Italian Design Grand Tour: The Importance of Communication in Design Education

Milan, Florence - June 10th, May 31st, June 9th (respectively)

The photography studio at Politecnico di Milano

Education in Italy emphasizes the importance of communication as a strong companion to design. The schools here teach students cinematography, photography, writing and graphic design. It is important that students are able to express the idea behind the product in order to sell it to both the consumer and the manufacturer.

During our visit to ISIA in Rome, Marco discussed the effect packaging design has an impact on goods. He used the success of high profile fashion brands as an example of how powerful storytelling in ads can create a mystique that sells the product. This may explain why exhibitions are more prevalent in Italian design to help promote the message of the product.

The following are things we noted on the visit to ISIA, Domus and the Polytechnico of Milano.

When we visited Politec, we were amazed to see the extensive area dedicated to photography. We met a group of first year students who were working on an assignment. They told us how Politec emphasizes proper techniques for taking pictures in order to best communicate their products. They also had a lot of equipment at their disposal, including DSLR cameras, tripods, lights and large studio spaces separated into individual spaces by black curtains. Each studio area was also darkened, so students could learn how to properly apply lighting techniques. Learning these skills is important because if a product is not shown well enough, the meaning or importance of it could be lost.

The gigantic white background screen in Politec's photography studio

First year students learning proper photography techniques

First year students learning proper lighting techniques

ISIA

On May 31st, we visited ISIA, the Instituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche. Stefano Bettega, the school's director, emphasized their main philosophy of “learn by doing”. He also stressed the importance of teaching communication alongside product design. Students learned how to create, direct, edit, and script their own videos in order to best communicate their ideas and projects. They worked in groups to showcase their clothing creations at a fashion show created entirely by the students. Their projects were communicated to the public in the form of a video compilation. Students were also invited to contribute to the Milan Fashion Week in 2010, through the creation of installations. Masters students are also required to submit their thesis in the form of a bound book. This allows them to clearly organize their ideas and communicate their project outlines and outcomes effectively.

Thesis book created by a masters student at ISIA

Domus Academy

We also visited Domus Academy, where their primary method for teaching effective communication lies in the creation of prototypes, drawings, project proposals, and presentations. Students hone these techniques by working with external companies to further develop their ideas. On our tour through their design studio, we were fortunate to see various student projects in the fields of fashion design, product design, and car design. Here is a quick look at some of the students' prototypes: