BOLOGNA, ITALY -- A three-dimensional image of two red tiles leaning against each other to form a roof symbolizing the world of architecture and interior design is the design concept that will be used for the 2012 edition of Cersaie, the international exhibition of ceramic tiles and bathroom furnishings to be held in Bologna, Italy, from September 25 to 29, 2012. The image for the 30th edition of the show was created by Grazia Piccininno, an architect student at the University of Genoa.

A simple but powerful idea that underscores ceramic tile's increasingly important ability to adapt to the most varied demands of the market, the poster design originates from the competition "Beautiful Ideas." Based on the concept of "Ceramic Evolution," it explores ceramic tile in terms of an increasingly rapid evolutionary process that nonetheless revisits the compositional languages of the past.

The second edition of the competition, open to students attending leading design institutes and university architecture schools throughout Italy, saw the submission of 200 projects. The jury was comprised of Aldo Colonetti, Diego Grandi, Luca Nichetto, Franco Origoni, Lia Piano and Matteo Ragni.

The competition marks a break from the tradition followed during previous editions of Cersaie of commissioning well-established Italian and international architects and designers (from 2000 to 2009, Ettore Sottsass, Alessandro Mendini, Massimo Iosa Ghini, Denis Santachiara, Hani Rashid, David Palterer, Antonio Citterio, Toyo Ito, Thom Mayne and Mario Botta), and for the second time has turned to emerging young designers to create the show's promotional image.

In an exhibition floor of 176,000 square meters, Cersaie 2011 hosted 965 exhibitors, including 265 foreign companies from 31 different countries, and attracted 113,165 visitors -- 0.8% up on the 112,292 of 2010. The 30th edition of Cersaie is slated for September 25 to 29 in Bologna, Italy, and will provide an arena for industry professionals to view the latest tile trends.