A Deep Dive into Italian Design History and Culture
italiaDesign Field School
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Design Direction, Interviewing, Web Design/Development
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2018
Website: 2018.sfuitaliadesign.com
italiaDesign is an 8-month field school program offered by Simon Fraser University, where students research and experience Italy’s rich design culture. The ItaliaDesign field school is run bi-annually with a team of 12 students, directed by our professor.
Travel & Interviews
During our 8-month study, we spent 2 months in Italy, immersing ourselves in the country's history and culture. We traveled between Rome, Milan, Florence, Bologna, Liguria, and also took a day trip to Switzerland after visiting the Alessi factory.
During our time in Milan, we had the opportunity to interview both emerging and established Italian designers, covering a range of disciplines including graphic design, type design, industrial design, and digital design. Being exposed to these different disciplines has broadened my perspective on design and deepened my interest in the practice.
My Interviews: Sean Wolcott, Andrea Braccaloni, Jekyll & Hyde
The Armando Milani interview
The Website
After our trip to Italy, we produced a series of short films and created a website to showcase them. I collaborated with my team members on designing the website, taking the lead in its development.
I played a crucial role throughout the entire development process, from defining the core concept and storytelling approach to designing the visual identity, user experience, and executing the web development.
Landing page design
Featured designers and interview themes
Interview page and the video intro sequence
The designer's work and their philosophy
Retrospect
We were able to share our interviews and a fraction of our experience through the website, but the entire 8-month program was a profoundly personal journey for each of us.
I particularly enjoyed the weekly research presentations and discussions we had during the first four months. Every Friday, we gathered to share research on Italian art and design history, delving into their food culture and other nuances that we might not have discovered alone. Additionally, as a team, we embarked on learning Italian, gaining appreciation for the challenge of acquiring a new language and respect for those who succeed in doing so.
The transition from studying Italy on our laptops to physically being there was unparalleled. Our research allowed us to appreciate the country's history and culture on a deeper level throughout our trip. However, it wasn’t just the field study that was enriching; living and working alongside my peers for two months fostered valuable self-reflection.
In retrospect, I sort of see this as my graduate project. We spent four months researching a topic and then immersed ourselves in a foreign environment armed with that knowledge. This allowed us to engage with locals and understand how design lives within a specific context. The website served as a platform to share our learnings from the past six months, acting as a time capsule of our experiences.
All that to say, I learned a lot.
The view from one of the many roadtrips