Designers

Biagio Cisotti, Sandra Laube

Biagio Cisotti was born in Aradeo, Lecce. He lives and works in Florence where he graduated in architecture in 1980. Since 1991 he teaches production technology and since 2000 Design at ISIA - the Institute of Artistic Industries in Florence. In 1990, with a group of other Florentine architects, he founded MADE, a cultural and exhibition centre association which promotes ideas in the field of architecture and design. In 2000 he taught at the Design Master class in Montevideo, Uruguay and at the University in Buenos Aires, Argentine. He holds various conferences in Europe and South-America. Since 2003 he teaches Industrial Design at the Faculty of Architecture in Florence. He is working as Art Director for various companies and has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions. Sandra Laube was born in Frankfurt, Germany, and moved to Florence in 1986. The following year she enrolled at ISIA where she qualified in 1993. In 1992 she spent a term at "The College of Art and Design of Minneapolis", USA and gained experience working for 3M, St. Paul, in the communications sector. At present she is working as Art Director in the graphics and multimedia fields. She teaches in collaboration with the University of Florence and the Fashion Institute of Technology of New York at the International Institute of Fashion & Marketing Polimoda, Florence. She has participated in numerous exhibitions. 1992 they founded Studio Cisotti Laube. The office has established its reputation in various fields of design ranging from furniture and objects to exhibition and graphic design. Cisotti Laube is collaborating with some of the leading names in the Italian and International design industry. Their products have received international design awards and form part of the permanent collections of prestigious museums such as: Museum für Angewandte Kunst, Frankfurt, Triennale Design Museum, Milano, Museum of Decorative Arts and Design in Gent, Museum of Design in Cape Town, Groninger Museum, Groningen, Vestlandske Kunstindustrimuseet, Bergen.

Björn Dahlström

Björn Dahlström was born in 1957 in Stockholm, Sweden. He started his career in the late 70ies working with animated film. In 1978 he became Art Director and graphic designer for an advertising agency based in Stockholm. In 1982 he founded his own studio and focused on graphics, working for well-known companies like Ericsson, Scania and Atlas Copco. Nowadays, he is involved in a bunch of different projects; his operating range spans from industrial design to furniture, toys, exhibition design and graphics. He creates design for companies like the Finnish kitchenware producer Iittala, Italian Magis, the Swedish furniture producer Offecct, electric appliance producer Krups and many others. After teaching at the Beckmans school of design, he achieved a professorship at the University College of Art Crafts and Design in Stockholm. He has been awarded numerous appreciations and prizes, like the Excellent Swedish Design Award. Further, his work is represented in museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art in Amsterdam and the National Museum of Fine Arts in Stockholm.

Claudio Bellini

Claudio Bellini lives and works in Milan where he was born in 1963. In 1990, he graduated in Architecture and Industrial Design from Milan Polytechnic and embarked on a series of international experiences, taking part in research projects in the fields of industrial architecture and furniture design. In 1988, he designed the TW Collection for Frezza, a timeless product which marked his official arrival and specialization in office design, a sector in which he has received numerous awards. In the years that followed, he worked with a number of historic firms in the field of Italian and international design as well as working on interior design projects for major showrooms and participating in numerous architecture competitions. 2006 he foundet “Claudio Bellini Design + Design”, a design studio distinguished by formal and technological research with a decidedly experimental approach which is carried out in the prototype laboratory in the studio. He teaches the course in Design and Furnishings at Genoa Polytechnic. Since 2003, he has been art director for Barazzoni. At present, the Claudio Bellini studio is working on a number of major international architecture projects.

Konstantin Grcic

Konstantin Grcic (*1965) trained as a cabinet maker at Parnham College in England and studied design at the Royal College of Art in London. Since setting up his own practice Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID) in Munich in 1991 he has developed furniture, products and lighting for leading design companies.
Many of his products have received international design awards (a.o. Compasso d’Oro 2001) and form part of the permanent collections of the world’s most prestigious museums (a.o. MoMA/New York, Centre Georges Pompidou/Paris). Most recently Konstantin Grcic has curated a number of significant design exhibitions such as „Design Real“ for The Serpentine Gallery, London (2009), „Comfort“ for the St.Etienne Design Biennale (2010) and „Black2“ for the Istituto Svizzero, Rome (2010). Solo exhibitious of his work have been shown at Boijmans van Beuningen Museum (Rotterdam, 2006), Haus der Kunst (Munich, 2006) and The Art Institute of Chicago (2009). The Royal Society for the Arts appointed Konstantin Grcic „Royal Designer for Industry“, in 2010 he was fellow at Villa Massimo in Rome. Design Miami/ awarded him„ Designer of the Year“ for 2010.

