Morning: “Form Follows Fiction” by S. Muscolino
A lie told often enough becomes the truth, Lenin said once. Design is not about telling lies often, but rather telling lies that are interesting and relevant, the world will believe it. And if the world won’t believe it, at least it will have a lot of fun just by listening to those lies. Narrative paths can be included in the methodology for design allowing designers to achieve an unexpected and more triggering result. in Id-Lab we always promoted this way of working and thinking, here we will provide some examples of our and other professionals’ work

Links related to the presentation:

• Elio Caccavale’s Utility Pets
• Paul Maich
• Il condominio delle liti (in italian)
• Ponte Milvio Locks: video, website
• Phony Star, by Soeren Pors: video1, video2
• Animal Pharm channel on YouTube
• Spider Goats

Afternoon: “Colour Walk” by S. Muscolino
Colours as the key to experience the world. The task is very simple: pick one colour and explore the city according to it, find relations, similarities and meanings. When your journey is over it will be time to report it in an unexpected way. After all we all know that a journey is not about going from A to B, but rather from Azure to Brown.

Students’ presentations:

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Morning: “Interactive?… Oh yes, that’s natural!” by G. Innella
Interaction Design is much simpler than what you might think. It doesn’t necessairly involve hi-tech and electronics. Rather than focussing on technologies, interaction designers focus on the user and his/her relations with other users, environments and objects. Observation remains the main ingredient of the process, still, the turn point is when the designer considers any object or environment as an interface. Design is outsourcing information from other fields of expertise, and making that into interact within each other. Starting from here, a different design can be generated

Zygote Interactive Ball:

Introducing the book:

Afternoon: “Rf ID” by S. Muscolino
Here is one tool to become an interaction designer and finally build your own interactive installations. Objects become the material interface and bridge between real and digital world. Basically you will find yourself saying: “Please pass me the cup I need to go on google!”

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Morning: “Design and its double” by G. Innella
The importance of representation in design. Is representation a medium or a product? The designer enters the world of total communication, where the totality of object, image, text, concept and context constitutes the final product, presaging the possibility of a circular pattern, of an exchange of roles between designer, publishers, curators, auctionists and manufacturers. In this circularity of roles, the representation constitutes not only the final product, but also the fuel that powers the system.

Links related to the presentation:

• Back to the future trailer
• Studio Job
• Maarten Baas
• Boym Partners
• Tom Dixon
• Design Front
• Non-red chair

Afternoon: “Pika Pika” by S. Muscolino
PIKA PIKA describes a technique of creating an abstract animation film by drawing with flashlights. A series of photographs using long exposures are edited together to make them appear as an animation. The technique requires a group of people to collaborate in order to draw the animation together. PIKA PIKA is an onomatopoeia first used by a group of Japanese lighting doodle artists to describe this technique. It describes the sound a flashlight makes when being turned on/off.

Steps:

1. Set the camera up in a spot about 10-15 ft away where you will easily be able to draw your picture.
2. Set the camera’s shutter speed to bulb or at a longer exposure.
3. Draw the image with the flashlight.
4. Draw it over and over again.
5. Play them consecutively and make an animation.

Related links:

• PIKA PIKA on Id-Lab’ HotKitchen
• PIKA PIKA workshop in Dusseldorf
• Lichtfaktor Photostream

Students write their name, using the PIKA PIKA technique:

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Back to Day 2

Morning: Low Cost - High Benefits
by S. Mirti
Reducing costs means being able to reach a larger audience. Especially in this very moment, economy is suggesting design a possible way to follow, necessities are changing and most of all the concept of status is totally a different thing from just few months ago. Here it is a presentation that describes the concept behind low-cost systems, possibilities and benefits generated.

As introduction before we start, here the link to this special concert: “Music for one apartment and six drummers“. A great piece of music, conceived and made upon a 100% low-cost / high profit recipe…

So nice, we can use it as a soundtrack while reading the article.

Interesting to notice that apx 2 million people watched it on Youtube in the last months (not bad at all).

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Now that we’ve got the music, let’s start from a simple question:

If Ryanair or Easyjet can fly us at 1/20th of the normal cost, why can’t we develop products (or architectures or exhibitions or whatever design you are busy at) with the same principles?

Could we envision a new museum where we spend 10.000 euro to make it (rather than the normal 1.000.000 euro)?

low-cost travel for everyone

We live in a world where the new keyword is “crisis”. Even the best practices, companies and architects are collapsing. No-one knows what to do (well, of course, someone knows…).

