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The new issue is out now

One of a designer’s jobs is to provide concrete answers to specific requirements. This work extends well beyond aesthetic considerations and into the area of functionality. It also applies as much to a boat as a chair or a home. In recent times, there has been a huge acceleration in the way yacht interiors are conceived.   Today, as Enrico Gobbi of Team for Design confirmed to us in this issue, research is focusing on new areas of use. Take, for instance, aft zones. From service areas that housed tenders, they first developed into the area where the gym was located and then opened up to become furnished beach areas. Today, research work is honing in on exploring new solutions to make this space liveable at any time. A chapter with plenty of pages still to be written and one in which the paper of innovation will make all the difference.  The area of innovation in its broadest sense will be where the most important battle is fought and won. This is where the designer comes into play. “To innovate guided by design,” wrote Alberto Bassi inContemporary Design (Il Mulino, 2017) “means looking at the world of objects with the eyes and mind of the people that use them. It means paying attention to their usability and managing the impact they have on the planet and our existence. It means coming up with functional solutions that match our changed/changing ways of living, working, having fun, getting around – living in other words”. Awareness of the environmental impact certain choices can have is growing amongst the people that design, produce and ultimately use goods and products. The stakes are high but the challenge will be exhilarating. 

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