NOT for your eyes only

What is Italian Design? Better yet, what is design for an Italian (me) who got educated on the subject by an Italian school (the best ;-)) and breathes every day the air (polluted!) of the capital of design - Milan - contributing to create objects that will be (hopefully!) part of the design heritage? This blog is about answering this question.

Let start with a subject most dear to me. An object of design is not only something that is visually and aesthetically pleasing. Since to appreciate an object of design you need to fall in love with it, let's use this example. You can find the most physically attractive girl (or boy) and be deeply attracted to her (or him), but as the time goes by, if there isn't anything else, the attraction disappears and you don't notice the beauty you once saw. Aesthetically pleasing do exist, but it is temporary and it is subjected to trends. This is not design. It is style and fashion.

Having said that, an object of design needs to be visually pleasing, even if this is not an easy requirement to verify because it is highly subjective. A fundamental requirement of an object of design (note that this could be a physical object, as well as a place, physical or virtually interactive) is having an identity: it is consistent with its concept, it has a purpose, and it communicates a message, intellectually and emotionally.