Design Synthesis

To design for the future we must be aware of the past. This course, design in context, has helped me to grow as a designer; learning to understand complexities of how and why design has evolved has helped me to personally think about why I do things the way I do. The things I design is now more well informed and consequently is more meaningful than "because it looks cool." By putting in a triangle I am creating structure, hierarchy and masculinity, by adding curves, I am suggesting something feminine.


This course has helped me come to appreciate the effort design historians, such as Itten, have put into design to make it as socially acceptable as it is today as a career, particularly for females. I can only hope that our generation today will be able to put something back into history to pave an even better road for the future.

Postmodernism + Remix

“Living Systems” by Joe Colombo (1967-1969) was developed with the concept of empowering the individual by giving them back the sense of control, over the functionality and aesthetics of their furniture. However, more often than not, these pieces of furniture selling the fantasy of the endless combinations will most likely stay in a fixed position for weeks on end because despite having all this power, the truth is that this new society has gotten lazier, we seem to have less free time and once we find the ‘perfect’ combination, we don’t want it to lose its shape.

The new WOW sofa developed by Campeggi has still retained the concept of empowering the individual, but this control has been retrained, made simpler by the single push of a button switching from a couch to a bed complete with the option of bedside tables. So in a modern world, the WOW sofa gives the individual the perfect combination of speed, minimal effort, space saving, space transforming stylish design.