Design Studio Comparison - C12 Cerano Dodici, Giovannoni, Marc Sadler

C12, Stefano Giovannoni and Marc Sadler Design Offices, Milan - Monday, June 6th, 2011

Comparing Studio Spaces (This Picture: Part of Marc Sadler's Studio)

On June 6th, we visited three design studios back to back: Cerano Dodici C12, Stefano Giovannoni, and Marc Sadler. Each studio had a unique feel as well as different ways in which each of their offices were run. Anne, Amanda and myself each just completed our year-long internships after third year, which helped to make our tour that much more insightful. We got to see how each company was structured, how their space was organized, and learn what kind of projects each company focused on.

We all learned a lot at our respective internships, not only the hands-on, practical skills needed to be an industrial designer, but also about being in a professional workplace. It was so interesting to see the contrasts between the studios: C12 as a young designers collaboration vs. Stefano Giovannoni's large team vs. Marc Sadler's approach to working at his client's space directly involved with their team. Below are more in-depth details of each studio and how they are run.

Cerano Dodici C12 Studio Space

Cerano Dodici C12 describes themselves as "a creative hub in the centre of Milan's design district, in which twelve diverse professional practices coexist to create project synergies bound by the same passion for creativity in its different forms." They have an amazing space that is flooded with light from the tall ceilings, and enough desk and shelf space for each of the main 12 design professionals. What is great about this "company" is that they are really a collaboration of individuals that thrive off of each other's inspiration and enthusiasm. Being around like-minded individuals who work on similar projects is a creative alternative to sitting in one's basement as a lonely free-lancer. A studio such as C12, provides more direct links to networking with clients and other companies. It is also great to be able to learn from and advance one's skills with other designers around - for example, someone might know a special time-saving trick you never knew existed in Photoshop, or the best place to go for the cheapest prices for printing a presentation. I also found it interesting that these individuals can collaborate to form their own companies. Groups of two or three or even more can start their own free lancing business together, and also still be a part of this great team of collaborators. I personally would love to work in a place like this as a freelancer and learn from others who share the passion that I do.

Giovannoni's Design Office

Stefano Giovannoni's design office was much different from C12 in that it is a company run by Stefano himself. It is also filled with light and has very clean feeling to the large open space. Several computers line each side of the studio - clearly his company runs a large-scale design operation with many employees/designers. A large firm such as this one with such an influential designer would be a great experience to work for as well.

Marc Sadler's Design Office

Marc Sadler's studio was also extremely different from the other two studios. He owns his own company like Giovannoni does, but Sadler's is a much smaller operation. He has a unique loft studio in what looks like a residential sector, but is actually comprised of other workshops all connected and lined up in rows. What intrigued me about Marc Sadler is that he says he prefers to go to a company (the client he is designing for) and become integrated into their office for a time, thus being able to truly work with all disciplines involved in the project. Being around the marketing team, salespeople, engineers, manufacturers gives him more insight into how the company operates and this way he is able to use the strengths the company already has. For example, he does not have his own marketing department or his own manufacturing department; he is excellent at networking, knowing the right people, and using the resources of the company that he is being contracted by to his advantage. Marc Sadler's design office is one that I dream about having - scattered with famous projects from over the years and being able to casually talk about amazing experiences and opportunities while working for word-class Italian design companies.

All three are different directions to take when deciding which avenue to take in the design world. I find that each direction is fascinating, but I believe more experience in the professional design world will make it easier to decide which avenue is the best to aspire towards.

By Laura Van Staveren, Anne Charbonneau and Amanda Cox

Keywords: Business Strategy