Marc Sadler is a man who lives in the future. He combines his passion for technology with his dedication for experimentation to create groundbreaking projects recognized around the world. We met with him on a sunny afternoon at his studio nestled in a community of designers. We were invited into his studio, and settled on his very eclectic collection of chairs. No one knew what to expect from this encounter, but he began by pointing out objects scattered around his studio.
He began with the nike slipper he developed, which now numbers 17 million pairs worldwide. This product is a model of all the projects he develops. He began by working closely with the engineers, creating a process that could then be applied to different products. The methodology that he applies to his work is very hands on. He is involved in designing the manufacturing process, creating mock-ups and drawings, and following the project from beginning to end. In this way, he worked closely with injection moulding engineers to pioneer a method for injecting plastic, and from there he took the new technology and applied it to the slippers for nike. In the same way, he revolutionized the sports equipment industry by breaking rules and creating new industrial methods. Such successes include the ski boots for Lotto, and motorcycle gear for Dainese.
Besides his passion for engineering and innovation, he applies aesthetics and a sense of marketing to his products. This explains why he can work on both mass-produced goods and luxury ones. For Dainese, he explained the importance of applying aesthetics to the product. In order to convince motorcyclists to use the safety equipment, he was not just selling the product, but was selling protection. If the product was not appealing, cyclists would not want to use it no matter how life-saving it was. He continues to create and revolutionize products for Dainese and constantly receives feedback from athletes describing ways it has protected them from harm, and suggestions for ways it could be further improved.
Another example of how his aesthetics are applied to his products are the Tite and Mite lamps he designed for Foscarini. He pointed out the mite lamps by the entranceway and from that, he described the combination of engineering with aesthetics. He talked about the technical difficulties of applying kevlar, which was a material then solely reserved for sports equipment, and exploiting its translucent properties for an aesthetic decoration. We saw the determination he had to develop his vision of a unibody lamp. He first experimented in murano glass, which was too fragile, moved on to carbon fibre and then discovered the properties of kevlar. It took the project 4 years to develop after a lot of experimentation and testing the use of a thread forming method. This technical innovation won him the Compasso D'oro award in the year 2000, and created the family of products Foscarini now displays proudly in their showroom.
Keywords: innovation, experience, creativity, technology
Michelle, Alan, Lindsay
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