Program Structure
Lectures
The basic courses are the backbone of the educational activity during which
the know-how and knowledge of Domus Academy are conveyed. They reflect long-standing
knowledge, considerations and methodologies developed over a ten-years old
activity.
Exploration of the Context
They include visits to companies, meetings with industrial managers, participation
and visits to shows, exhibitions, museums, major cultural events to enable
students to experience a direct contact with the operators and the realities
that actively contribute to the development of the design culture.
Project laboratory
From January to June the different topics will be discussed in four main seminars
that will be divided into two parts:
• An instruction phase taught by experts in the field, including sociologists,
artists, design historians and technical experts
• A second phase in which students will develop research projects under
the guidance of three designers.
Master's Projects
They are approached like professional theme-related design competitions.
The themes are centred upon four main focuses and each student, appropriately
supported by a professor.
Languages / Basic Courses
Dante Donegani, Antonio Petrillo
Design movements and languages
An overview of the foremost authors and movements throughout the evolution
of design programs and languages, traced back from its origins to the present
time. Special attention is paid to the events spanning the last two decades,
case histories are analysed of both small- and big-sized companies operating
in the sector and relying on the contribution of some of the protagonists
of today’s design culture. In addition, this course analyses the product
typologies scattered throughout our artificial landscape and keeps track of
the matrix and processes that practically contribute to the definition of
their identity.
Giacinto Di Pietrantonio, Antonio Somaini
Expressions of creation
To help the designer develop an all-round sensitivity to culture, the different
areas of artistic creativity are explored: music, painting, sculpture, architecture,
theatre, photography, cinema, literature. The syllabus includes lectures on
historical avant-garde movements and contemporary artistic trends, guided
visits to shows and galleries and the contribution, as visiting professors,
by some of the key figures in the contemporary world of arts, philosophy and
criticism. By meeting the artists, students can come into contact with different
creativity routes and design practices and compare their distinctive language
and poetics - from sketches to video-installations.
Andrea Branzi, Giovanni Lauda
The culture of design
An original critical approach to the history of design traced back from the
industrial revolution up to today, by investigating the visions and logics
elaborated in the framework of important historical phenomena: from the Werkbund
to Futurism, from the Bauhaus to the International Style up to the debate
witnessed in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Encounters with the foremost figures
of the design universe complete the analysis of the various poetics, tools
and strategies. From this overview design clearly stands out as a free-standing
discipline, featuring a theoretical and instrumental body of its own.
Frida Doveil, Eliana Lorena, Claudia Raimondo, Clino Trini Castelli
Languages of materials
An in-depth analysis of the particularity of traditional materials and a technical
up-dating of the new technological materials, supported by visits to researchers
and specialised manufacturers.
The expressive qualities of materials are investigated in relation with the
role the various materials can play in building the identity of products and
in defining new concepts of comfort in living microenvironments. The theme
of design of materials is therefore addressed from a number of perspectives,
ranging from design disciplines to ethnical and anthropological traditions.
Special emphasis is placed on the world of art with the aim to stimulate different
vocations and a design sensitivity fundamental to face the theme of materials
and textures expressiveness.
Research / Basic Courses
Antonio Petrillo, Marco Susani
Design research
The scope of design research illustrated throughout the operative, preliminary
phase of design, namely prior to the product creation. In particular, insights
are given as to the approaches taken in developing industrial research programs,
the steps taken in outlining scenarios and product concepts, the processes
defining aesthetic and design guidelines, the applications of the technological
offers. The linguistic research beyond styling, the soft qualities of materials,
from the family feeling to the brand identity are some of the research themes
addressed.
Claudio Moderini, Elena Pacenti
The new technologies and the evolution of design
A broad set of information is supplied concerning the most relevant transformations
occurred in the field of information and multimedia technology as well as
of new materials.
An analysis of the new design frontiers and the new cultural responsibilities
which phenomena such as virtual reality, dematerialisation, places’ loss
of identity and biotechnologies pose to design.
Giulio Ceppi, Mario Trimarchi
Communication tools
The themes of corporate and product communication as well as distribution
are accurately investigated through theme-related lectures, encounters with
communication operators and on-site visits. The most significant communication
strategies developed by different corporate typologies are analysed with the
aim to deeply understand the way the various elements (products, advertising,
exhibitions, distribution formulas, media) are to be co-ordinated in an identity-building
process, as well as the choices practicable to stand out in the panorama of
communication.
On top of this, special attention is paid to the definition of a map depicting
the trends currently under way in the field of distribution and the point
of sale image.
Strategy / Basic Courses
Ampelio Bucci
Design Direction
The objective of the syllabus is to investigate the factors which play a part
in the process of corporate decision-making with a view to developing new
professional skills in the area of strategic design. The analysis focuses
on case histories of leading companies in the fashion and industrial design
sectors which have built their innovative capacity not only on products but
on all the elements of the global offer, i.e. positioning, image, distribution
and communication. The didactic activity ranges from the analysis of international
management orientation to the concept of Design Direction, from design marketing
to product strategies.
Ezio Manzini
Sustainability scenarios
A new productive profile is outlined in view of a sustainable development.
The course offers a far-reaching analysis of the interaction existing between
products and environment, starting from the definition of new socio-cultural
scenarios to the analysis of compatible productive strategies, the implications
on aesthetics and design practice up to the new product identities.
The relationship natural/artificial is investigated throughout its multifaceted
aspects to provide design with new practicable alternatives.
Francesco Morace
Socioeconomic forecasting
The syllabus explores the socio-economic changes affecting mature industrial
societies starting from the scenarios of change and gradually shifting to
the study of the main existential dimensions and of how they are evolving
in the worlds of fashion and design as a result of consumption and behavioural
patterns.