Of course, if the previous world collapsed, this idea of “having to reshape a new one” is very charming and interesting (especially if you are a designer and/or an architect). Here the link to “Germany Year Zero” (by Roberto Rossellini, 1945). Here below, an image of Dresden, after the infamous bombing in February 1945:

Dresden, 1945

By then, the destruction was physical, now it is conceptual: the result is the same (or probably worse). In Dresden 1945, the school was destroyed and they had to re-build it (knowing “how” and “why”). Now, we have all of our schools in perfect shape, but we don’t know what to teach (assuming we do want to teach meaningful things).

Still, the only chance to move on is to look for the glass being half-full.

Andy Warhol: # 4 (from Mao Tse-Tung series, 1972)

Chairman Mao (quoting Confucius) used to say: “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos, the situation is excellent!”. We do actually like his attitude very much. Now, how can we translate this concept into design field, AD 2009?

We have to admit that the outlook is quite dire. If we look public institutions, it seems they don’t have anymore money to run any kind of service and/or other things. No more money to run libraries, sport facilities, transportation systems, health care and all the rest…

Lory Nix: A tiny abandoned library in a tiny abandoned city

If we look at private sector, the situation it is even worse: the old products, no one wants them anymore. Still, for the time being, no-one knows what will be the new products fitting the desires and necessities of a completely new world.

Unsold cars waiting for Godot

What can we say? All in all this is great moment (for the ones who have new concepts and new ideas).

This is the best moment to work on your creativity, insight, experimental attitudes: people are desparate, people will listen to you (because they have to, because they need new ideas, because their work is collapsing, because they cannot imagine and/or think of anything).

Crisis is always a great moment to move on, to push forward. Do you remember Orson Welles famous quote?

In Italy for thirty years under the Borgia’s they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love; they had five hundred years of democracy and peace and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock!

still, we love cuckoo clocks...

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Pause # 1: Make the “phone call experiment”.

What is the phone call experiment? You call a person, whoever, the more important, the better it is. He/she can be the CEO of a company, the mayor of the city, the head of the fancy museum… Tell him/her: “listen, i’ve got an idea that will fix all your problems”.

You’ll get an appointment within the week.

Of course, you still need to have the “idea”. Then, the idea has to be good, feasible, viable. Not to mention, you must find a way to get paid (not so easy nowadays)….

Anyway, now it is great momente, because normally no-one would listen to you. This is a nice chance: now you succeed or fail because of the quality of your ideas, not because of your connections, because of the capital you have, because of external factors.

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The first Apple computer (circa 1976)

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Pause # 2: Prepare your “elevator pitch”

Make sure your idea is simple and easy to understand. It has to be an “elevator pitch”: something you can explain in the 30 second run of an elevator.

Imagine you meet Bill Gates in the elevator: you have apx 20 seconds to explain your concept and trying to convince him to fund your thing.

If Einstein was able to explain the theory of special relativity in three pages, you must be able to explain your idea in 20 seconds. If it takes longer, somewhere there is a mistake.

thirty seconds and 100/150 words (no more)

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Warning # 1: We want to be in the condition of the “meccanico”, not of the “carrozziere”

In Italy, we have two different business: the “meccanico” (mechanic), who is the guy who fix the engine and the mechanical part of your car. And then we have the “carrozziere” (no word in english), the guy who fix the bodywork of the car, its “skin”.

In these days, mechanics have a lot of work, their business is doing very well (before to buy a new car, you fix it over and over). At the same time, for “carrozziere” is a total disaster: no-one fix the little damages on body works anymore.

“Meccanico” and “carrozziere” used to do a very similar activity, very similar business. In this new world, we want to be on the “meccanico” side, not on the “carrozziere”…

Shane Willis, Hand Fixing Hand (homage to MC Escher)

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Warning #2: don’t forget the classic ones

Piaggio, the company of Vespa used to be in airplane business: most of the Italian bombers of World War II were built by Piaggio. In 1945 italy was shattered, no need for airforce bombers, a complete business without “market”.

What to do? What to do with all these little components and parts left in the factories?

The question for mr. D’Ascanio (the head engineer) was simple: use the little engines used to sparkle the big ones, to make some kind of new system of transportation.

So, as a final result.. The same engine used as a component of the bigger system used by the airforce bomber, became the main propeller for the little vespa scooter.

Of course, what is very impressive is this mr D’Ascanio inventing the scooter when the concept of scooter was not existing yet…

Cute Mickey Rourke's Vespa

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Also, this moment calls for new dictionaries, a complete new set of communication tools…

This is absolutely great! These things don’t happen so often. There is space to experiment, to test, to try new and unknown possibilities… Now, we can do all kind of things.

