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.

Venice International University: Lecture of Prof. Bettiol (video)

Venice International University, Venice - Monday, June 13th













- Alan, Michelle, Lindsay

THE GLOBALIZATION OF DESIGN

Venice International University, Venice - Monday, June 13th, 2011
Lecture by Marco Bettiol



On June 13th we attended a fantastic lecture by economist Marco Bettiol at the Venice International University. He talked about the present, past and future organization of Italian Design.

Added Value

Venice International University, Venezia - Monday, June 13th

A similar analogy was proposed by Marco Bettiol, an economist at Venice International University. It is the simple explanation of ingredients that bring value to Italian design.

Shannon, Victoria, Calvin

A Brief of Venice International University

Venice International University, Venice - Monday, June 13th 

The island San Servolo was a monastery, military hospital, and later on a psychiatric hospital which was then abandoned in 1987. In 1995 however, the buildings and island underwent a restoration that transformed into a place with a park, sports grounds, cafeteria, bar and has several works of contemporary art throughout the complex, which is now recognized as Venice International University (VIU).

Politechnico di Milano (Video)

Politechnico di Milano - Milan - June 10, 2011







- Alan, Michelle, Lindsay

At A Glance: Politecnico di Milano

Politechnico di Milano Milan - June 9, 2011

Of all the educational institutions we have visited during our time in Italy, Politecnico di Milano stands out as one of the most highly developed schools for students of engineering and design. Originally called "Istituto Tecnico Superiore", Politecnico was established in 1863. The school has an extensive history that has greatly influenced the way in which it operates to this day.

We were personally welcomed to Milan by the dean of the school, who explained to us the general layout of the Politecnico Network. Politecnico is divided into 7 different campuses that are scattered across Italy, each dedicated to a specific range of studies. We visited the Bovisa campus, which itself is divided into two campuses, one for industrial engineering and the other for design and architecture.

A Brief on Domus

Domus Academy, Milan - Thursday, June 9th

In a country blessed with great designs sought by the world, Italy lacked many institutions that formally taught design. The only way to get educated in the field was to do apprenticeships and getting mentored at the design studios of pre-existing designers.

Envisioning “a place where different cultures and experiences would meet”, Maria Grazia Mazzocchi along with other notable figures of the design world of the time, such as Pierre Restany, Alessandro Mendini, Valerio Castelli, Alessandro Guerriero and Andrea Branzi, worked together and founded Domus Academy (DA).

Even at the very beginning, DA was able to attract a very diverse group of students from around the world and still continue to do so today. The institution offers a one year masters program in the fields of design, fashion, architecture, interior design and management. To further enrich the experience of its students, DA has invited more than 500 visiting professors and lecturers some of which include Sottsass, Mendini, Trini Castelli, Santachiara, Starck, Hosoe, Bellini, Castiglioni, Bonetto, Magistretti, and Munari.

Domus Academy offers Master courses in:

Accessories Design

Fashion Design

Design

Interaction Design

Service and Experience Design

Car Design

Business Design

Fashion Management

Interior and Living Design

Urban Vision and Architectural Design

Fashion Styling and Visual Merchandising

Image souce: Domus Academy Brochure 2011

Shannon, Victoria, Calvin

Attention-Grabbing Design

Here's a quick visual summary of Veronica Bogao's lecture on Bruno Munari and bridging the gap between creativity, imagination, and innovation.

BRUNO MUNARI`S THOUGHTS ON ATTENTION GRABBING DESIGN

ISIA (Instito Superiore per la Industrie Artistiche), Florence - Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Bruno Munari

On May 31st we visited ISIA, the oldest school of industrial design in Italy. While there we heard a lecture by Veronica Bogoa. She was telling us about the teachings of Bruno Munari. She spoke of his ideas on contemporary design, and the techniques to use while designing in order to create attention grabbing designs.

ISIA: Oldest Design School in Italy

Instituto Superiore Per Le Industrie Artistiche, Florence - Tuesday, May 30th, 2011
Today we visited the I.S.I.A - Istituto Superiore per le Industrie Artistiche , which is the oldest design institution in Italy (it was founded in 1965). They focus on product design and communication design and have both a 3 year undergraduate program and a 2 year masters program. We visited the Florence location which was founded in 1975. We were so surprised (and jealous) to see their studios, which were full of natural sunlight!