DRIVING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BY DESIGN | Branding Design. Strategies, Languages, Narratives

Fashion is a complex and stratified phenomenon which connects the traditional material culture with contemporaneity in its social, cultural and manufacturing organization. Its inner complex nature, where cultural and material production are matched, has to be faced into a multidisciplinary teaching and learning environment.

The Final Synthesis Design Studio is aimed at driving students to complete their master education with a specific focus on exploring multidisciplinary advanced knowledge and skills to be applied in increasingly changing professional contexts and the job market.

It is especially conceived to transfer theoretical concepts, instrumental capabilities and intensive design experiences enabling future designers to face the transition from the traditional “product centred” fashion system into a more sustainable and user centred paradigm, taking full advantage of the digital transformation potential. The format of the course includes different educational experiences with a mix of lectures and discussion based modules and design-studio activities, breaking the traditional linear rhythm of the semester.

In the end of the studio the students will be supported in drafting their thesis proposal and its implementation plan within a Thesis Hub intensive two days workshop.

THEORETICAL MODULES

THE RENAISSANCE CONNECTION | Rodolfo Maffeis

As an intensive sequence of lectures, this class has been conceived as a journey through a selection of highly intellectual and magnificently crafted Renaissance artefacts to draw a concise conceptual map of early modern Italian thinking through images. Lessons will focus on issues such as Narrative and “historia”, Ekfrasis, the iconography of the self, Courtly style, the Nude and Decorum, Ornament and Bizarre. They will be followed by reading groups–whose bibliography will be provided by Professor time after time–that will foster the activation of student’s critical skills through commenting and participation.

PRODUCT LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT FOR FASHION | Alessandro Brun, Sergio Terzi

The module addresses the topic of the so-called Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) in the fashion industry. PLM has two main meanings: (i) PLM as a set of IT and software tools supporting the design and innovation process of a fashion company, (ii) PLM as an organizational approach to product design, production and delivery (the so-called lifecycle of a product).
The module will address these two meaning with a list of theoretical introductions and a list of demonstrations of software and IT tools (also with the support of some leading software vendors of the fashion industry). Demonstrations of software tools will be elaborated and then discussed with the students, also using real cases as references. A case – coming from a real case of the Italian design context – will be also used for training students on the elaboration of a PLM strategy.

SUSTAINABLE FASHION | Francesca Romana Rinaldi

The course provides an overview on the topic of CSR in fashion. Fashion is the second most polluting industry after oil, an industry that has many negative social impacts along the value chain. The need of a more sustainable fashion, across all its segments, is linked to both supply and demand drivers. During the group assignment, students will be asked to analyse the responsibility strategy for a fashion brand, applying the «responsibility model» after having learnt through theoretical lessons how to manage responsibility in fashion and its strong connection with the environment, society and media.

INSTRUMENTAL MODULES

ADVANCED INTERACTIVE NARRATIVES | Ilaria Mariani

In this module students will work with some vintage pieces from A.N.G.E.L.O. Vintage Palace archive to explore new methodologies to build brand storytelling and narrations connected with the artefacts through digital instruments like interaction, gamification and social media.

The frontal lecture sessions are aimed at providing knowledge through literature review and collective discussion about case studies analysis. This is followed by contextual design group exercises, supported by specific tools like canvas, frameworks, and software. The final assignment consists of an Interactive Narratives fashion brand/product that incorporates all the concepts addressed.

DESIGN WORKSHOPS

BUILDING VISUAL BRAND ID AND STYLING | Daniela Zlatar (Bordel Studio)

This workshop focuses mainly on analysing the aspects that compose a successful visual brand strategy and its relevance as one of the primary communication elements between the brand and the final consumer. Given a case study analysis, the design activities made by students’ groups will have as focal point the creation, development and optimisation of various visual brand assets such as brand identity, concept development, graphics, typography with a particular focus on developing and visualizing the brand stylistic eco-system (styling process). Teams will produce mood boards, photographs, animated contents and mock-ups.

DIGITAL BRANDING | Michele Polico (Young Digitals)

Through teamwork students will work on building a digital brand, identifying its brand identity and the value proposition after having established the Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) key trends. They will build a real communication campaign describing its objectives, the strategy, its contents, using creativity with channels to make the brand being spread out. Students will also learn how to use targeting methodology, marketing tools and the design thinking workflow.