We can take materials from the past, to change their meaning, their function, to use them in a completely different way…

Below, the famous square in Lucca: two thousand years ago, it was a roman amphiteatre. Then, through the centuries the original building changed its function, meaning, organization.. Still, the shape factor remained the same…

Lucca, piazza del mercato

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After this visual (and short) introduction, here below 5 case-studies useful to map our territory…

Edison's light bulb

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casy study # 1: iPhone marketing strategy (or, how Vodafone is able to sell 500 euro phones in a moment no-one has money).

The system is easy: I’ve been asked how much I pay per month with my actual contract (TIM). I replied i do pay apx 100/150 euro. They offered me a 79 euro deal (30 min per day of talk + some thousands sms per week). Then, if I add 20 euro per month (for 24 months), I also get an iPhone.

Final result: I am very happy because I’ve saved a lot of money, and, at the same time, I paid my 480 euro for the iPhone (20 euros x 24 months).

sometimes the innovation can be in the "marketing" scheme...

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casy study # 2: Ikea concept, or: imagine you go to a restaurant and they tell you that you have to cook yourself your own dinner. That would be strange, isn’t it?

Well, this is what Ikea does with the furniture: they convinced us that is very cool and hip to build them up ourselves.

And we are very happy…

what is cool of Ikea is the way the twisted our perceptions...

The revolution Ikea did, is mostly cultural. Imagine the average living room in Italy until few years ago: there were clear rule on what is acceptable and ok, and what is not (acceptable and ok). Ikea succeeded in completely transforming the ten tenets of the Italian household religion…

Once in the Ikea realm it is also worth mentioning the shrewd “Leko” campaign in France: all made around the Ikea concept (a conceptual Ikea car).

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casy study # 3: The book-on-demand. Thanks to Lulu (and/or many other web-based services) everyone can write, publish and sell his/her own book, like being a famous writer.

What is interesting in this case, is the skill to play with people’s desire (I want to be a writer), pushing our deep desires to unknown extremes (I can publish my book, print as many copy I want / need, I can sell it via their webshop - my book next to famous writer’s ones…)

In the present, everyone will be world-famous for 15 seconds (adjusted from A. Warhol original quote)

Here for instance, a very nice idea: how to make a design magazine using this system. Or, another example, the yearbook for a school.

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Case study #4: Esterni activities in Milan. All kind of fascinating and intriguing concepts: “share-a-bed”, different uses for parking lots, the “casa per i designer” (temporary hotel for young designers) and much more.

www.publicdesignfestival.org

Bravissimi!

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casy study # 5: Then we have two concepts/ideas developed lately within Id-lab. The diffuse-restaurant and an interesting concept for a Museum on Holocaust.

We are currently working a lot about this concept. New ideas for museums, new concepts, new attitudes.

steno, un americano a roma

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casy study # 6: iPhone (again). This time on this idea of “making your own application”. The SDK kit.

In this case what is truly fascinating is this idea that you can make your own application (via the kit), and try to sell it worldwide. Completely different than any other phone company. Also, very succesful.

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casy study # 7: Crispin Jones watches. In this case, what is truly fascinating is the whole production/sale process. A lot to learn from mr. Jones’ attitude…

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Well, this collection is open to all kind of suggestions and comments. For the time being, thanks a lot for your attention.

Afternoon: “Pins & Bags” by V. Carta
Learning how to craft gadgets with low cost materials and techniques. Promotion is the medium to reach clients, but objects are the medium to reach users. Here we do both things at the same time, teaching why it’s only when costs are lowered to the minimum that design achieves the best results.

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Back to Day 1

Morning: “Sampling the world we live in” by G. Innella
Good observations are like the ingredients for successful design recipes.
The importance of observing, perceiving, documenting, playing, exploring, organizing, filtering. Describing environment in different scales, different angles, different times.
Hierarchies, codes and contexts as keypoints of observation. Take those keypints, keep what you need, throw away all the rest, remix what’s left and design with it.

Links related to the presentation:

• Daniel Eatock
• Chris Kabel
• Martì Guixé

Afternoon: “How to make a booklet” by V. Carta
Seeing the world and looking for new spurs are the elements for the birth of new ideas. Every moment, place or situation can instantly suggest a thought. The thought takes true life only when it is blocked, traced, marked on a physical surface. The workshop will be divided in two parts.
The fist section will explain to participants the usefulness of carrying a notebook in every moment. Different examples of how to produce a booklet starting from an A4 sheet will be shown, with consideration to simple ground-rules of page layout.
In the second section participants will be provided with all the necessary material and, step by step, folding and cutting paper sheets, they will produce a personalised notebook.

Pictures of day 1

Students’ presentations

Go to Day 2