O designer exploratório: um modelo de formação para o design na Itália

In Italy, university courses on Industrial Design were born to train skilled operators to critically assess projects and to pit against different scenarios, combining the technical and production dimension with the sociocultural one. The teaching is aimed at building relationships among function, suggestion, innovation, and adaptation to the context. Nowadays, the situation is different and notably two conditions have brought to a revision of training models and education to the project within the university purview. First, the awareness that Design is now an intersection, a sort of square where human and technical sciences meet and where the Designer is a go-between, whose task is to integrate different skills and knowledge. Second, the recognition that Design has evolved together with the traditional question “how to do it?”, since today the Designer is asked also “what to do?” or “where to do it?”. Therefore, from a problem solving actor to the exploring researcher, a designer must be able to find out new product types and sectors, new production ways and new consumer behaviours. Based on these challenging scenario for Design, this article aims to discuss the questions “how to do it?”, “what to do?” and “where to do it?”, which correspond to three training aims having an always increasing complexity in educating the designer to become: an aware designer, able to read the present (explorer 1); a scenario designer, able to foreshadow the future (explorer 2); and a surfing designer, able to go beyond the common sense (explorer 3). Key words: design training, meta-design, exploring design.Na Itália, os cursos universitários de Design Industrial nascem com a intenção de formar operadores treinados para uma visão crítica do projeto e capazes de lidar com diferentes cenários, combinando a dimensão técnica da produção e da cooperação econômica com a dimensão sócio-cultural. Foram objetivos de ensino de projecto, a relação entre a função, a sugestão, a inovação e adequação ao contexto. Hoje a situação mudou e duas condições, em particular, levaram a uma revisão dos modelos de formação e projeto pedagógico na universidade: a consciência de que o projeto é hoje uma intersecção, uma praça onde se encontram as ciências humanas e técnicas, de modo que o designer é chamado à mediação e integração de diferentes conhecimentos e competências; a constatação de que o design evoluiu sob a questão do tradicional “como fazer?”. Hoje o designer é interrogado sobre “o que fazer?” ou “onde fazer?”. De uma dimensão de solucionador de problemas passa, portanto, a de pesquisador, um designer capaz de investigar novas tipologias de produtos, novos setores, novos modos de produção e consumo. Com base nesse cenário desafiador para o Design, este artigo busca discutir as perguntas “como fazer?”, “o que fazer?” e “onde fazer?”, que correspondem a três objetivos formativos diferentes de complexidade crescente na formação do designer: o designer com consciência, na leitura do presente (Explorador 1); o designer de cenários, para prefigurar o futuro (Explorador 2); e o designer navegador, para descartar o senso comum (Explorador 3). Palavras-chave: educação de projeto, meta-projeto, design exploratório

La comunicazione infografica e digitale per il territorio montano

Il territorio montano alpino, in quanto sistema di luoghi da esplorare, scoprire e conoscere, necessita naturalmente di attrezzamenti che lo rendano accessibile da parte del visitatore, ovvero percorribile ed identificabile nelle sue caratteristiche spaziali, d’uso e identitarie. Presuppone quindi la disponibilità di infrastrutture fisiche costruite sul territorio in maniera puntuale, lineare o diffusa, quali strade, ponti, tunnel, mezzi per il trasporto, ma anche strumenti per la comunicazione e orientamento in grado di favorire una fruizione consapevole dell’ambito territoriale. Proprio nella funzione comunicativa del territorio risiede un’ampia gamma di sistemi materiali e immateriali, prodotti grafici e strumenti informativi, che non necessariamente insistono fisicamente sullo stesso, ma che ugualmente operano in maniera funzionale ed integrata per aumentare la godibilità dello spazio aperto montano nella direzione di una più agile comprensione e lettura

Heritage and cultural accessibility: the role of design in the creation of an intercultural dialogue

The contribution intends to present a reflection in the field of design for the enhancement of cultural heritage in terms of cultural accessibility, and the implications related to the reception and integration of communities and social groups nowadays excluded. Within this context, design skills can be made available as tools to generate mediation processes between these cultural multiplicities, encouraging actions to enhance diversity and activating a dialogue between people and cultures. Design can devise strategies, services and integrated communication systems to facilitate meeting and exchange between the heritage and the multicultural community that lives in a territory. By mapping certain virtuous design actions (at different scales, such as graphic, product and strategic design), we aim to highlight new possible approaches in the design for the fruition of cultural heritage, according to which the design act presents itself as a “translation” of values and identities for new and existing communities that cohabit in a territory

