Pre-Design and the Local Market

The Group Exhibition Design

Abstract

The Exhibition Design research group, formed in the late Sixties and consisting of several protagonists of Italian graphic design such as Giulio Confalonieri, Silvio Coppola, Franco Grignani, Bruno Munari and Pino Tovaglia, is an extremely interesting experience which so far has been investigated only partially, on the sidelines of the components’ individual biographies. The analysis of this collective experience provides an opportunity to reflect on the interpenetration between graphic and industrial design in a defining moment for the history of Italian design, on the role of research and experimentation in the dialogue with both the industrial companies and the community, on the responsibility of the designer toward the end-user, on the use of the exhibition space as a place for meeting and cultural dissemination.