The collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues: for the latest issue, dedicated to the New Public Administration, the cover has been created by Elisabeth Arana, an Alumna of the Illustration and Animation programme at IED Roma.
Forbes Next Leaders: the July cover by Elisabeth Arana
Date
01 July 2026
The project born from the collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues. The magazine explores new generations, the world of work, and the transformations shaping contemporary society. The initiative engages IED students and alumni in the design of the magazine’s covers, offering them the opportunity to work on real editorial briefs and to engage with issues that are central to the present and future of the country.
IED Roma Alumna: the July cover by Elisabeth Arana
With the July issue, dedicated to the special feature "The New Public Administration", the collaboration enters a new chapter, entrusting Elisabeth Arana, an Alumna of the BA (Hons) in Illustration and Animation at IED Roma, with the task of interpreting the relationship between young people, citizenship, and public institutions through the language of illustration. The title of the cover is "Il posto (non più) fisso".
The Theme
The brief invited participants to move beyond the traditional imagery associated with Public Administration, portraying it instead as an intelligent infrastructure underpinning the country, capable of driving transformation, innovation, and development. The State was to be envisioned not as a static apparatus, but as a dynamic system composed of expertise, data, regulations, territories, and people, all contributing to the imagining and shaping of its future.
Central to the brief was the role of younger generations and their potential contribution to building a Public Administration that is increasingly strategic, merit-based, and oriented towards change.
The visual concept
For the cover, Elisabeth Arana developed a concept that brings together two of the directions proposed in the brief: The Civic Code and The Act of the State.
The illustration originates from a signed document that gradually transforms into the skyline of the city of Rome. Among the architectural elements, the dome of Vatican City emerges prominently, chosen by the artist both for its strong symbolic association with Roman architecture and for its ability to evoke the complexity and diversity of the Italian territory.
The words contained within the document are transformed into flowing waves that traverse the composition and merge into the course of the River Tiber, creating a visual connection between the language of legislation, the territory, and urban life. In this way, the legal text is not presented as a distant or abstract element, but rather as an integral part of the landscape and of the construction of a shared civic dimension.
The interpretation
One of the central elements of the image is the hand signing the document. The artist chose to depict it as a symbol of second- and third-generation individuals with migrant backgrounds who have grown up in Italy, highlighting their contribution to contemporary society and their full place within the country’s history.
The act of signing thus becomes a metaphor for civic participation and collective construction: a gesture that does not merely conclude a bureaucratic process, but actively contributes to the creation of a city, a territory, and a community.
The colour palette, characterised by light and luminous tones, also evokes the atmosphere of the summer months, supporting the composition with a visual language that is open, contemporary, and accessible.
The value of the project
The July cover further highlights the value of the collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders, a project that engages students and alumni with real editorial processes and the responsibility of translating complex subjects into effective visual narratives.
Through the design of the magazine’s covers, participants develop creative and conceptual skills, the ability to synthesise complex ideas, and a greater sense of professional awareness, gaining first-hand experience of the dialogue between education, publishing, and the creative industries.
View all the Forbes Next Leaders covers, created month by month by IED students and alumni.
Original drawing by Elisabeth Arana
Alumna IED Roma - Illustration and Animation
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