Marco Filippo Batavia

As a Designer, I have always harbored a deep-seated passion for nature and its systems—complex, interconnected, and dynamic. My interest spans the intricate structures of radiolarians or insects, the spread of colors in patterns across the coats of mammals or the scales of fish, and the material and functional continuity of constructs. Understanding and interpreting the logic of these systems radically changes the approach to design, both on a technical and creative level, and enables the capacity to generate a positive impact on the system that sustains life.

SAES is a scientific company that deals with advanced materials for some of the most extreme application sectors: quantum computers, fusion nuclear reactors, particle accelerators, 5G, Aerospace, but also with sustainable approaches to the future, an example being the recent activities, not only in research and development but also in investments in the production of coatings for compostable food packaging and special ingredients based on artificial zeolites for the cosmetics industry. Design House is the company's first design research and development lab, dealing with both B2C innovation and research and development on materials and processes in high-value niche applications. In the Design department, we are increasingly integrating skills in computational design and lab-to-market product development processes, with the particularity being the direct transition from research labs, whether chemical or metallurgical, to design-driven innovation.

For me, doing design means innovating by building an adaptive design model, capable of interpreting inputs of any form and processing them in a creative, original, rational, and even philosophical way. The personal component is part of design because everything needs to have a language capable of depicting and representing it, which is why every object is a combination of form and function, of technique and philosophy.

The design I prefer is what I call 'inside-out,' where the project starts from the inside, from technological innovation and from the opportunity to rethink the layout of a system even before imagining its shell. For me, the value of design resides 90% in the layout; aesthetics are a consequence of creative solutions to technical problems.

It's hard to say which is my favorite design, in terms of discipline probably research and development: computational design when it is material-based and nature-inspired. It is what allows for more radical experimentation on materials and systems and questions everything. I believe it is the discipline that more than any other will change the way we live and envision the future. But I appreciate all areas of design; I spent some time in automotive and cannot help but love the aerodynamic sculptures of Flavio Mazoni and his team. Among my favorite designers are Dieter Rams, Richard Sapper, Antoni Gaudi, Buckminster Fuller, and in the cinematic realm, Ken Adam. If I had to mention an object, it would probably be the Olivetti Valentine or Franco Scaglione's Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale.

My first paid project was during the summer of my first year of university; it was a modular tabletop smoker that later became a one-off piece and is now used in the restaurant of a famous Italian chef.

Nanomaterials and treatments that allow for the modification of the structure on a micro and nanometric scale to confer extraordinary properties and performance. They enable significant product innovation and bring unique functionalities into people's hands. For flexibility, additive manufacturing, especially UV polymerization, remains one of the most enjoyable technologies to work with for a designer, especially now that printing times are reduced and the quality of the artifacts is increasingly high.

The evening and night are the times of greatest creativity. Solitude and thoughts drastically impact the quality of ideas and the moments of most intense reflection, even on general themes that have no solution: the cosmos, the ultimate meaning, the weight of the body and spirit, are those that open the mind to the deepest interpretations of projects. I often find myself dreaming of the most interesting solutions to my work. Another decisive moment for creativity is the random one, sometimes you can't predict peaks of ingenuity and inventiveness, and it happens that they occur at the most unlikely times, in those cases, I always try to accommodate them.

The part I focus on the most is the development of a design method suitable for the project, immediately after the conceptualization phase. The workflow is not always adaptable in a way that aligns with project goals; it is important to define the structure, the skills, the software, the models for simulations, and the order of elements.

When I design, I experience the entire spectrum of emotions: joy, anger, frustration. Generally, each project has a very intense emotional curve, and managing its peaks is really complex. This is especially true in the case of commercial projects, where large investments and many stakeholders are involved, the weight of responsibilities crushes clarity, and some problems become bigger than expected because it is the scale at which you view things that is influenced. When the project requires special development, I like to create custom tools, write plugins that the team can work with, and program to achieve solutions that are not obtainable with traditional tools.

Commercial success and project success do not always perfectly coincide. There are products of great ingenuity that have not had commercial success. Commercial success is a simple measure to evaluate the success of a device; the more people can use it, the greater the impact it can generate, which is a thought at odds with the value given to a piece of art. However, success is measured in many other ways, primarily, I believe, by the recognition of esteemed individuals and then by the historical, scientific, and cultural value it represents.

