Interview with Marco Filippo Batavia

Marco Filippo Batavia ("MFB") interviewed on Monday, 20 May.

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

MFB : I started my first jobs in the world of design about 8 years ago, while I was still studying. I was fortunate to experiment in different sectors directly within companies, experiencing firsthand the product development processes, from sketching to engineering. After an experience in the automotive sector, in a studio that had Ferrari, Ducati, and Piaggio as clients, I decided to change direction, pursuing the side of design that I appreciate the most, which is oriented towards innovation. Over the past 4 years, I have worked as Head of Design in a scientific company that develops advanced materials for some of the most extreme application sectors: from particle accelerators to quantum computers. I resumed my studies in computational design and materials and I am involved in complex R&D projects as well as industrial product design. Two years ago, together with Ginevra della Porta, I founded the brand B!POD, where we focus on product development based on scientific innovations in the field of materials.

How did you become a designer?

MFB : I have always had a strong attraction to the nature of things, to the natural structures defined by the process of species evolution, by the geometries, colors, and architectures with which plants and animals evolve and grow. As a child, I collected everything I found during my travels. I think it was this passion, along with my passion for drawing, that first pushed me in the direction of design. Growing up in a small town before the advent of the internet, it wasn't easy to understand exactly what a designer's job entailed.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

MFB : For me, product development starts with the innovation of a concept and is primarily applied to questioning or formulating a product layout from scratch. The layout reflects the architecture of the innovation and must be original. It is after defining the layout through digital models that we move on to the development of physical prototypes, which are used to evaluate and develop forms and key features, from ergonomics to the analysis and reworking of details in an iterative problem-solving process.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

MFB : Designing is a swing of positive and negative emotions, heavily dependent on the situation, deadlines, and mood. For example, if you're not in a particularly creative moment, the ideation phase, which is generally one of the most exciting, can become draining and discouraging. When this happens, I try to find time to take a break, usually by traveling. This helps me return to my state of curiosity about the world and things, which is essential for projects. The phase of engineering, DFM, and industrial tooling is certainly the hardest emotionally. Things often don't go as planned, and timelines are generally tight and exhausting, but it's also the phase that brings the greatest satisfactions.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

MFB : Certainly, my passion for nature and its inhabitants. There is no greater source of inspiration and more powerful reservoir of energy. In terms of skills, I owe a lot to books. I believe that formal education still does not match what the world presents us, and the only true engagement with life can be found in the silent pages written by the masters of the past and contemporary ones, especially in fields different from design. Recently, I have found great inspiration in programming and in the concept that original solutions can be generated by designing the tools for the project.

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

MFB : My vision, like life itself, is constantly evolving, and plans rarely correspond to the reality of things. As Munari said, 'one thing leads to another.' I would like to leave a positive mark by developing products for people that have a well-defined personality and function, compatible with the planet's needs. Improving the coexistence between humans and the planet is one of my goals. However, my curiosity also drives me to desire large projects in the experimental field, R&D with ambitious goals, free from the technological limits imposed by large-scale production processes. This is also something I am actively working on at SAES.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

MFB : Be curious about the world, don't stop at the surface of things, but always try to understand their nature. Don't be afraid to be different from others; designers naturally have unique and unusual interests.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

MFB : To work as a designer, it is necessary to have strong technical skills in multiple fields: digital modeling, materials, production processes, and conceptualization. All of this is part of the language and is indispensable. From here, many people build a career by specializing in a specific area, becoming, for example, very skilled in digital modeling or visualization. Each field is extremely varied and complex today, so all of this is necessary to develop quality materials. But when you want to design, you need to have a vision, a personality capable of supporting your ideas, the courage to fight for your vision of things, the curiosity to learn new things in every branch of knowledge, and the creativity to solve technical problems in an original way by blending experiences from your personal research.

What is your day to day look like?

MFB : It's difficult to define a routine in my work life. Fortunately, I travel a lot for work and manage several internal and external teams active in various disciplines: production, R&D, and simulation. There is always something to learn and stimulating material to work on and discuss. When I get bored, I usually study something new.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

MFB : I have never particularly followed design trends. It is essential to know about new technologies, and people's uses and habits, but this is something we capture from daily life, articles, discussions with others, podcasts, social media, and scientific articles. I don't have a specific path to stay updated and prefer to look at experimental applications rather than the annual trends of commercial products.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

MFB : The projects I appreciate the most are those that carry a certain degree of innovation, whether technological or philosophical. 'Good design' is a product that is well-conceived, where technical problems have been solved in an unexpected way, has a well-defined character, an original architecture, and is not a victim of passing trends or imitations. Above all, the project has been approached with an inside-out logic. Designing a shell for something unknown does not mean doing design; it means doing product styling, which in some cases is correct because that is the goal, but it is rarely appropriate in industrial design. Design must be involved in, or even better, a driver of the product development process from the earliest stages of layout definition. These are the cases where I see good design.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

MFB : A project is complete when all the requirements are met, but generally, beyond that, there is something inexplicable that is felt at the end of the project. It's as if all the parts align harmoniously at some point. I think it's a sensitivity that is acquired over time.

What is your biggest design work?

MFB : Probably DRO!D, the first product of the brand I co-founded, was the most ambitious project: I worked on every phase from concept to production, personally assembled the first 500 products, and developed the entire production platform from scratch for a 100% made-in-Italy product that uses no standard components. Every single piece is a standalone project, from the nitinol valves to the diaphragm pump. Adding to the complexity was the selection of non-traditional materials and the development of an electronic product without the use of screws and adhesives to optimize the LCA.

Who is your favourite designer?

MFB : I can't say who my absolute favorite is, but at the top of the list are definitely Dieter Rams and Richard Sapper.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

MFB : Each of us is influenced to some extent by our surroundings and driven by our personal inclinations. A large part of my work draws from my personal experiences, family, travels, and memories. I believe that growing up in Italy, and perhaps specifically in Tuscany, affects my projects. It's my language and the result of my roots. I couldn't pinpoint exactly how because the database of memories is so vast and complex that it would be impossible to map direct and indirect influences. But looking at my products, I think it's clear that they are Italian. The German design language is much sharper and more analytical, the Korean one is soft and monochromatic, and the Italian is technical but sui generis—just look at the Olivetti machines designed by Bellini. Music, landscapes, the sun, and even the climate influence us decisively and set the tone for our nature as designers. Then, it is the products born in different contexts that become the context themselves. This is a very common process in nature, which is why designers who manage to impact the world are those who become an integral part of a corner of the world. As for favorite or inspiring cities, I find that each place I've visited has left its mark on me in some way. Recently, New York has given me a positive energy. Currently, I am in Milan and working on research projects that include advanced materials. I believe good design is necessary for the advancement of society because it improves the quality of life, shaping the way communities live, solves problems efficiently, and can even inspire positive changes.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

MFB : In my current job position, I work both independently and in multidisciplinary teams. I don't know if it's easy to work with me; probably many of the people I've worked with would say no. I am very selective with people and ideas, and sometimes I push the bar very high.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

MFB : Personally, I support several NGOs that are active in the protection of habitats and endangered species, and I also do this through our brand B!POD. However, I haven't yet had the opportunity to develop a product with philanthropic purposes.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

MFB : Competitions and design awards like 'A’ Design Award' contribute to professional growth by providing validation of your work and increasing your credibility in the industry. They also encourage you to push your creative boundaries and strive for excellence. Participating in 'A’ Design Award' is important because it sets benchmarks for quality and innovation, inspires designers to think creatively, and helps advance the field of design by showcasing the best work.

Marco Filippo Batavia Profile