Designing for Alessi must be one of the most enviable commissions. With thousands of designers from all over the world competing for this opportunity, striking ‘gold’ is rare. However, Australia would seem to be punching above its weight with several designers from down under having designed and continuing to design for Alessi. And talent, rather than age or experience, is the necessary criteria. “I think I’m the youngest designer who has worked with Alessi,” says Lisa Vincitorio, who was only 21 years old at the time she first collaborated with Alessi. Stephen Crafti caught up with three Victorian designers who have made their mark with Alessi.
Lisa Vincitorio
Lisa Vincitorio, now 26, is still collaborating with Alessi. ‘Zucch’ (Italian abbreviation for sugar), a sugar pourer made from two layers of glass, follows from her ‘Fruit Loop’, two circular disks used to display fruit.
Vincitorio graduated from Industrial Design at RMIT University in 2003. ‘Fruit Loop’, a third year design project, was displayed at the Milan Furniture Fair the following year.
DV: Did your lack of experience deter
you?
Vincitorio: “I had hesitations because of my lack of experience. But I made a decision to make the most of the opportunity given. I had nothing to lose, and I didn’t know if I would be exhibiting at this prestigious fair in the future”.
DV: What were some of the hurdles you
faced at the start?
Vincitorio: Gaining the courage and confidence to approach Alessi at the time was a hurdle. This is something I’d never done before. At first I was unsure how I would approach the situation.
DV: Why do you think the Fruit Loop was so successful?
Vincitorio: I think it was successful because it is a simple and unique concept.
DV: How did your experience designing the Fruit Loop inform your Zucch?
Vincitorio: There is no real connection between the Fruit Loop and the Zucch? They are manufactured from different materials and with different techniques. However, the Fruit Loop enabled me to build a relationship with Alessi, and this in turn means that it’s easier to discuss new projects and ideas freely.
DV: What does it mean to commercialise your designs?
Vincitorio: It’s thrilling. The idea that you can dream something and then find a manufacturer who you can work with to make it a reality, is an absolute thrill.
DV: How important is it to get the right manufacturer?
Vincitorio: It is imperative to find a manufacturer that will inform a true collaboration. One who you can work in unison with and that will respect your intention and expression for the project. If you lack this ‘collaboration’ then your design intension can be manipulated. You need to be able to communicate openly.
DV: What is the importance of investing in design? Particularly for enterprises to grow?
Vincitorio: Design is distinct from aesthetics. It’s about producing items or systems that enhance the way we live, whether it be function, form or even the product’s impact on the environment.
DV: What are you currently working on?
Vincitorio: I am currently working on another product for Alessi, as well as working on a range of tables for Corporate Culture.
Tom Kovac
Tom Kovac, Professor of Architecture at RMIT University, has developed a relationship with Alessi over many years. While Alessi commission designers from around the word, Australian designers, such as Kovac, are held in high esteem. “They appreciate our fresh approach to design. We don’t come to the table with historical baggage, he says.
DV: How did the commission for Alessi
come about?
Kovac: In 2001, Alberto Alessi invited 22 architects worldwide to exhibit in the tea and coffee towers project.
DV: What was the brief for the coffee
and tea sets?
Kovac: It was a very open brief and designers included established architects such as Zaha Hadid, Jean Nouvel, Toyo Ito etc as well as a younger generation such as Ben van Berkel, Greg Lynn etc. All were encouraged to be innovative with a typology that has a very evolved rich historical precedent both in design and materiality. The design included a coffee and tea pot, as well as a cream jug and sugar bowl with a tray. The tea & Coffee set was conceived as a single curvaceous landscape. The volume of each was the driving force, with each volume designed to accommodate serving either four cups of coffee or tea.
DV: What were the challenges you faced?
Kovac: It was the first time I worked in scale of industrial design rather than architecture. You’re also working with completely different materials and techniques.
DV: How does the tea set relate to your
architectural work?
Kovac: My tea set informed the design for the Serpentine Pavilion for the Architectural Biennale London 2006. Instead of four sides, as with the tea & coffee set, the pavilion was three sided, which also informed the design of the Serpentine bottle opener I created for Alessi, which went into production in 2008.
DV: What does it mean to commercialise
your designs?
Kovac: Whether you show your work in an exhibition or a book or even in a product for Alessi, youre selling your ideas. Unlike buildings, which are connected to a specific locations and sites, products can be distributed around the world.
DV: How important is it to get the right
manufacturer?