The first thing I look at is the purpose of the project, then whether it was designed with an inside-out logic or a styling approach. In the second case, it will hardly be an innovative product.

The designer, in a design-driven society, can influence design models to effectively respond to contemporary environmental challenges, moving away from the forcibly 'green' language and pursuing a direction of optimizing the LCA and designing devices useful to humanity.

The discipline of design is expanding, with significant crossover into a vast array of sectors, from industrial machinery to videogames. The tools available, both digital and physical, are increasingly easy to use and powerful, and the advent of AI could represent a new step in facilitating the introduction of new functionalities and opportunities, one of which is making algorithmic and computational systems more accessible to non-programmers. In the field of products, more sophisticated computational tools also mean more performant materials not limited to laboratory scales. I envision a future more integrated with the habitat that supports us, but there is always a significant risk that technological advancement may not keep pace with education.

I don’t do design art, for now; my exhibitions are always in shared contexts, the last one I believe was in China, at an exhibition in a large complex dedicated to Design, initiated by Red Dot. The one that made me the happiest, however, was at the Guggenheim in Bilbao, organized by the Norman Foster Foundation, which decided to include one of my works developed with Audi in a pavilion focused on futuristic design.

My greatest source of inspiration is nature, which represents an inexhaustible encyclopedia of ideas, from the most analytical and rational to the most extravagant. Whether it's functionality, shapes, colors, or problem-solving, there's nothing more efficient than an evolutionary system that has spent millions of years refining its tools to make them the ultimate expression of utility for survival in a specific context.

I can describe my design with my department's payoff: design inspired by nature, driven by science.

I was born in a small town in Tuscany called Lucca, where 15 years ago there wasn't much of a design culture, despite some designers being active internationally, for example, Benjamin de Haan, who at the time was Marc Newson's right-hand man. Each year at the Comics and Games fair, some American concept artists from the school of Scott Robertson and Daniel Simon participated, and I was always fascinated by them. Over the years, I have intertwined my passion for biology with that for design and have developed my own way of interpreting projects.

I am currently the Head of the first design innovation department at SAES and Head of Design for the B!POD brand. I do not collaborate with external companies except for internal projects.

Everything depends on the project's objectives. If a company is looking for a designer to work with, they need to find someone who is technically skilled but especially visionary. It is increasingly rare to find people who have strong technical skills and also understand the market, technologies, and can communicate with all the project stakeholders, from the sketch to the shelf.

At SAES, I have developed a particular design model, the result of past experiences but entirely rebuilt based on the company's needs. Moving within a scientific reality necessarily means managing models different from the traditional ones in design-driven or product-driven companies. The projects are generally proposed by me and the Chief Innovation Officer to the Board of Directors and once partial approval is received, based on market analytics, we start an R&D process in a multidisciplinary context where the boundaries of the discipline are lost in the contamination of skills with chemists, materials engineers, and physicists. The approach is always data-driven, and the initial studies and developments are made on internal components: models, simulations, prototypes, and tests. We often build our custom tools based on the project; recently, we wrote software for managing lattice structures in complex volumes. The design process is always inside-out; technology guides the surfaces, and the formal interpretation is influenced by the environment. I have always had a great passion for scientific instrumentation and minimalist design in technical contexts, such as aerospace. I don’t deny that random insights often drastically change ongoing projects, so not everything always proceeds in a rigorous and linear manner.

Among my favorite objects, I have a 'radio.cubo 50' by Brionvega designed by Zanuso and Sapper, which is old but maintains its charm and coherence. I have a prototype of a DRO!D that I designed a few years ago for the brand B!POD, which remains one of my best works. The 9090 moka pot by Sapper for Alessi, which is simply a brilliant product. The 'Bookworm' by Ron Arad for Kartell, which I believe is the only work of his that I appreciate. Finally, my 'Tolomeo' desk lamp by de Lucchi, which is just right.

Fortunately, every day is different. I travel a lot for work and when I can, also for passion, but daily responsibilities consume most of my time. I often say that I really start working after 6 PM, when everyone else has gone.

I recommend dedicating the first years to learning as much as possible, not just limiting oneself to academic studies but also exploring and building your own vision. Multidisciplinary interest is what makes us unique because the craft of design, in any context, is made up of a blend of knowledge from various different fields.

