Renowned designer Guglielmo Poletti recently engaged with Product Design students, offering valuable insights into his creative journey and the importance of developing a unique design language. He emphasized the need for them to “find their own language” and truly understand their identity in the field.
A Journey of Self-Discovery in Design
His path into design began with lectures organized by Valerio Castelli, son of Kartell’s founders. Every Thursday, Castelli invited renowned designers to discuss their work at the Design Library in Milan. Without any formal background, Poletti immersed himself in these talks, learning through observation and self-teaching. Within a year, these experiences shaped his foundational understanding of design.
Key Influences and Turning Points
Poletti’s internship at Piero Lissoni in 2013 was another defining experience. This fast-paced environment pushed Poletti to adapt quickly and refine his skills, learning about the high standards required to work with some of the best industrial design furniture companies.
A major turning point came when he attended a workshop with Ron Gilad at Domaine de Boisbuchet. Gilad’s approach, which was less commercially driven and more conceptual, made Poletti rethink the definition of the discipline. This experience inspired him to move beyond working solely with digital tools and instead focus on creating physical products.
Soon after showcasing his first series of works at Salone Satellite in 2014, Poletti enrolled in the MA Contextual Design at the Design Academy Eindhoven, where he developed a graduation project that marked the very first step in his career: the Equilibrium series.
Finding a Personal Design Language
Throughout his talk, Poletti encouraged students to embrace experimentation and exploration as vital steps in their design journeys. He shared that the process of self-discovery is key to understanding one’s genuine interest in design. By embracing curiosity and pushing the boundaries of their ideas, students can uncover their own design language—one that reflects their personal values, influences, and perspectives.
Poletti emphasized that design isn’t just about creating products; it’s about expressing a vision through those creations. Finding a personal design attitude, he stressed, is not only essential for making meaningful work but is also crucial for building a lasting and impactful career in the field. A designer’s language is the result of precise criteria, which will eventually characterize their work and allow them to connect deeply with their audience and the industry at large.