La comunicazione infografica e digitale per il territorio montano

Il territorio montano alpino, in quanto sistema di luoghi da esplorare, scoprire e conoscere, necessita naturalmente di attrezzamenti che lo rendano accessibile da parte del visitatore, ovvero percorribile ed identificabile nelle sue caratteristiche spaziali, d’uso e identitarie. Presuppone quindi la disponibilità di infrastrutture fisiche costruite sul territorio in maniera puntuale, lineare o diffusa, quali strade, ponti, tunnel, mezzi per il trasporto, ma anche strumenti per la comunicazione e orientamento in grado di favorire una fruizione consapevole dell’ambito territoriale. Proprio nella funzione comunicativa del territorio risiede un’ampia gamma di sistemi materiali e immateriali, prodotti grafici e strumenti informativi, che non necessariamente insistono fisicamente sullo stesso, ma che ugualmente operano in maniera funzionale ed integrata per aumentare la godibilità dello spazio aperto montano nella direzione di una più agile comprensione e lettura

I risultati

I progetti ideati e prototipati nell'ambito dell'operazione Arredo & Territorio, sono stati posizionati in modo permanente lungo i percorsi delle valli olimpiche in Piemonte, con l'intenzione di valorizzare il territorio e promuovere l'artigianato locale. Ciò è avvenuto attraverso la definizione di prodotti portatori di valori e significati nuovi, ossia manufatti artigianali "design oriented" che sono sintesi tra abilità realizzativa e profonda conoscenza dei materiali, tipiche del sapere artigiano, e nuove direzioni di fruizione del paesaggio. del desig

The exploring designer: A design training model in Italy

Na Itália, os cursos universitários de Design Industrial nascem com a intenção de formar operadores treinados para uma visão crítica do projeto e capazes de lidar com diferentes cenários, combinando a dimensão técnica da produção e da cooperação econômica com a dimensão sócio-cultural. Foram objetivos de ensino de projecto, a relação entre a função, a sugestão, a inovação e adequação ao contexto. Hoje a situação mudou e duas condições, em particular, levaram a uma revisão dos modelos de formação e projeto pedagógico na universidade: a consciência de que o projeto é hoje uma intersecção, uma praça onde se encontram as ciências humanas e técnicas, de modo que o designer é chamado à mediação e integração de diferentes conhecimentos e competências; a constatação de que o design evoluiu sob a questão do tradicional “como fazer?”. Hoje o designer é interrogado sobre “o que fazer?” ou “onde fazer?”. De uma dimensão de solucionador de problemas passa, portanto, a de pesquisador, um designer capaz de investigar novas tipologias de produtos, novos setores, novos modos de produção e consumo. Com base nesse cenário desafiador para o Design, este artigo busca discutir as perguntas “como fazer?”, “o que fazer?” e “onde fazer?”, que correspondem a três objetivos formativos diferentes de complexidade crescente na formação do designer: o designer com consciência, na leitura do presente (Explorador 1); o designer de cenários, para prefigurar o futuro (Explorador 2); e o designer navegador, para descartar o senso comum (Explorador 3). Palavras-chave: educação de projeto, meta-projeto, design exploratório.In Italy, university courses on Industrial Design were born to train skilled operators to critically assess projects and to pit against different scenarios, combining the technical and production dimension with the sociocultural one. The teaching is aimed at building relationships among function, suggestion, innovation, and adaptation to the context. Nowadays, the situation is different and notably two conditions have brought to a revision of training models and education to the project within the university purview. First, the awareness that Design is now an intersection, a sort of square where human and technical sciences meet and where the Designer is a go-between, whose task is to integrate different skills and knowledge. Second, the recognition that Design has evolved together with the traditional question “how to do it?”, since today the Designer is asked also “what to do?” or “where to do it?”. Therefore, from a problem solving actor to the exploring researcher, a designer must be able to find out new product types and sectors, new production ways and new consumer behaviours. Based on these challenging scenario for Design, this article aims to discuss the questions “how to do it?”, “what to do?” and “where to do it?”, which correspond to three training aims having an always increasing complexity in educating the designer to become: an aware designer, able to read the present (explorer 1); a scenario designer, able to foreshadow the future (explorer 2); and a surfing designer, able to go beyond the common sense (explorer 3). Key words: design training, meta-design, exploring design