Someone once told me that you cannot 'become a designer' because you either are one or you aren't. Our eyes and minds never detach from our dreams and goals; they always capture the reality around us to generate new ideas and stimuli, but sometimes this can be hard to bear and too heavy to sustain. If you're not curious about the nature of things, you can't be a good designer, but sometimes our insatiable curiosity eats us up inside.

The golden rules depend on too many factors and are an integral part of the historical era and reference culture. Generally, for the wellbeing of humanity and our planet, the rule 'less but better' applies.

The ideas guides the hand. Those who can see the future and imagine innovation possess the fundamental qualities to be a designer. But to work, it is also necessary to have strong technical skills; design is a language for expressing creative solutions to technical problems, and not knowing it means being unable to communicate with others and present one's ideas. Mastering physical and digital tools for the conceptualization of ideas is as important as it is for a translator to know the language.

The documentation of a project depends on the nature of the project itself. Generally, I start with the study of patents, scientific and academic research, and consultation with teams from other disciplines. During the conceptualization phases, I use an array of tools from Rhino, Grasshopper, Houdini, Alias, to Maya, as well as software for structural and process simulation. Sources of inspiration are unlimited; they generally come from the world of biology, but sometimes, when it comes to technical products, also from niche applications of special tools or materials. In certain cases, I wonder, 'what would happen if this material that only we use could end up in the hands of a cooking enthusiast at home?'

Managing my time has become increasingly complex as my career in the company has progressed. Responsibilities take away a lot of my design time, but over the years I have learned to spend less time doing and more time doing well.

It depends a lot on the project. When it comes to prototypes, the process is faster because it generally starts with technologies developed for other application areas and uses low-volume production models, which are usually very costly. A prototype can cost as much as a car because its value is that of a proof of concept. Commercial models require more time, market analysis, user testing, setting up industrial tooling for production, programming machines, and constructing tools, technical and logistical organization. The fastest process I have worked on lasted two and a half years.

Definitely the current one, working in a material company and proving that design can be a fundamental tool even in the field of advanced research and development is a dream for me.

I don't have clients at the moment. In the past, I have worked for clients from various sectors, including automotive, naval, industrial machinery, and consumer goods.

Proceed with innovation in the application of special technologies in the consumer sector. Finalize the establishment of a corporate hub dedicated to computational design and make the innovation process increasingly integrated with the group's chemistry and metallurgy laboratories.

I work in a multidisciplinary team but I started working alone. Being in a unique workplace with unusual briefs, I dedicate a lot of time to training new hires, always trying to extract the utmost commitment and curiosity from them. The teams are then divided based on the projects. For one of our commercial projects called 'B!POD', we already have more than 60 people actively involved, including internal team members and full-time collaborators.

I am working on the development of new materials with special features by combining material science and computational design, but I cannot yet discuss it. For the B!POD brand, we have developed a compostable material with the same properties as polyacrylate polymers, which are generally almost impossible to recycle. Recently, we have also developed high-performance running shoe soles with software that we programmed internally.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

"I began my studies in mechanical engineering, then pursued Industrial Design at the Politecnico di Milano, where I also completed a master's in Transportation Design. Over the years, I have continued my studies and research in advanced materials, non-standard production processes, and the application of computational and procedural design in scientific fields. Recently, I also started a master's in Advanced Computation. My journey is a quest for balance between analytical, pure but artificial design and the principles of biomimicry and integration directly inspired by the nature of living beings.

Curiosity is the main driving force behind my work and is tied to the constant quest to understand the nature of the things around me, especially the architecture of living species, the complexity of the systems that govern growth, and the biological responses to problems imposed by their habitats, selected over millions of years of evolution.

It was my decision, made years before I had to embark on this path. Growing up in a small town in the heart of Tuscany, before the global advent of the internet and social media, the culture of design was something difficult to comprehend. I wasn't sure about the possibility of building a career in that direction, but I was certainly always fascinated by it.

I don't have a favorite type of object; I enjoy designing with a foundation of scientific and technical principles but with the freedom to rethink product architectures. I believe that much of innovation lies in the definition of layouts and the technical organization of assemblies.

