When I graduated in Industrial Design I thought the world of products was perfect and that every project had a solid path, a long way towards quality. This is not reality.
Consultancies develop many projects but, because companies and market, sometimes, they do not aim for good design, they just want appearance: nice products with a short life, intended to be re-designed many times according to trends and coolness.
But I had a great opportunity, worked with professionals coming from other fields and had an interesting outcome. Synergy is a true opportunity, think about good recipes for example; they result from mixing ingredients and testing different tastes. Good design works the same way.
Struck by how widespread back problems are amongst adults, D.O.(Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine) Raul Guelfi started to investigate posture during a child’s development in young people, to attempt to find a lowest common denominator capable of explaining this problem.
The findings of his research, undertaken during the Training Course in Posture Measurement Techniques at the Colle Val d’Elsa University Centre (Siena, Pisa and Florence Universities) have been published in a thesis: “Postural adaptation in children at school: stabilometric measurements before and after corrections. The importance of school furniture.”
As a consequence of the obtained results, I was contacted by D.O. Guelfi to transform data into a real product.
It was a true challenge and I really wanted to work on a project with proper scientific requirements. And this is how I started (first synergy).
Following D.O. Guelfi’s guidelines I developed a concept for school furniture made of chair and desk, taking care of usability, ergonomics and in accordance with specific body measurements. Our attention was not only pointed towards pupils, but also school staff and stakeholders. School furniture need to be managed and handled by custodians, teachers and seldom by teachers. But the whole community is involved: good health prevention means information also for families and pediatricians.
At first there was no producer to make our furniture but, after completing the first steps and many presentations, FAMI Spa, a company specialising in the manufacture of industrial fittings, welcomed the idea.
They dealt with the development and product enigneering, created a dedicated line of business Fami School then started a strong educational campaign with parents’ associations and physicians, which is still in operation.
In summary, this is a call ded to companies and professionals: dare and mix expertise, people and fields! You cannot imagine how far you will go.
