Designing digital experiences

Designing digital experiences
and communication
for research institutions.

👋 Hi! I'm Stefano, based in Milan, Italy. I'm currently Head of communication at the Italian National Research Council's Department of Social Sciences and Humanities, Cultural Heritage (CNR-DSU) and a UX designer at CNR-ISMed's Mediterranean Digital Humanities Lab.

User Centered Design User Experience User Interface Communication Semiotics Accessibility Analytics Digital Marketing
Portrait of Stefano Carotenuto

Photo © Diego Marino, 2023

Curriculum Vitae

2023 — Present

Head of Communication (CTER)

National Research Council — Dept. of Social Sciences and Humanities, Cultural Heritage (CNR-DSU) · Milan

Digital strategy, web management, social media, stakeholder communications, and analytics for CNR-DSU. Communication Officer for the department within the CNR national network.

2024 — Present

UX Designer (CTER)

Mediterranean Digital Humanities Lab, CNR-ISMed · Milan

UI/UX design for the WeMed research platform. Interface architecture, user flows, accessibility compliance, and design system documentation.

2010 — 2024

UX Design & Communication (CTER)

National Research Council — CNR-ISGI and CNR-IRISS · Naples and Milan

Fourteen years of digital strategy, UX design, and institutional communications across multiple CNR research institutes in Naples and Milan.

1999 — 2010

Web Design & Communication

Independent & Small Studios · Naples Area

Self-taught web design and communication, starting from an unlikely classroom: building sites for online gaming communities to organise teams and coordinate matches. That practical foundation extended to web and communication work for small businesses and associations across the Naples area.

2025 — Present

MA in Semiotics

Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna

Research focus on digital semiotics, visual communication, and the theory of meaning in institutional and media contexts.

2023

Google UX Design Professional Certificate

Google · Coursera

Seven-course program covering the full UX design process: user research, wireframing, prototyping, and usability testing.

2022 — 2025

BA in Innovative Communication in Multimedia and Digital environments

IUL University - Florence

Graduated cum laude in media theory, digital communication, and institutional communications.

2011 — 2012

Graphic Design and Advertising Course

New Media Art and Design School - Naples

Practical training in visual communication, typography, and advertising design — brand campaigns, brochure and poster production, and typographic composition.

Street.
Observation.
Chance.

When I'm not designing stuff, I walk and photograph. Street photography is where I train my eye for framing, timing, and the unexpected.

Recognised by Magnum photographers Martin Parr and Steve McCurry. Exhibited at the HistoryMiami Museum during Art Basel Miami, featured in Corriere della Sera Style Magazine. Co-author of 10 Street Photography (Psicografici Editore, 2023).

  • Children chasing soap bubbles in Piazza del Plebiscito, Naples, with a military parade and the Royal Palace in the background
  • Man clapping amid coloured smoke and international flags at a street market celebration, baby watching from a stroller
  • Family in matching red plaid shirts posing for a photo in front of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
  • Passengers on a ferry photographing the Statue of Liberty under dramatic storm clouds at sunset, New York
  • Woman laughing with arm raised as a seagull swoops past, photographer capturing the moment on a seaside terrace
  • Tourists photographing the ornate glass ceiling inside Galleria Umberto I, Naples
  • Boy mid-dive into the sea from a pier crowded with colourful wooden boats and sunbathers
  • Child crawling beneath translucent coloured panels of an outdoor art installation
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