Design in TV: un primo atlante delle trasmissioni RAI (1956-2000)

Abstract

Since its inception, Italian television has demonstrated strong educational potential, reaching broad segments of the population and contributing to literacy. This potential gave rise to the educational programme genre, rooted in scientific and educational cinematography, used for complex subjects such as history, literature, art and design. From RAI’s early days, design found its place in specialised columns and scientific programmes: between the 1960s and 1970s, broadcasts such as Cronache del XX secolo and Habitat’explained the creative and productive process of design to audiences, integrating it with art, crafts and architecture. In the 1980s, programmes like Dal cucchiaio alla città and Il Piacere di Abitare documented the evolution of Italian design, bearing witness to the sector’s professionalisation. In the late 1990s, Lezioni di Design (1988-2000), awarded the Compasso d’Oro, reorganised design’s presence in television scheduling, offering an organic vision of the discipline. This contribution, through research in RAI archives, aims to map the presence of design in TV programmes, analysing the evolution of television narrative from the linear model to the establishment of thematic channels.