About
Artemide stresses three principles in their projects: Competence, Italian manufacturing quality, and Design. Their understanding of their brand and changing user needs have kept them at the forefront of lighting design. Founded in the 1960's, Artemide gained quick success by combining industrialization and Italy's craftsmanship quality into their products. In the 1970's, the use of plastics was introduced as Artemide experimented with new materials and sources. In the 1990's their Human Light project began to define their brand as it is today. The Human Light Project focused on the exploration of the senses affected by lighting and the need for flexibility because of the emergent needs of modern people through the improvement of the quality and performance of light. In 2002, Artemide's ALSO (Air Light Sound and other Objects) Project focused on an extension of human well being, sound and quality of light. Currently in 2006, they are working on a project called "My White Light" which focuses on the research of the different shades and tones of white light, the environmental value of light, flexibility, sustainability and usability.
Interview Ideas
- Throughout the decades, Artemide has continued to redefine their brand and process.
- Artemide understands that trends are constantly changing; thorough research and development keep them up to date on trends.
- Artemide employs a user-centered design approach when designing projects. By working with designers of the past and present, and researching user needs through workshops they can ensure that they are targeting their users while staying innovative as well.
Video/Key Quotes
- Searching For Trends
- Understanding User Needs
- Brand Value
- Artemide Design Process
What We Learned
As a group, we were impressed that Artemide's design approach was similar to the design processes that we study [at the School of Interactive Arts and Technology in Simon Fraser University]. Since the 1990's Artemide has been researching user needs, flexibility, sustainability, and usability. They understand the importance of anticipating current and future needs of their users. Artemide targets commercial products, like the Tizio and Tolomeo, to the public market by creating a family of products. By making a variety of forms of one product (through colour, materials and size) they can sell these products to individual tastes of the large market. Using their research from their Research and Development centre, Artemide continues to create innovative products and technologies which become high end products for niche markets. The technologies from these high end products could later be used in commercial products.
