A selection of projects from ADI Design Index 2023

Published on: 10 months agoAuthor: Teo Sandigliano

The 2023 ADI Design Index selection is on display at the ADI Design Museum in Milan on November 6th: 219 products and services that highlight the best of contemporary Italian design, plus 19 projects by design students from Italian universities – all 238 produced in 2022. The selection is combined with that from 2022 to provide the shortlist of candidates for the 28th edition of the biennial Compasso d’Oro award, which will be held in 2024 to mark the seventieth anniversary of its establishment in 1954.

The categories of the selected projects are Design for living with 46 products, Design for lighting (18), Design for mobility (10), Design for work (23), Design for the individual (15), Food Design (7), Design of materials and technological systems (17), Service design (8), Social design (12), Corporate research (14), Design for communication (16), Exhibition design (16), Theoretical, historical, critical research and editorial projects (17).

The common thread of the 2023 ADI Design Index selection is quality, as Luciano Galimberti, President of ADI, says. “…it is a connective element for all Italian design.” A factor of awareness, a constant challenge, a resource for Made in Italy. Laura Traldi, member of the scientific committee of the ADI Permanent Design Observatory, specifies: “There are no revolutionary products… there are, however, many proposals that – perhaps for detail, for the particular use of a material or a choice of manufacturing – carry the world of design-forward”.

Some of the projects selected by the ADI Design Index 2023

Here are some of the projects in the catalog: in Design for Living, we find Arcate, the weekly unit in Canaletto walnut by Medulum, designed by AccardiBuccheri – previously on WeVux. We also find the OTO Chair by Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia for ONE TO ONE, featured on WeVux three years ago, not yet in production. Alessandro Stabile is also present with Taco, the seat for La Cividina, a steel core, and two thin layers of felt to rethink traditional upholstery. Zaven, with the Za: Za sofa for Zanotta, rethinks the construction system of the sofa, taking inspiration from the hammock: a metal structure on which cushions, seat, and backrest are fitted – polyurethane is reduced to a minimum and regenerated and regenerable polyester microspheres are used to ensure maximum comfort. Ingiro is the shower system designed by Lorenzo Damiani for FIMA Carlo Frattini: clean aesthetics and simple and immediate use that offers total freedom of placement. Martinelli Luce is present in the Design for Lighting category with Avro, designed by Studio Natural: it is a suspension lamp with a Schuko socket in the lower part, simplifying and facilitating electrical device use during work. All materials used for Avro are recyclable.

Microlino – selected in the Design for Mobility – is a small two-seater electric city car produced by CECOMP/MICRO and designed by Icona Design Group. With a speed of 90km/h, it has a range of 200km. In Design for Work, however, the following should be mentioned: Amesphere, designed by UN-REAL Studio Associato per Advanced Microwave Engineering, a device for the prevention of accidents at works linked to collisions between a vehicle and a person equipped with a special active transponder. Automated Cart, on the other hand, designed by Fabio Ferrante for Antares Vision, is a robotic trolley system that guarantees the replenishment, dispensing, and traceability of drugs and medical devices from the pharmacy to administration to the patient.

In Design for the Individual, we find Dobby by Sara Modugno, Davide Massetti, and Marco Bocca for Hackability, an orthosis – an external device capable of increasing, improving, or controlling the compromised function of some parts of the body – for autonomy in the kitchen. 3D printed, completely customizable, and designed to facilitate cutting by people with upper limb disabilities. Hackability is also present in Social Design with Sherlock, an object for tourist accommodation designed for the severely visually impaired by Luisa Carnevale Baraglia, Francesco Rodighiero, and Alessandro Crivelli.

Also worth mentioning: Graphii Coat 30gp (Design of Materials and Technological Systems), the sprayable or brushable mortar with a protective function for various types of absorbent substrates, emits less CO2 and has high performance – produced by Alisea and designed by Susanna Martucci, Alex Reggiani, and Alberto Saccozza; Tecnarredo with BioFaber (Research for Business) has created a project that uses bacterial nanocellulose for fabric and product design applications. Acea Waidy (Service Design), on the other hand, designed by Tangity – part of the NTT DATA Design Network – for Acea, is a cloud platform for the predictive maintenance of the integrated water network. In Theoretical, Historical, Critical Research and Editorial Projects, the volumes “Design Designers. From product to teaching” by Kuno Prey for Free University of Bolzano and “The Design and Invention of Made in Italy” by Elena Dellapiana for Einaudi Editore. (continues)

The Targa Giovani projects

There are 19 works selected for this category of the ADI Design Index, which collects individual and group projects, studies, or research, the subject of a thesis or final exam, carried out within the academic path. We can find tools and accessories that respond to new needs, research related to habitats and spaces, sustainable furnishings, and projects that follow the principles of Design for All.

We have selected some of the works in the catalog: Demetra is a fruit tree grafting device designed for Fiskars clients, degree thesis by Andrea Ceschin, ISIA Roma Design. Limen is an urban experience that aims to create environmental, economic, and social regeneration, a project by Riccardo Botta, Carlo Buonora, Alessia Clemente, Alaa Mohamed, Chiara Venerucci, Edoardo Volpe, Federica Habara, IED Roma. Pomopla^2 by Benedetta Rotondo, Politecnico di Milano, and the Italian Institute of Technology of Genoa is a research into developing a bio-composite that uses by-products from the agri-food industry to create flexible and rigid packaging. Christian Facondo, Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, is present with Spiro, an intelligent inhaler that questions the traditional image of medical devices by redefining their shape and increasing their effectiveness. The Morigin Project is an organizational system that aims to improve the social and economic health conditions of the population of sub-Saharan Africa through the sustainable cultivation of moringa oleifera trees – Teresa Colombo, Alessandro Maggioni and Francesca Pedrotti, IED Milano.

The ADI Design Index exhibition at the ADI Design Museum is open until November 19th. From 27th to 2nd December, the selection will be on show at Spazio WeGil in Largo Ascianghi, 5, Rome. Visit ADI website to discover the complete selection!