I wouldn't call myself a legend, except perhaps at home, but I hope to become one for someone someday. From my experience, the advice I would give is to always do research and delve into all the topics that spark your curiosity, because having your own vision of the world is essential for design work. The more you can span across disciplines, the more opportunities you'll have to solve problems creatively and originally. As you grow, you'll realize that the people around you are not better than you, and if you have skills and a bit of luck, many of them will come to you for opinions, seek solutions, and follow you into complex and ambitious challenges. You must be prepared to illustrate what others do not see, not out of arrogance, but to gather people around you who share a vision for the future.

The vision of the project and the ability to transform anything into an exceptional product, whether it's a car or a fork.

To evaluate good design, I always look at how it was developed. Products created with an inside-out logic are the ones that have the most potential to become great. Designing a covering shell is an activity of styling, not design, and rarely produces great products. Additionally, I greatly value the creativity used in solving technical problems and the character that the object assumes.

Objects surround us and are often extensions of our bodies, tools that can be seen as an evolution of the archaic flint used for hunting. Having well-designed objects that are appropriately sized, functional, durable, ergonomic, and generally smart is undoubtedly a way to surround ourselves with something of value. I believe that in the future, it will be increasingly necessary to pursue the logic of 'less but better'.

Currently, I work at a company that deals with advanced materials, and I have a great range of projects, from research and development to commercial ones. However, I occasionally have unconventional ideas for contexts entirely different from my own. If I had the opportunity, three projects I would like to work on in the future are: a set of traditional Japanese knives, for example, for the brand KAI; an aeronautical project, for example, for Scaled Composite; and a research project in the field of marine ecosystem conservation, such as algorithm-based 3D printed coral reefs.

I have an endless list of unfinished projects. Often, if they are not tied to professional developments, speculative projects do not see the light of day. Usually, they are the result of a momentary curiosity about something specific or the desire to try new tools. If I had to decide now, I would say something related to bees, such as a synthetic hive, inspired by a recent experience at an apiary.

"I don't have a secret recipe, but I believe it's essential to work with curiosity. If you're not working in highly specialized industries and are not forced to repeatedly do the same thing, then it's important to experiment and question as much as possible. Starting over, even on an ongoing project, helps redefine the path. No one chooses the best route on the first try. In large teams, it's important to have someone visionary enough to take responsibility for starting from scratch, even if it means having to move faster. Design thrives on experience; it's a continuous process of learning by doing.

If we stay within the narrower field of industrial design, Dieter Rams and Richard Sapper. Expanding the boundaries a bit, I would also say Marcello Gandini, Ken Adam, and Antoni Gaudí.

There are many objects that I like for various reasons. For example, the Divisumma 18 by Mario Bellini, the 9090 coffee maker by Sapper, the Radiogram RR126 by the Castiglioni brothers, the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale by Franco Scaglione, and the iPod Classic by Jonathan Ive. These are all objects that convey a timeless design language, and even though the technology they are made of will age, the same cannot be said for their innovative architecture.

It's difficult to speak of the greatness of one's own work; I prefer others to define it. Let's say that the biggest project in terms of work, investment, and time has been B!POD, the brand I founded with Ginevra della Porta. I developed a very special device called DRO!D, which was created from scratch, and I worked on every phase from sketching to developing the industrial chain necessary for its production. It is an object designed from the inside out that doesn't use any standard components, so all functional parts were redesigned. Additionally, it has many hidden complexities. For instance, to optimize the LCA, it was developed without screws or adhesives, which often contaminate the disassembly process. This required a complex effort in developing the necessary interlocking system.

I believe the key is to speak the language of design fluently. This means being able to conceptualize and develop your ideas through 3D modeling software, drawings, visualizations, and prototypes, as well as having an in-depth understanding of production processes and materials. For this reason, learning new tools and learning to build your own tools independently is essential for creating new and different things.

For me, design means engaging in problem-solving creatively, driving innovation by promoting solutions that don't yet exist, and blending experiences from different disciplines. It also means embedding a bit of philosophy in objects to convey messages that can inspire others to do good.

My family has always supported me greatly, providing me with the tools to study and the ability to do so critically, appreciating who I am and always pushing the bar beyond the visible horizon. I also owe a lot to the trust that SAES has placed in me and the value of my work.