Luca Trazzi

Luca Trazzi was born in Verona in 1962. After his architectural degree at the University of Venice in 1987 he becomes assistant for architectural compositions. He wins the “Carlo Scarpa Award” and moves to Milan where he works for 14 years as an associate with Aldo Rossi assisting on important design and architectural projects. 1993 he founds his own design and architectural studio. In 2000 he joins design boom and becomes co-CEO. He designs for prestigious brand such as Kreon, Swatch, Viceversa, Guzzini, WMF, illy, Martini, Alfi, Fiorucci, Kreon, Mazzega, Pedrini, Zucchetti Robotica, Chicco, Plank.

Ludovica + Roberto Palomba

Ludovica+Roberto Palomba, architects, work and live in Milan. In 1194 they founded Palomba Serafini Associati. They received numerous International awards such as Compasso d’Oro, Elle Decoration International Design Award, Red Dot, Design Plus, Good Design Award, German Design Award. Ludovica+Roberto Palomba plan architectures and design exhibitions worldwide. They work and are art director for some of the most established brands such as: Antolini, Bisazza, Boffi, Brix, Cappellini, Dornbracht, Driade, Elica, Elmar, Exteta, Fiam, Flaminia, Foscarini, KitchenAid, Kos, Laufen, Lema, Plank, Poltrona Frau, Rapsel, Redaelli, Salviati, Sawaya & Moroni, Samsung, Schiffini, Tubes, Valli&Valli, Viccarbe, When Objects Work, Zanotta, Zucchetti.

Naoto Fukasawa

Naoto Fukasawa was born in Yamanashi 1956 and graduated from Tama Art University’s Product Design Department. As an in-house designer, he engaged in the design of microelectronic devices including watches. In 1989, Fukasawa moved to the United States and joined IDEO and it was a very rare case for Japanese product designer of that time. It was the time when Silicon valley was experiencing a rapidly growth with the computer technologies and Fukasawa was mainly involved in the design of computers and electronics for companies in Silicon Valley, medical equipment, furniture and sporting goods. In 1996 he returned to Japan, where he set up and headed IDEO’s Tokyo office. In 2003 he established Naoto Fukasawa Design. Fukasawa’s approach for product design is very original and his “Without Thought” and “Design dissolving in behavior” are internationally supported. Fukasawa regards achieving simpleness in design as a way to achieve completeness and harmonious relationship between users, objects and environments as a purpose for design. Such a way of thinking is also described as “Outline”. Outline is about defining the boundaries of relationships between objects, people and environment. Today Fukasawa is based in Tokyo with his small team and collaborating with many international leading companies. Being accorded the title of Honorable Royal Designer for Industry (Royal Society of Arts) in 2007 as one of the examples, Fukasawa received a number of international awards. Fukasawa is one of the directors of 21_21 Design Site, as well as acting on the design advisory board of MUJI. He acts as the chairman for “GOOD DESIGN AWARD”. He is a professor at Musashino Art University, a visiting professor at Tama Art University and a member of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Research Group on Applications for Strategic Design.

Raul Barbieri

Raul Barbieri was born in Milan in 1946. In 1972 he obtained a degree in Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic. While at University he collaborated with the design consulting studio for Olivetti, directed by Ettore Sottsass Jr., where he met Giorgio Marianelli with whom he started his own activity opening the Raul Barbieri e Giorgio Marianelli Architetti studio in Milan, dealing mainly with architecture and industrial design. Since 1989 he has been continuing his own activity, still in Milan, but with an individual studio. The project for a district of terraced houses in Milan which dates back to this period was recently presented at the “Compasso D’Oro ADI Architectural and Design” exhibition in London. His passion for research applied to design leads him to collaborate with schools of design, such as l’Ecole Supérieure de la Création Industrielle “Les Aterliers” in Paris and the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan. His interest for the world of living brings to life collaboration with prestigious names such as Acerbis International, Alivar Gallery, CiDue, Magis, Ycami, Plank, Rexite, Tronconi, Zucchetti. Since 1999 he is active member at ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale).