A Public Talk by Design Critic Stefano Caggiano

Most of the people who work in the field attain an implicit knowledge of design languages through exposure to design discourse, that is to say, to the ecosystem comprised of products, trade shows, events, magazines, and blogs that deal with design. Direct exposure to the evolution of objects remains fundamental to work within the design system, but passing from an empirical to a strategic knowledge of design languages requires a specific understanding of the ways in which the different aesthetics embodied in objects refer to the cultural meanings underlying them. With this in mind, the talk provides a guide to the “grammar” of design languages, with an emphasis on the contemporary scene, so as to aid design professionals in their passage from being merely familiar with the aesthetics of objects to being able to understand and use such aesthetics strategically.

About Stefano Caggiano

Stefano Caggiano is a design critic with an emphasis on design languages. Graduated both in Philosophy and Product Design, he writes on a regular basis for the Italian and international leading design magazine “Interni” and works as a visual culture researcher with the trend consultancy society NextAtlas. He also teaches as a contract professor in several Italian design universities, including NABA in Milan and the Faculty of Design and Art at the Free University in Bozen. He’s author of many articles on furniture and product design trends and of the ebook “Design Languages”.

This talk is free and open to the public.

Presented in collaboration with Cranbrook Art Museum.