interview chapters
continuum milano
Federico Ferretti is Managing Director of Continuum Innovation. He believes that the best designs are the ones that dissolve into behaviours and that questions are often longer-lasting than answers. He uses his hands to think and create prototypes to better explain and understand design solutions.
prototyping with franken-models
Ferretti sheds light on what he calls ‘franken-models’, an ugly model that works perfectly. He speaks about the importance of prototyping when working through an idea, and believes that passion and instinct are required when making a prototype. Designers should take the first thing that is around them and start building.
the importance of brand
Federico believes that the user is not only the center of a design effort, as there must be an understanding of the brand and the business. Today, designers should let their clients understand the user and involve them into the process because participatory design is not only about the end user, but it is about involving the client and brand.
input/output design framework
Design is based on the classic trilogy of what innovation is about. It is a branded product and services ecosystem. As a designer, the deeper you have an understanding of economic, environmental, and social aspects, the more you can realize meaningful experiences for people.
“A long seller is better than a best seller."
"I work in a different scale with a kind of more human relationship, for me this is a way to return to what design should be, a kind of intimate relationship with your client, with your end user."
"It is really important that you also go deeper, business is connected to economics, people are connected to culture, and technology is connected at the end of the day with environment."
This interview was conducted by: Haley Clarke + Nick Doering