Students are offered research tools to probe into these themes. Trends and
new concepts are illustrated with updates available also on CD-Rom. Case-histories
are presented describing products and services which have relevance with the
themes of the design seminars. Specific thematic areas are also investigated
in connection with the design seminars.
Bernard Cova
Marketing innovations
An analysis of the innovations brought about by the world of design and fashion
in the relationship with the competitive markets. At the same time special
attention is paid to the organisational processes and to the design/corporate
relationship in the interior design industry and in big-sized corporates.
Furthermore, a number of tools are supplied to understand the languages and
the managerial issues in sectors with a high aesthetic content, along with
the insights necessary to develop a new professional conscience.
Design research seminars / Design activities
Andrea Branzi, Dante Donegani, Giovanni Lauda
The relational space
Space Evolution is the seminar which investigates and represents the concept
of space throughout the evolution into the current dimention. A concept of
space strictly related to the transformation of design, architecture, environment,
figurative arts, cinema and music.
Frida Doveil, Claudia Raimondo, Clinio Trini Castelli
Design of materials
Attention is focused on the increasingly important role played by the
design of materials today. In particular, the themes addressed range from
ecology, manipulating techniques of tactile, chromatic, smell qualities to
the design of the cultural and aesthetic identity of the new material supports
created by technological innovations. The seminar relies on the professional
contribution of experts, designers, industry technicians.
Stefano Cardini, Claudio Moderini
Interaction Design
The aim is to propose a design reflection on the relationship between man
and interactive objects. In particular, the analysis addresses the quality
of interfaces with highly performing products, the relation between physical
and virtual space, the new services made feasible by information and telematic
technology.
Giacomo Giannini, Ezio Manzini, Elena Pacenti
Design of services
The aim is to highlight the evolution of the relasionship between product
and service in a mature industry society. The seminar stands out as a design
experience with a twofold aim: stimulate the student to grow sensitive towards
the service component which is an integration part of every product typology;
introduce the design of new business activities/sectors, today identified
under the term services.
Sminars with visiting designers and companies
They relay on the contribution of well-established and emerging design
figures, under whose guidance the poetics, the languages and the most significant
design trends are explored. This brinngs students into direct contact with
the professional world and encourage them to actively confront themselves
with the different approaches taken by the people operating in the world of
design as well as with the characteristics and needs of the various productive
realities and with the most diverse problems of today's reality.
Final master projects
Four fields of research
In July four designers will present research proposals for each of the
four fields. Each student will choose a field of interest and work in this
field in the following months with the teacher and the collaborators. In the
month of December each student will present a Master Project to the Examination
Board. An exhibition will follow, showing all the Master Projects to the press
and the public.
"THE PRODUCT"
Innovation has become an essential topic for companies. Creating new consumer
products is based on a design culture that appears to reduce the importance
of products while at the same time it changes their features. The 2001 Master
project will investigate the following topics:
• New behavior and habits
• The application of new technologies and materials and their use in
different fields
• Aesthetic research as an essential component of marketing strategies
In recent years Domus Academy has discussed these topics in collaboration
with companies such as Moulinex, Samsung, Danese, Mandarina Duck, Ycami, Dainese,
Fiat, Seat and other international firms.
"ABOUT THE PRODUCT"
Leading companies not only design the product but also all the elements that
are part of the overall project such as customer relations, the use of the
trademark, the point of sale, service and advertising. In Italy and Europe
there are many companies that have linked efficient management to innovative
design creativity.
At Domus Academy we have discussed these topics with design and fashion companies
in Italy such as Swatch, Ikea, Nestlú, Philips and others.
Design direction and strategic design are fields in which we have developed
skills and experience that are useful in all design-oriented fields. In 2001
the Master course in design direction will focus on sales and evolutions based
on the increasing competition offered by e-commerce.
"interactive media DESIGN"
In recent years the constant evolution of technology requires the use of interactive
media. The Internet economy has changed the way we do business. It has created
new services and has transformed how traditional services are accessed. It
has also affected the relations between individuals and society.
The interactive media Design course in 2001 will be study the interactive
media and the new economy and investigate the following topics:
• active tools: designing tools that can be adapted to the changing needs
of users by taking advantage of the combination of Internet and mobile communications
• interactive media: the project of the relation between the user and
the tool through multi-sensor and multi-mode interfaces inside and outside
the screen, including Web, WAP, Web TV and digital radio interfaces
• media spaces: the project of the relation between persons, objects
and information in the hybrid space that connects the physical world with
the digital world, from large screens to interactive projections and augmented
reality.
These topics have been developed in a human oriented approach by Domus Academy
with design workshops involving Apple, Interval, Logitech, Philips Design,
Xerox Grenoble, etc., using theme courses of interaction and web design topics
and organizing the international conference on interactive media Vision.
"ARCHITECTURE LINKS"
Architecture links attempt to explore a new model of civilization that the
great changes of recent decades require from design culture. Perhaps only
now can be see all the consequences of the end of industrial society, of every
form of global planning and the unitary project.
Architecture links are the nodes of vast territorial systems, reversible structures
for relational spaces. They are build of environmental micro systems that
allow for experimenting with new dimensions of the project and new models
of weak urbanization. Components, semi-finished goods, structures and forms
of urbanization that are in a state of becoming and that are defined progressively
by the evolution of living habits, the search for new forms of living and
aesthetic stimulation.
The research of Domus Academy in recent years in these fields has produces
projects such as "Agronica", "Medium", "Incubator" and "Relational spaces"
that have attempted to indicate partial solutions to complex problems.
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Domus Academy
via Watt 27 20143 Milano Italy
tel. +39 0242414001 fax +39 024222525
infodesign@domusacademy.it
