design42day

PROFECTUS, GEMINI and LUDUM: a thesis by Valentina Coppini and Arianna Canegallo for Kappa Moto

A familiar bag, a miniature case that doubles as a trendy carrier bag and a rucksack built into the crash helmet: these are the prototypes presented in June as the thesis project drawn up by the designer duo Valentina Coppini and Arianna Canegallo, now neo-alumni in Product Design at the Milan IED. The designs were developed with technical and scientific support from Kappa Moto, marking the first time the firm has flanked an academic brand.

In the course of their final year at the IED, Valentina and Arianna worked on the topic suggested by Kappa Moto: “Delivery and beyond. Designing new transport systems to target the markets of emerging countries, such as Asia and Brazil, to be capable of adapting to and dialoguing with specific means of transport and others, whether they be bicycles, scooters or motorbikes. The aim is to devise innovative ideas and tangible projects to cater for the constant increase in the everyday transportation of goods, of people and of the professions.”

The brief included a description of the firm and the parameters that were to be satisfied, such as the requirements of guarantees of safety and protection against collisions, rain, heat, cold and wind. All without neglecting brand recognisability.

PROFECTUS, GEMINI, LUDUM

Women and young people are the new movers and shakers of society in Malaysia, so they were the ones who provided the inspiration for these three projects.

The first product, Profectus, is dedicated to the “traditional woman”, who remains faithful to the principles of her conventions, despite society’s evolution. Profectus is a small case designed to fit onto a bicycle, the main means of transport in Malaysia, which draws on the shape of the wicker baskets used by women when working in the fields. It comprises a rigid part, which is anchored to the bicycle’s carrier rack, and a soft removable part. When the need arises, Profectus can be carried on the head in the traditional Malaysian way.

Gemini was designed with a new generation of women in mind, women who think like westerners and always want to keep up with the latest fashion. In this case, the bicycle has been replaced by the scooter, which is often shared with the rest of the family. Gemini is a case with a dual purpose: the part that is fitted directly to the scooter is designed to contain objects that are common to everybody in the family. On top of this rigid base, there is also a removable bag in trendy colours, devoted exclusively to women. When the designers analysed the market of young people, they discovered that the products earmarked for this target have to be colourful, practical and fun.

Ludum, the game, is a crash helmet with a practical rucksack closed inside a bag and attached to the helmet by a pair of snap buttons. When you get off the scooter, you put your helmet in the rucksack, which also has plenty of space left over for school books and all the other things that no youngster can do without. Ludum is available in a variety of colours, so that you can have fun matching it with your outfit.

“Working with Kappa Moto on our thesis project was an important opportunity for us to train and grow. It was a challenge in every way, with the firm accompanying, supporting and inspiring us all the time, enabling us not only to understand the dynamics at work in the production sector, but also to explore scenarios that were unconventional for us. The firm followed us through every step of the design process, giving us the chance to work like professionals and at the same time to express ourselves and make a name for ourselves, so that we could get the maximum benefit from our work”. That is how Valentina and Arianna talk about their experience, before concluding: “For us, it was also a chance to discover a new world – South-East Asia – and its socio-cultural context: a vital factor for us to be able to devise effective, interesting projects for our target”.

This project was developed in partnership with Kappa Moto.

Thesis Tutor: Enrico Azzimonti

Co-ordinated by: Silvia Roth

Assistant: Giovanni Baffetti