Today we was another early morning. We met Gulia at Cadorna station at 7:30am and caught a ‘bus’ (just a big van with weird seats) out to Omegna, Italy. Omegna is a smaller town about an hour and a half outside of Milan in which there is a BEAUTIFUL lake and STUNNING design factory. We had a private tour of the Alessi Design Factory during which they told us about their “formula for success” and gave us a long overview of the companies history. They also let us go up to their archives and look around at all the prototypes and iterations of very famous products and renowned designers. It was AMAZING! We got to see right before our eyes the way these designers worked through problems and came up with solutions and how they approach their work. We focused on the design of Alessi’s french press coffee maker and they even had a vending machine that dispensed little espressos! After the archives we got to go to the showroom and look around and I even bought some things!
Formula for success: SMI + CL + F + P = SSS
Sensory Memory Imaginary: It must be pleasant to senses and have a grip on memory, imagination, and unconsciousness. It must create emotion and answer the need of creativity. All in all it must be very personal.
Communication Language: It gives status or style and is trendy. Must be very relational and answer a social need.
Function: It does good and simplifies work. Practical, functional, easy to use and easy to clean!
Price: Must compare well to other design prices but still give a price for the high value of the design.
“Alessi is a translator from a concept to an object”
