CAN YOU MAKE A SKETCH FOR US, ARCHITECT?  Debate Carlo Bartoli, Franco Dominici and Giuseppe Furlanis Giuseppe Furlanis (ISIA Florence Manager) The relationship between entrepreneurs and designers has never been easy, even if our country has important and relevant examples in this field. In fact, it could even be possible to write a history of Italian design on the basis of the actions of skilful and competent entrepreneurs. If we consider the most important experiences, we'll find out that there are always intelligent entrepreneurs behind them. I'm thinking of men like Aurelio Zanotta, Cesare Cassina, Adriano Olivetti and many others. The problems of their relationship with the companies are principally caused by misinterpretation of their individual roles. Managers have often considered designers as people able to provide a good idea, to invent something and not as professionals able to deal with problems strategically and comprehensively. Designers haven't very frequently come to terms with the real difficulties of the companies. I'm thinking, for example, of those designers, too many, who send their projects by fax. Well, Northern design masters such as Alvar Aalto, Tapio Virkaala and others used to lock themselves up in the laboratories when the Selettiva of Cantù took place and they stayed there for two weeks all together, eating and drinking... I mean, this working system can seem a romantic ideal... but, it's still a long way from sending drawings by fax... To achieve an effective co-operation it's necessary for entrepreneurs to understand that choosing a designer is already a project action itself. However, this is not the only requirement. Entrepreneurs have to be able to identify a reference area in order to direct the production. In fact, they could even ask for the help of best designers in the world who create excellent projects, but if these ideas are not well linked to the company philosophy, they can easily turn out utterly unsuccessfully. The knowledge of social and market movements can be helpful in this case. Design becomes thus a global action, also linked to the risk evaluation. I'm thinking of Zanotta sack which was a highly innovative product but required limited investments. Summarising my idea, I think the relationship between designers and entrepreneurs should go beyond the simple field of the idea, the design and the product because this is not enough to strengthen either the relationship itself or the company strategy. Franco Dominici (Entrepreneur) I think that as managers we should make a self-criticism a little bit. In fact, we're too often concentrated on everyday problems and we don't know clearly where we want to go and how to go there. Consequently, we make lots of serious mistakes. On the contrary, managers should be able to direct the company and to clearly show the company individuality and its market targets. Many young designers often propose their work to us and we obviously always take their proposals into consideration. However, it's likely they won't be successful because they don't know the requirements of a company well and they don't live its reality entirely. On the other hand, the companies have to take serious, very serious risks and they cost a lot. At Segis, for example, the moulds are very expensive, so we have to weigh the pros and cons very carefully. The manager must have good marketing and selling skills, he must know if prices are competitive and interesting or if some other company has the same products. However, above all, he must believe in what he does and must have courage and be certain of his choices. For example, it's very difficult to convince distributors who are often like a rubber wall where every new proposal bounces off. Well, in the end, we could say that more difficult is the design, higher are the necessary investments and better results and success will be achieved. The manufacturing of a product is a real love act and we all know that to have true love there has to be two people. When I travel around the world and see one of Segis products, I feel like meeting a son and it's a huge pleasure. I go into those bars for a coffee or into those restaurants for dinner even if I don't feel like it at the moment and I'm very proud. In conclusion, I think that entrepreneurs should be convinced that design is an added value to their company. It's something they can't do without and they can't act as designers themselves. Carlo Bartoli (Architect) What's design and what was it once? When I started working this word didn't mean anything at all. Now, we can affirm that design doesn't only mean to draw some lines and patterns which correspond to concepts, but also to carry out intentions. In fact, designers are not artists but technicians who are able to sum up concepts. I remember that when I was young and was starting working on design in Brianza, I knew many entrepreneurs who ran small furniture firms. The question they always asked me was "Architect, can you give us a sketch please?". This is a good example of the common attitude towards design. Designers' role was restricted to defining shapes and they were not allowed to get fully involved in the project, as they should. It was almost always the entrepreneur who decided what to do and the designer was only meant to shape a pre-definite idea. There were only few special cases, like those of Zanuso, Albini and Magistretti who, working on shapes, managed to go beyond them, to perceive the heart of other issues and to translate them into projects. Consequently, it's necessary to develop a non-stop dialogue between designers and company in order to manufacture products which have their own definite justification. Designers' role goes thus much beyond the drawing of a simple sketch. Art directing, for example, that is my activity at Segis, is like total design. It's not only design of products but of everything is around them, that is of the company image and of its communication. When I started working at Segis, one of its problems was the lack of a proper image, so my work gradually changed to meet this requirement. In fact, products must be clearly identified even without writing the company logo or the name of the designer. However, the design must also have some innovative characteristics. It's a difficult balance between two opposite but absolutely necessary requirements. It's essential for products to maintain a minimum level of formal relief. Besides, it's necessary to achieve a sort of balance that can pursue the company history without too many language gaps which could create communication shocks to users. However, this doesn't mean giving up the need to express something. What companies can manufacture is also linked to technological possibilities. At Segis, for example, we needed to create products which were not easy to reproduce. Nowadays, copies problem is very serious and not only in Italy. In fact, when you finally begin to feel rewarded for your efforts, you often realise that someone else is manufacturing exactly identical products. One of the possible way of defending yourself is to raise some barriers as for example using difficult and expensive technologies to prevent possible reproductions. As concerns the relationship between companies and young designers, both Segis and my office receive lots of co-operation applications, even four or five a week. We can't obviously satisfy them all. I'd like to suggest to young designers to neglect large and important companies because they already have an established management. They should prefer small enterprises which haven't the right relationship with design and which haven't understood its importance yet. They have more possibilities in these cases and if it's the right match they can be extremely successful. So, that's the way. If you're aware of your ability, you have to insist and keep on stimulate the small enterprises as long as you find fine one which listen to your message and the co-operation can begin. I think that the future of Italian design is linked to this reality. It's not easy, I know. You often have to overcome a wall of suspicion and mistrust from the managers of small firms, frequently justified by negative or unproductive past experiences. That happened because the designer thought he had to give the company a simple sketch and not a thorough project. Segis Spa via Umbria, 14 - 53036 - Loc. Fosci - Poggibonsi - Siena - Italia Tel. +39/0577980333 Fax +39/0577938090 www.segis.siena.it E-mail: segis@segis.siena.it

Text by: Gloria Refini I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. In cooperation with: Maria Angeles Fernandez Alvarez Elena Granchi Sonia Morini TOP