Material Design in Italy

Domus Academy Research Centre and Its Contribution 1990-1998

Keywords: Materials Communication, Product Concept, Primary Design, Domus Academy, Identity of the Material

Abstract

The Domus Academy Research Centre had primary importance in the formation of an Italian culture for the design of materials. From the crosses between Primary Design and Italian chemical industry, through players like A. Branzi, E. Manzini and A. Petrillo, the topic of the design of materials becomes a relevant carrier in Domus Academy, being a  peculiar interplay between education, design research, strategic consulting and communication skills. Some case histories such as NEOLITE or  GREENFROST are important testimonies. We can distinguish 3 design fields: Product Concept, Design of identity and Communication of the materials, always characterized by strong interdisciplinarity and design freedom.

Author Biography

Giulio Ceppi, Politecnico di Milano

Architect and designer, he studied at the Polytechnic School of Milan and obtained a PhD at the Politecnico di Milano, where he is now a researcher and lecturer. Already a contract professor at the Interaction Design Institute Ivrea and in the Faculties of Architecture of Genoa, Turin, Rome, at the Università Cattolica of Milan, founded and directed the Domus Academy Master in Business Design in 2005. He deals with sensory and material design, the development of new technologies and identity strategies. Until 1997 he coordinated the Domus Academy Research Center and later became a senior design consultant at Philips Design. In 1999 he founded Total Tool, a visioning and design strategy company, with offices today in Milan and Buenos Aires, with which he received 2 recommendations for the Compasso d'Oro, mention in the ICSID Hall of Fame and 2 victories at the National Award for innovation of Confcommercio. He collaborates with companies such as Auchan, Autogrill, Bhartyia, Coop, Deborah, Ikea, Luceplan, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Nike, PepsiCo, Pininfarina, Pirelli Re, SaporitiItalia, Viacom, Versace, Vertu, 3M and institutions such as Archivio Disarmo, Comune di Milano, Federlegno, Turin 2006. He has held workshops and conferences in over 25 countries and written several essays on design and project culture. He lives and works in Milan and on Lake Como, where he was born in 1965.

Published
2014-11-28
Issue
Vol 2 No 4 (2014): Italian Material Design: Learning from History
Section
Research

Copyright (c) 2014 Giulio Ceppi

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons NonCommercial-NoDerivates 4.0 international License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).