RE-CRAFTING FASHION FOR SUSTAINABILITY | Sass Brown

The overarching theme of this module is focused on craftsmanship and sustainability.

Students will be asked to design a collection that focuses on a traditional craft that is in danger of disappearing. Through an in-depth research about artisanal techniques, design elements will become more than the inspiration for the collection. They will be part of a strategy to sustain the traditional craft technique through a unique and unexpected design application. Expected outcomes include a design journal documenting the research and the development and collection presentation boards.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

Each module presentation included in the detailed Syllabus which will be provided in the beginning of the course and uploaded on BeeP platform  will include details on assignment and evaluation mode applied by each professor.

Over whole the final evaluation will take into account the grades and evaluation acquired in each module, covering the following aspects:

- Methodological coherence: Understanding and application of the process and phases proposed within the different modules;

- Reading preparation and active discussion: preparing the readings suggested in the modules, participating in collective discussion;

- Research skills and critical thinking: Understanding of the Briefs; quality, level of definition and consistency of the research; quality of sources;

- Creativity and design attitude: Capability to give a critical and original design solution;

- Representation skills and graphic project: quality and accuracy of freehand and computer assisted drawing skills, quality of graphic elements to support the visual presentation of the projects (graphic layout, color fidelity, image quality and definition, accuracy in the application of material samples, etc.);

- Communication skills: Quality of the oral presentation, structure of the oral presentation, use of professional language, and mannerisms;

- Team collaboration (for team activities): Equal share of workload among team members, cohesiveness, and fairness.

- Motivation and participation: Timeliness, accountability, active and critical participation during lectures and reviews. Motivation and active participation will be measure also using a peer-to-peer evaluation system, consisting in a team self-evaluation by each team members for each required delivery.

The final evaluation will not be based on the arithmetic mean of all grades but will be based on the assessment of the gradual qualitative advancement, in relation to the abovementioned aspects, demonstrated by each team and each team member through the sequence of assignments and activities planned. In fact, the deliveries planned will show students growth and maturity in term of understanding and application of knowledge and skills transferred, design methodology, quality and depth of research, creativity and design attitude. Individual assessment will be then supported by the quality of the student-professor interaction during weekly interaction, individual assignment evaluation where present, peer-to-peer evaluation

CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY

Class attendance is mandatory. Students whose absences are more than 30% of the total class meetings (more than 3 absences out of the total of scheduled class meetings) may be dropped from the course. No absences are excused on the day of deliveries and presentations in class.

Unavoidable absences should be reported to professors as soon as possible.

Here are two examples for unavoidable absences that will be considered excused absences: an illness confirmed by medical certification or certified accident; a serious family emergency. Doctor/dentist appointments and travel plans are not considered acceptable reasons for excused absences. It is students’ responsibility to plan their agenda ahead in consideration of course calendar and due dates.

TEAM POLICY

It is students’ responsibility to plan and commit to a suitable number of outside meetings with their team to develop and deliver assignments as appropriate to ensure a professional and on time delivery and presentation. If not able to attend a team meeting it is student’s responsibility to deliver his/her part of the work to the team within a reasonable timeframe, allowing the team to meet the assignment requirements and due date.

It is responsibility of the whole team to respect the assignment’s requirements and keep all team members active and participative, enhancing the competences and skills of each team member. Missing parts of the work due to one team member’s responsibility will not be excused.

A team is required to contact and inform the faculty team as soon as possible in case of lack of active participation of one or more team members to the teamwork. Professors will make an appointment with the whole team to clarify and manage unfair situation.

At the end of each team assignment, each team member will be asked to provide a peer evaluation of all team members (including him/herself) in terms of their contribution to the assignment. These evaluations will be used in assigning the team grades to individuals.

Each module presentation included in the detailed Syllabus which will be provided in the beginning of the course and uploaded on BeeP platform  will include details on specific bibliographical resources suggested for the module. Please note that for some modules some readings are pre-requisite to the attendance of the class, and will be communicated in advance to the start of the module.

Each module Syllabus (BeeP Platform) will include details on bibliography. Please note that for some modules some readings are pre-requisite to the attendance of the class, and will be communicated in advance to the start of the module.