Author: Angel Walker

I never understood just how influential Italy has been in the design world until this trip. I will never forget walking up the metro stairs and seeing the Duomo for the first time. As a designer, you strive to make timeless designs, and the Duomo is a perfect example of that. Without even knowing any of the history behind it, anyone could look at the Duomo, during any time period, and they would always be met with the same feelings of awe and wonder. As I walked past this building time and time again, the awe of it all remained. This was the first of many instances in which I realized the difference between good and great design. Good design is eye-catching, but great design makes you keep turning your head and coming back for more.

Spazio Rosanna Orlandi, along with other studios we visited, helped me learn about valuable design. What was an exhibition space for me was a shopping space for others. While the designs were so beautiful and skillfully crafted, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that they were being sold for thousands and tens of thousands of euros. Sometimes I’d say to myself, “With enough practice, I could make something like this for much less,” and I probably could. The difference is that I didn’t. I didn’t come up with the ideas of anything I saw. I didn’t take the time to master the craftsmanship of furniture making. Even if I did make a chair just like the ones I saw, it would automatically be less valuable because it would lack authentic creativity, no matter how beautiful it was. Here, I learned that creativity and authenticity are far more valuable than one might imagine, especially in an age where artificial intelligence can “be creative” for you. Moving forward as a designer, I must recognize the beauty and novelty in my own creations in order to communicate and stand by its value.

The ADI museum gave so much insight into the immense amount of detail that goes into design. There was a specific couch, which I eventually saw and sat in at Cassina, that almost folded in on itself. In the museum, there were sketches of the design with incredible details and measurements. When I later sat in the couch, it felt as though it was made just for me. The way I perfectly sank into it and could position myself just how I wanted almost felt like magic. Its perfection would cause the average person to overlook this extreme attention to detail. I was able to truly appreciate the couch as a work of art only because I saw the sketches and the work that was put into it. Good design makes you notice details, but great design is so detailed that it is almost overlooked.

One of my favorite visits was Studio FM. Upon first walking in, I was mesmerized by the graphic design. I wish I could’ve stayed in the studio for hours, learning about all of the projects they’ve done. I was inspired by the immense amount of research that was put into each and every project. When explained to us, it seemed so easy and obvious, but it takes a truly talented and design-minded person to be able to translate history into icons, logos, and graphics. Learning about the work behind the Mudec museum branding and then seeing it in person really took me along the design journey from ideation to production. This studio cemented one of my biggest takeaways of the whole trip: research, research, research!! Above all, I think your level of research is what makes you a great designer, not just a good designer.

Finally, my favorite stop of all was the Armani Silos. I felt like I was in fashion heaven. I know some critique Armani for having the same silhouettes, but I think there’s beauty in that. I learned that sometimes it pays to have a specific style. When people want that particular aesthetic, they know exactly who to go to. When you see a Giorgio Armani dress on a red carpet, you know it’s a Giorgio Armani dress. That kind of recognition can be more powerful than any other advertising campaign. Great designers know who they are and do not aimlessly bend to the world around them; they just adapt and shift.

It’s hard to condense everything we’ve seen over three weeks into just one post, but I can say for certain that this experience has changed me forever, both as a designer and a person. While all the designs we’ve seen have been incredible on their own, design and art is so much better when you can share it with others. I will value and remember all the lessons I’ve learned, but the things that I will cherish most will be the laughter, meals, bus naps, and jokes that we shared with one another. I couldn’t have asked for more out of this journey and it’s all because of the people I embarked on it with.  Milan will remain at the foundation of every design I make and will forever have a piece of my heart.

Ciao ciao!

This week (as usual), we saw so much good design. Going to Treviso and Venice was such a cool experience. I really enjoyed going to the Biennale. Going into it, I had no idea what it even was. I loved how each country had their own building to really separate themselves from the others. It was interesting to see how some of the interiors were designed completely differently than the exteriors. I loved how countries approached similar topic in different ways. Some relied heavily on sights, some utilized sounds, and some even used feelings. For example, Germany had a room that was warmer than the others to convey the impacts of global warming.

Overall, the Biennale was a pleasant surprise and I would definitely recommend it to anyone going to Venice. It was a beautiful example of how the world can be united by design.

My first full week in Milan has been better than I could’ve even imagined. From the studio visits to the random laughs with friends, I’ve loved every minute of my time here.

Over the weekend, a group of us went to Monaco and Nice, France. It was a chaotic weekend, but these were places I’d wanted to visit for years and they lived up to my expectations. Having taken French for 6 years, I was excited to actually use my French in the real world.

Before returning to Milan, we went to the Matisse Museum. It was such a cool experience because I got to see many of Matisse’s lesser known works and paintings that I would never have guessed were his. There were also many sketches alongside the accompanying paintings. It was encouraging to see these ordinary sketches that I could make transformed into something so beautiful. I don’t think I’m great at sketching or drawing, so it gave me more confidence in my own design process.

Overall, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time in Europe so far and am excited to see what the next few weeks has in store!

My overnight flight landed in Milan at about 6:30 in the morning and my inability to get any sleep on the way meant that I’d have to power through my first day in Milan without having slept since Thursday night.

I had the benefit of navigating to the hotel with a few other girls in the program, making the experience much less stressful. Upon arriving, we explored the nearby area, getting an authentic view of Milan. We came across a massive open market. The fruit looked so much more vibrant and delicious than fruit back home. There were also sellers for cheese, meat, nuts, bread, clothes, shoes, jewelry, and anything else you could think of. It was cool to see how the community used their space, which was the street, to create opportunities for mutually beneficial interactions with one another.

Some other notable mentions of our exploration of the area include a fully gluten-free cafe (which was delicious and I’m not even gluten-free) and a Smurfs-themed grocery store.

When I had aching legs and no energy, I pushed through to fully immerse myself into Milan and connect with new friends. I realized that sleep will always be there but moments like these are limited and fleeting, so we must take advantage of them.