
H-57 product offering
Product offeringCore offering
H-57 is a Milan-based creative studio that delivers branding, illustration, motion graphics, advertising, and art direction services to enterprise clients, alongside publishing a portfolio of books built on its proprietary Shortology visual storytelling language. The studio also operates imPOSSIBLE, an AI-assisted studio for generating video and image content that combines analog/digital filming with generative AI technology.
Product overview
H-57 is a creative studio based in Milan, specialized in branding, illustration, motion graphics, advertising, and art direction. The studio operates across two main offerings: (1) Creative services for clients including TV spots, social media content, packaging, branding, and logo animations, with notable clients such as Adidas, Tod's, Coca-Cola, and Lucasfilm; and (2) Proprietary products including the Shortology book series (Cinemology, Filmology, Proverbiology, Testology, Minimal Film, Favole Mondiali, Perle ai porci) published by major publishers like Rizzoli, Skira, and Taschen, and the imPOSSIBLE AI-powered generative studio for video and image content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Shortology: A graphic language concept that tells stories through essential forms and immediately recognizable pictograms. Developed into a series of books published by Taschen.
- imPOSSIBLE
Products and services
- Shortology A proprietary universal graphic design language that tells stories through pictograms and minimal visual forms; developed into a series of internationally published books and applied across client branding and advertising work.
- Cinemology A published book exploring the history and magic of cinema, presented through Shortology visual design and pictograms; published in partnership with Fondazione Cineteca Italiana.
- Filmology A published book presenting cinema history through Shortology's minimal pictogram approach, allowing readers to guess famous movies in five seconds; published by Rizzoli.
- Proverbiology A published book of Italian proverbs presented through Shortology's visual storytelling approach.
- Testology A published book of quizzes and technologically advanced tests to discover hidden aspects of personality; published by Fausto Lupetti Editore.
- Minimal Film A published book combining graphic design with cinema, representing the emotion of cinema through extreme synthesis and simplicity of Shortology forms; published by Skira.
- Favole Mondiali A published book of stories about World Cups for children; published by Baldini+Casoldi.
- Perle ai porci A published book in the Shortology series; published by Fausto Lupetti Editore.
- I Cavalieri della favola rotonda A published children's book; published by Carthusia Edizioni.
- imPOSSIBLE An advanced generative AI video and image production studio combining classical analog/digital filming and photography techniques with AI technologies to create dynamic commercial content for social media, presentations, and TV commercials.
- Creative Design and Branding Services Project-based creative services for enterprise clients covering branding, illustration, motion graphics, advertising campaigns, packaging design, art direction, TV spots, logo animation, and social media content.
Quantifiable outcome
- Award-winning creative work recognized at Cannes Lions (Design) and Epica Awards
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use H-57
Customer profileNamed customers30 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
H-57 technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature3 records
H-57 partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.
- RizzolicoreMajor Italian publisher distributing Shortology and Filmology books through Rizzoli's retail and distribution network in Italy.
- TaschencoreInternational publisher publishing Shortology books (Life In Five Seconds, Film In Five Seconds) for worldwide distribution.
- SkiraminorPublisher of Minimal Film book.
- Fondazione Cineteca ItalianacoreCollaborated on Cortology project - an interactive exhibition combining cinema and Shortology. The foundation hosted the Italian premiere of short films at MIC and later programmed them at Cinema Oberdan. Partnership enabled creation of short films from random icon sequences.
- K48coreProduction house collaborating with H-57 on Cortology short film production.
- M&C SaatchimajorGlobal advertising agency collaborating on projects including Genertel #L1F3 campaign and Leroy Merlin video.
- BcubeminorAgency collaboration for Bankology video project.
- PublicismajorGlobal advertising network collaborating on DonnaMag Shortology video project.
- We Are SocialminorSocial media agency collaborating on BNL Shortology social card project.
- McCannmajorGlobal advertising agency collaborating on Mastercard Grandi Stazioni campaign.
- Fausto Lupetti EditoreminorPublisher of Perle ai porci book.
- Baldini+CasoldiminorPublisher of Favole Mondiali book.
- Dal NegrocoreLicensing partnership for Shortology products including playing cards, toy store designs, and packaging. Partnership has produced multiple award-winning packaging designs.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
H-57 competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Pentagram: Partner-led, multi-disciplinary design consultancy offering branding, identity, motion graphics, and art direction across global clients. Closely comparable to H-57 as a boutique creative studio of comparable scale operating at the top end of the design market.
- Buck: Independent creative studio specializing in motion design, brand identity, and experience design for enterprise clients. Directly comparable to H-57 on motion graphics, brand storytelling, and project-based creative services for global brands.
- COLLINS: Independent brand and design agency serving enterprise clients across branding, motion, and art direction. Directly comparable as a boutique creative firm with a similar client caliber and output mix.
- Brucie: Independent Italian creative studio offering branding, graphic design, and art direction for Italian and international clients. Closely comparable to H-57 as a Milan-rooted boutique studio with a similar service mix and client profile.
- Mother Design: Design arm of Mother, focused on branding, motion, and creative direction for premium and cultural clients. Comparable to H-57 on creative direction, motion, and working with culturally prominent brand briefs.
- Anagrama: Branding and design studio offering brand identity, packaging, and art direction. Comparable to H-57 on the brand identity, packaging, and visual storytelling offering, with similar boutique scale and signature visual style.
Broad incumbents
- Landor: Large global branding consultancy offering brand strategy, identity, and packaging across multiple industries. Comparable to H-57 on the brand identity and packaging offering but with broader scale, network reach, and a wider service portfolio.
- M&C Saatchi: Global advertising and creative network with Italian and European operations. Comparable to H-57 as both a creative services provider and an existing collaboration partner on campaigns including Genertel.
- Publicis: Global advertising holding company with deep Italian and European operations. Comparable as both a sector incumbent and an existing H-57 collaboration partner on DonnaMag and other Shortology-driven campaigns.
Regional players
- Armando Testa: Leading Italian advertising and creative agency group offering advertising, branding, and integrated campaigns. Comparable to H-57 as a top-tier Italian creative competitor but operating at significantly larger scale and with a full-service model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
H-57 social profiles
Digital presenceH-57 financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
H-57 leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
H-57 funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
H-57 M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about H-57
What does H-57 do?
H-57 is a Milan-based creative studio that delivers branding, illustration, motion graphics, advertising, and art direction services to enterprise clients, alongside publishing a portfolio of books built on its proprietary Shortology visual storytelling language. The studio also operates imPOSSIBLE, an AI-assisted studio for generating video and image content that combines analog/digital filming with generative AI technology.
Is H-57 a public or private company?
H-57 is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was H-57 founded?
H-57 was founded in 2004. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is H-57 based?
H-57 is headquartered in Milano, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does H-57 make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Creative Services (B2B) is the primary driver. The others are book Sales.
Who are H-57's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Pentagram, Buck, COLLINS, Brucie, Mother Design and Anagrama. Broad incumbents are Landor, M&C Saatchi and Publicis. Armando Testa is listed as a regional player.
Does H-57 have an API?
No public API is recorded for H-57.
What industry is H-57 in?
H-57's product category is Creative Design and Advertising Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAAAF, Content Production (Video, Design, Copy, Studio), with a secondary code of BPAFAIAJ, Content Studio & Creative Resourcing (In-house/Embedded Teams). Its NAICS code is 54143 and its SIC code is 7330.