Milan universities team up to launch «unique» food design degree

«We strongly believe that applying design to the realm of food in a broad and holistic way, from food design to the design of a brand identity and its activations, can add great value to all businesses in this sector,» said Mauro Porcini, chief design officer at PepsiCo. Antonello Fusetti: This is not intended to be a simple masters course in food design, as is the case with some other courses in Italy and throughout the world. This period also includes a three-month internship for all students. Guixè is a graduate of SPD, having studied there from 1986 to 1987, and has been designing food-related objects for more than 30 years. The food industry not only offers them a great opportunity to experiment, but also to work.»
Kira bakeware by SPD graduate Kostantia ManthouEarlier this year, Design Academy Eindhoven appointed «eating designer» Marije Vogelzang to head up its new food department, which the Dutch school described as the first of its kind. And not only these. Related story: Food is «the most important material in the world» says Marije Vogelzang»The main objective is to bring innovation to companies in the food sector and sectors related to it, and in my opinion the only way to do this is to get managers, designers and food technologists involved in a dialogue,» SPD director Antonello Fusetti told Dezeen. This is meant to be «the» Master Course in Food Design, with several unique aspects. We also want the course to branch off into a permanent laboratory of experimentation and consultancy in the food design industry, to foster innovation in the agricultural and food sector. Will students have access to special facilities? «In addition to these, I assure you that all the designers who have carried out interesting projects related to food, as well as the most innovative food designers, will bring their contribution to this master course by giving lectures.»
Lateira by SPD graduate Rui PereiraRead our QA with Antonello Fusetti, director of Scuola Politecnica di Design SPD Milano:
Anna Winston: Why are launch a food design course now? Students will be required to attend 580 hours of lessons and complete a three-month internship by February 2016. «But it is only now when the food industry and the social sensibility towards food innovations are more open to start thinking about food in a more contemporary way, and to develop a design project with it.»
«I am a kind of catalyst, and I will have one of the main roles on the masters, also if only as a kind of stalker,» he added. The course is being sponsored by multinational soft drinks company PepsiCo, who will fund two scholarships – one covering the full cost of the course and a second offering 50 per cent of the necessary funding. News: designers including Marti Guixè and Stefano Giovannoni will be among the teaching staff of a food design course being co-developed by one of Italy’s leading design schools – an increasingly popular subject area for design education (+ interview). Anna Winston: How is this different from what other design schools are doing? The masters course is open to Italian and International university graduates and will be taught in English. Vogelzang said that her course would attract young people who want to «change the food chain and to change our perception to food». Stefano Giovannoni is perhaps the designer with the largest number of designs of objects related to foodThen there’s Stefano Giovannoni, who is perhaps the designer with the largest number of designs of objects related to cooking and food (several hundred), and who has sold millions of items. This is meant to be ‘the’ Master Course in Food Design, with several unique aspects,» said Fusetti. Graduates of the masters course will be able to work in businesses throughout the whole food supply chain, from food production to food distribution. Anna Winston: Why is this a design subject rather than a science or marketing subject? Furthermore, the current competitive system, new consumer needs and new technologies require the development of occupations that are increasingly able to provide innovative contributions, even in the food sector. Anna Winston: Which designers will you be working with as teachers? Further partnerships will be announced before teaching begins next year. This kind of masters course could only have arisen in MilanThe masters course will take place in conjunction with Expo 2015 and Milan, the capital of design, will also become the capital of food during that time. In addition to these, I assure you that all the designers who have carried out interesting projects related to food, as well as the most innovative food designers, will bring their contribution to this master course by giving lectures. Anna Winston: What will the course consist of? The Milan-based Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD) and International University of Languages and Media (ILUM) will combine forces to launch the Master in Food Design in March 2015, which they claim will be «unique on a world scale». Marti Guixè, the Spanish designer Fusetti credits with coining the term «food design», has created the visual identity for the masters (top image) and was one of the originators of the idea to launch a dedicated degree programme at SPD on the subject. Specifically, the course will include 11 Teaching Modules:
The Food and Agriculture System, Food Science, Food and Wine Culture, Food Marketing Communication, Food Experience, Food Design, Food Design: designing food and objects, Food Design: food venues, Food Design: packaging, Food Service Design, Food Design and Tourism. «This is not intended to be a simple masters course in food design, as is the case with some other courses in Italy and throughout the world. «There’s also Design Group Italia, which has an internal Food Lab,» explained Fuesetti. There’s also Design Group Italia, which has an internal Food Lab. The design world, meanwhile, needs to increasingly focus its attention beyond the traditional sectors of furniture and objects. «The design world, meanwhile, needs to increasingly focus its attention beyond the traditional sectors of furniture and objects. Without design-oriented people, marketing people are insufficient in creating new products or providing clients with new experiences. The lecturers are very prestigious and are the most interesting and most famous people in their areas of expertise: not just designers, but also chefs, food critics, and entrepreneurs and managers from food companies. Let’s not forget that food appears to be increasingly removed from its nutritional functions, and has also taken on aesthetic, symbolic and communicative values. You need only think of his many projects for Alessi, for example. Antonello Fusetti: We often talk about Food Design but we have been lacking a very qualified educational initiative whose goal is to train a new generation of professionals, designers and managers able to combine management, marketing and communication skills with design methodology and sensibility. Antonello Fusetti: The food industry can, in fact, be examined from a scientific point of view – food science – as well as from a marketing, management or design perspective. Antonello Fusetti: The programme will be charactersed by a multidisciplinary approach, have a strong professional orientation and offer a balanced combination of lectures, design workshops, testimonials and excursions, alongside an introduction to the food and agricultural system, food technologies, and food and wine culture. Comprising 11 teaching modules, the programme will bring together a teaching faculty of designers, academics, scientists, journalists, chefs and managers from the food industry. We believe, therefore, that this kind of masters course could only have arisen in Milan. The course will be very practical, with design workshops in which five projects will be developed.