Packaging reconditioned household appliances

This article aims to present a research and design work that focuses on exploring new possible approaches to packaging design as applied to the field of reconditioning and reintroducing old household appliances to the market. The work developed by the research group from the Politecnico di Torino – Design, in particular, is part of a research agreement signed with Astelav, a Piedmontese company based in Nichelino (Turin) and a leading distributor of components and spare parts for household appliances, in partnership with Turin-based Sermig, a non-profit organisation that aims to provide people marginalised by unemployment, social and financial problems with hospitality and both social and job support. The company recently launched the Ri-Generation project alongside Sermig. This involves reconditioning used white goods (washing machines, dishwashers, fridges, ovens, etc.) by intercepting the WEEE (Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment) supply chain as well as encouraging socially marginalised people to gain new skills whilst assisting specialised technicians in reconditioning appliances. The work involves the replacement of damaged or broken parts, a cleaning process, followed by the product’s placement on the market. It is an example of a circular economy that helps prevent the accumulation of waste in landfills, offers old products a new lease of life and new added value and, at the same time, creates new economies and new employment and social rehabilitation opportunities for people in difficult socio-economic circumstances. In such a scenario, the design work carried out attempts to develop new systems for the protection, transportation, presentation and sale of these used, salvaged and reconditioned products, so as to allow them to be distributed on the market, as well as to communicate their own particular image during the sales process. It is a very unusual packaging project because, apart from anything else, every product sold is different from the other, even if they share common characteristics. The design challenge was tackled both in terms of its functional and marketing aspects, but also in line with a wider cultural paradigm that envisages the fine-tuning of a veritable system of activities and relationships that, in keeping with the characteristics of the Ri-Generation project, can generate innovation and sustainability at different levels: at a social level, by involving disadvantaged people and social cooperatives in packaging assembly; at an environmental level, by salvaging old clothes to create the padding; at a production level, by specially training and organising personnel; and at a linguistic level, by applying new modes and registers of expression that stem from experimentation, particularly in the artistic field. The new packaging design takes its cue from the use of the waste materials that Sermig receives on a daily basis through private donations, particularly second-hand clothes that are sorted, selected and then redistributed to people who are experiencing social and financial difficulties. The items of clothing that are damaged, ripped or worn out can be salvaged and, if properly processed, can be turned into efficient packaging systems. Garments are cut up and put together following clear procedural guidelines, and then positioned and sewn inside polyethylene tubes, creating a sort of “padded fabric” that is both waterproof and resistant and can wrap up and protect an appliance during the transport, storage and sales phases. The final product makes a strong impression: patches of clothing in different fabrics and colours surround the appliance, creating what looks like a cloth cube. Whilst it surprises and intrigues the viewer, it also expresses a narrative at different levels: an item of clothing that symbolises a product (a washing machine) declares its function at an emotive level whilst at the same time expressing the salvaging of a waste product, which is the principle that underpins the Ri-Generation project. Since the most significant environmental problem for packaging systems is indeed related to the need to prevent waste before its production, the value of this salvaging process is further stressed by the reusability once it has finished transporting the appliance after sale. The information sheets included and the packaging’s own graphics suggest a “catalogue” of possible alternative uses (the protection of accessories and furnishings during house moves or for storing items in attics and warehouses, garage wall padding, informal poufs, pet cushions, picnic blanket undersheets, etc.). The product’s fine-tuning has involved Sermig personnel (supervisors and guests) and Astelav employees and some social cooperatives during a number of workshops coordinated by the Polito research group, designed to test the production methods and skills of people both joining and leaving the packaging production process. The packaging is assembled by social cooperatives, who are suitably trained using the above-mentioned direct experimentation and partial co-designing phases. To date – having completed the production development, prototype and trial phases – the project is now preparing a pre-series of dozens of items that will be tested during their transportation and sale to consumers. The resulting feedback from these activities will allow the project’s organisers to streamline packaging production methods and the entire sales supply chain. Among the possible outcomes foreseen, action designed to divulge this project in order to turn it into a repeatable or reinterpretable example of best practices is envisaged, as well as the promotion of the project’s cultural merits. Such action includes: • The declinations of the semi-finished product: the defined packaging system, could be considered as a new semi-finished product which, when suitably reshaped, that means it could also be used as packaging in other product sectors; • The curatorship and creation of an exhibition to be put on display: the design of possible display concepts that could be shown at exhibitions and sustainable packaging trade fairs or used for creating a tailor-made event dedicated to Ri-Generation’s case history; • The creation of a special section on the Ri-Generation website: creating text, images, animation, etc. that can present the partnership with the Politecnico di Torino, the design process and the scientific and cultural value of the packaging design process; • The creation of a narrative: a sustainable packaging case history could be the focus of a story told by a lively, abridged publication that could be distributed at particular events designed to promote the initiative and the Ri-Generation project’s work

Ri-Pack. Sistemi di confezionamento per elettrodomestici rigenerati

Il contributo propone un'operazione di ricerca e progetto sviluppata in collaborazione da tre soggetti attivi in campo accademico, commerciale e sociale che, hanno creato le condizioni per produrre nuovi sistemi di imballaggio per elettrodomestici rigenerati, al fine di reintrodurli sul mercato. L’attività è sviluppata all'interno del progetto Ri-Generation, avviato da Astelav e Sermig (Torino, Italia), che ha come obiettivo il recupero di apparecchi dismessi al fine di prevenire la formazione di rifiuti nelle discariche, valorizzando i prodotti usati ancora in buone condizioni e garantendo al contempo opportunità di impiego lavorativo per persone socialmente emarginate. Obiettivo del progetto di packaging, oltre a quello di fornire risposte funzionali per il trasporto e lo stoccaggio, è quello di comunicare il contenuto di innovazione e sostenibilità dell’operazione Ri-Generation, mantenendo il medesimo spirito dell’iniziativa: il sistema è infatti prodotto trasformando e assemblando gli abiti usati recuperati quotidianamente dal Sermig. Il materassino morbido risultante può essere facilmente utilizzato per avvolgere la lavatrice rigenerata e proteggerla durante il trasporto e la vendita