SCENT IDENTITY DESIGN
Bocconi University
Bocconi University, one of the most prestigious international academic institutions, is the first university in the world to have developed its own scent identity: an olfactory identity conceived not as ornament or decoration, but as a strategic communication tool.
Bocconi University
2025
Olfactory Branding
The Project
Bocconi University, one of the most prestigious international academic institutions, is the first university in the world to have developed its own scent identity: an olfactory identity conceived not as ornament or decoration, but as a strategic communication tool.
Ambient fragrance becomes an intangible language that stands alongside the university’s visual, auditory, architectural and verbal tools, amplifying its voice through the deepest and most primordial sense: smell, which touches memory, the unconscious and emotion. In the world of contemporary branding, scent identity is the invisible soul of a brand or institution: a sensory code aligned with its values, mission and strategic vision. It is not about simply “scenting a space”, but about conveying a message through the air itself, making identity tangible through the most intimate and instinctive sensations.
Smell is, in fact, the most powerful and direct sense: 75% of the emotions we experience every day are linked to scent, and olfactory memory preserves recollections with an intensity greater than that of sight or hearing. Scent identity therefore becomes a sign of memory and belonging, capable of making a place recognisable even with closed eyes, evoking feelings of trust, inspiration and wellbeing. For this reason, Bocconi’s scent identity is an emotional and identity code, designed to leave its mark on the memory of everyone who passes through its spaces.
An invisible sign of belonging, a memory that endures.
White Light and Purity
The Bocconi fragrance is flooded with white light. It is a transparent breeze that speaks of purity, gentleness and awareness. It evokes a pale, almost white sea: water purified of every injustice, a symbol of balance, responsibility and respect.
It is not a fragrance that imposes itself, but one that brushes lightly against the senses: each note is a measured act, a caress that remains in the memory like a promise of harmony.
- Top notes – citrus fruits and sea breeze: the clarity of ideas, the openness towards the future.
- Heart notes – freesia and aquatic jasmine: the delicacy of thought, the gentleness of shared knowledge.
- Base notes – patchouli, marine woods and white amber: the solidity of values, the awareness of a lasting commitment.
The Bocconi Scent Identity is a pioneering project that brings together sensoriality and strategy. It is the invisible translation of its Vision 2030, which aims to educate people capable of combining competence and responsibility, ambition and respect, impact and humanity. It is the scent of those who study in order to change the world with gentleness, to build bridges between knowledge and conscience, and to remember that every gesture, like every note, can leave a lasting mark over time.
The Strategic Narrative: Values, People, Future
The Bocconi fragrance translates the six pillars of Vision 2030 into a sensory language, becoming an olfactory logo that breathes together with the university, its spaces and its community:
- Research and relevant knowledge – The notes evolve over time, like research that constantly renews itself, symbolising curiosity and continuous transformation.
- Innovation and entrepreneurship – Citrus and marine accords embody the drive towards the new and the courage to experiment.
- Inclusion and diversity – The transparency of the composition represents the harmony of differences that complete one another.
- Sustainability – Pure, traceable raw materials evoke respect for the environment and for the wider community.
- Social impact – The gentle yet persistent trail becomes a metaphor for the mark Bocconi leaves on society by shaping conscious individuals.
- Personal growth and transformative life – From the fresh breath of citrus to amber depth, the olfactory journey accompanies the student’s growth: from curiosity to excellence, from individual to global citizen.
An Avant-Garde Fragrance
Like the university it represents, the Bocconi fragrance is pioneering: designed according to sustainability criteria, with raw materials that evoke the natural world and a restrained modernity in which elegance and measure coincide.
A fragrance that does not seduce through excess, but inspires through harmony, much like Bocconi culture itself: contemporary, open and authentic.
Coherence Between Fragrance and Architecture
With its white light and transparency, the fragrance enters into a natural dialogue with the architecture of the campus. The new buildings designed by SANAA represent a model of innovation: sinuous volumes, glass façades, metallic surfaces and courtyards immersed in greenery.
The silent beauty of the fragrance becomes a natural extension of the architecture: a language that unites space, time and sensation.
Sound Logo
Alongside its scent identity, Bocconi University has also developed its own sound logo, completing a unique multisensory vision within the academic landscape. As the first Italian university to have a sonic identity, Bocconi translates its history and vision into music: its bond with Milan, its multicultural nature, its tradition and its innovation. Like the fragrance, sound also creates an emotional and memorable connection. Smell and hearing become two sensory anchors that unite experience and memory, making the Bocconi identity recognisable and alive in every perceptual dimension.
