This course was a double course that spanned an entire year: the history of industrial design and graphic design. The focus was on the economic boom years of Italian post-war industrial history. The role of the Italian economy in designing everyday objects in the world was new and impressive to me. From the ‘Compasso d’Oro’ (the most important design award), and the Castiglioni brothers, to the advantageous small and medium-sized family enterprises in cluster-structures in the Italian economy. It was also about renowned global players like Olivetti. Since Milan can be regarded as the center of industrial design worldwide and at the same time the ‘Salone del mobile’ took place, a visit to this furniture fair was obligatory. (Brochure of this excursion see below).
The seminar turned out to be very labor intensive. Thus, in addition to this brochure, a review in Italian of an exhibition in Venice about a well-known photographer, a written exam and an in-depth research on the communication design of a well-known brand had to be completed. The course was a compulsory subject for IUAV’s design-students, whose studies are as much work-overloaded as that of the architects. I collaborated with an Italian fellow student for researching a company’s brand image. We spent several days researching Starbucks’ visual appearance, which resulted in a multi-page booklet (pdf see below).
The course was great fun, because I find the topic very exciting. The covered topics (in particular the insights into the various legacies in graphic design from ‘international typographic style’ to postmodern design) give me a deeper understanding of neighboring disciplines and their approach to design. The explanations on graphic design give me an expanded horizon for aesthetics and design in the presentation. I find the gain in knowledge through this course very helpful for my own field of study.
→full text:Review Excursion Salone del Mobile 2017 (Italian)
→full text:paper Starbucks communication design (Italian)