Kovac: Alessi is one, if not the finest design company in the world. They build relationships and they’re always keen to push the boundaries of design.
DV: What’s the importance of investing
in design?
Kovac: Design adds value to a product. It’s crucial to bring research and design together to create better outcomes, both locally and internationally. It’s also about sharing the knowledge of design.
DV: What are you currently working on?
Kovac: I’m working on several new products for Alessi, from objects and lighting to small furniture. At RMIT, we are running an Alessi studio where students work on Alessi designs based on current forms. Alessi are interested in developing a family of products, rather than disparate objects.
Alessi is focused on relationships, whether its with people or forms.
Susan Cohn
Susan Cohn, one of Australia’s leading contemporary jewellery designers, has established both a local and international reputation. In the 70s, when jewellery meant a gold ring studded with diamonds, Cohn was making her mark in plastics and metals. Cohn started her career in graphic design, with an apprenticeship with Garry Emery. “Garry gave me solid grounding in thinking about design and an education in art and culture,” says Cohn.
After dabbling in fashion and with a desire to work in three-dimensional design, a friend suggested jewellery. “They pointed out that I was always noticing what jewellery people wore, and wanted to know about it,” says Cohn.
In 1977, Cohn enrolled in Gold & Silversmithing at RMIT. And upon graduation, she established Workshop 3000.
It was in the late 80s that people began to fully appreciate the significance of Cohn’s designs. A major breakthrough came with the purchase of two of Cohn’s doughnut bracelets by Judith O’Callaghan for the National Gallery of Victoria. Another was winning the Stuart Delvin Award in 1988. An exhibition at the Anna Schwartz gallery was also a catalyst in Cohn’s career.
One of her most significant commissions was from Alessi.
DV: How did the collaboration with
Alessi arise?
Cohn: Alessi conducted a competition in 1990 to seek new designers. I was recommended by Christina Morozzi and by one of their scouts in Japan, who saw an exhibition of my work. From 140 designers invited to participate, 20 were short-listed. And from the 20, nine objects, including Cohn’s Cohncave bowl were produced (on the market in 1992).
After her success with the Cohncave, a perforated metal bowl that captures the light, Cohn developed the Cohndom box for Alessi.
“The Cohncave bowl launched me into the international scene. But it also provided invaluable experience in the problems of manufacturing as well as the difficulties of working from Australia (distance),” says Cohn.
DV: Why do you think the Cohncave was so successful?
Cohn: I’m not sure. I think even Alessi aren’t exactly sure. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the bowl or the way the moiré pattern is unique in each piece.
DV: How important is it to get the right manufacturer?
Cohn: You need to be able to work with people you can connect with. Both parties need to speak the same language, have compatible aims for the design and understand what should and should not be compromised.
DV: What’s the importance of investing in design?
Cohn: Design is a part of everyday life. For creativity to flourish, it is vital to be supported by and to support people who also maintain the same standard of commitment. We only need to look at examples of where design has been embraced, invested in and promoted as part of the culture: Scandinavia in the 1950s, Italy in the 1970s and Spain in the 1980s.
Cohn is currently working on an exhibition at London’s Design Museum, curating an international exhibition of contemporary jewellery.
The Mckinsey Quarterly
Managing Innovation: Pages From Alessi's Handbook
In February, the McKinsey Quarterly published an interview with Alberto Alessi, head of the iconic houseware design firm in Italy. Alessi talked with the Quarterly about how the firm manages to sustain innovation over decades.
http://e.mckinseyquarterly.com/W0RT00D0DB42FE417610F2CE341480
The multimedia interactive featured here offers a behind- the- scenes look at the design and operational processes of one of the world's best- known design firms. The feature showcases Alessi's formula for evaluating the risks and rewards of new product designs. It also includes video commentary by Alberto Alessi and a narrated slide show on the design firm's roots in open innovation.
http://e.mckinseyquarterly.com/W0RT00D0DB52EE417610F2CE341480
Related Links
Alessi — www.alessi.com
Lisa Vincitorio — www.lisavincitorio.com
Corporate Culture — www.corporateculture.com.au
Susan Cohn for Alessi — www.alessi.com/en/1/37/susan-cohn
Anna Schwartz Gallery — www.annaschwartzgallery.com
National Gallery of Australia — www.nga.gov.au
National Gallery of Victoria — www.ngv.vic.gov.au
Susan Cohn — www.cohnartist.com
Stephen Crafti for Design Victoria
31 March 2009