Angelo Cortesi, born in Asola in 1938, is a renowned Italian industrial designer who has left an indelible mark on the design world. With his exceptional creativity and passion for innovation, Cortesi has contributed significantly to the field throughout his illustrious career. From his early days in Milan to his numerous achievements and accolades, Cortesi’s work continues to inspire and captivate designers and enthusiasts alike.
Early Career and Studio GPI
Cortesi embarked on his professional journey in 1966, and two years later, in 1968, he co-founded Studio GPI with Carlo Ronchi and Patrizia Pataccini. This partnership proved a turning point in Cortesi’s career, as the studio specialized in designing public spaces and their accompanying equipment. Cortesi’s keen eye for detail and ability to create harmonious and functional environments quickly gained recognition in the industry.
Noteworthy Clients and Projects
Throughout his career, Angelo Cortesi worked with prestigious clients, collaborating on diverse projects that showcased his versatility and expertise. His clients included DID, a furniture and furnishing company, Mostek Texas, which focused on digital clock mini-computers, Plan for lighting solutions, First for upholstered seating, Parker for writing pens, and Video International for television cameras, mini-computers, and microphones.
Artistic Director and Organizational Roles
Cortesi’s talents extended beyond individual design projects. He was the artistic director for FIAM, a prominent glass furniture manufacturer based in Tavullia. This role allowed him to explore the unique qualities of glass as a medium and create stunning and innovative furniture pieces.
Furthermore, Cortesi’s dedication to the design community led him to participate in various organizations and events actively. He became a member of the organizing committee of ADI (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale) in 1973 and served as its president from 1985 to 1989 and again from 1992 onwards. Cortesi’s involvement in ADI demonstrates his commitment to advancing the field of industrial design and nurturing the talents of emerging designers.
Recognitions and Achievements
Angelo Cortesi’s groundbreaking work has garnered numerous accolades and recognitions throughout his career. In 1982 and 1984, he received the prestigious Premio Compasso d’Oro, one of the highest honours in industrial design. Additionally, Cortesi was awarded the gold medal at the 1981 ‘Bio 9’ Industrial Design Biennale in Ljubljana, solidifying his position as a visionary designer.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
OpenAI. (n.d.). ChatGPT [Computer software]. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.openai.com/chatgpt/
More on Industrial Designers
-
Swiss School: The International Typographic Style
The Swiss school, also known as International Typographic Style, was a design movement from the 1950s that emphasized clarity, visual unity, and factual presentation. Its influence, including use of mathematical grids and sans-serif typography, continues to shape modern design.Read More →
-
Julie Wimmer: A Portrait of Multifaceted Design Excellence
Julie Wimmer is a renowned, multilingual interior designer with over 15 years of experience. Her repertoire, informed by her global outlook, includes architectural drafting, fashion, and jewelry design, and journalism. Read More →
-
Michel Charlot: Fusing Efficiency and Elegance in Industrial Design
Michel Charlot, a key figure in contemporary industrial design, hailing from ECAL, has had international exposure including working with Jasper Morrison Ltd. His designs, characterized by efficiency and elegance, have earned him several awards. He’s also an academic contributing and teaching at ECAL and Tama Art University.Read More →
-
Max Ernst Haefeli (1901-1976) – Swiss architect and designer
Max Ernst Haefeli (1901-1976) was a Swiss architect and designer born in Zurich. He worked in the Otto Bartning studio in Berlin between 1923-24.Read More →
-
Mattia Bonetti (b. 1953) Blurring Boundaries between Art and Design
Bonetti worked as a stylist and photographer before becoming a furniture designer. He began creating furniture in 1979. Every piece he creates starts with a freehand sketch that is subsequently constructed. Read More →
-
Hermann Obrist (1862-1927), Swiss Sculptor and Designer
Hermann Obrist was a Swiss sculptor and designer. He was most active in Germany. A leading figure in the evolution of Jugendstil in Munich, Obrist was inspired by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which he had experienced when he visited Britain in 1897.Read More →
-
Max Bill (1908 – 1994) – Swiss painter, sculptor, architect, designer, teacher, and writer
Max Bill (1908 – 1994) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, architect, designer, teacher, and writer. He studied at the Bauhaus from 1927 to 1929, then returned to Switzerland, primarily in Zurich. He saw himself as primarily an architect, but he worked in several fields, with the ultimate goal of bringing the various branches of the…
-
Jean Dunand: A Master of Sculpture, Metalwork, and Lacquer Artistry
Jean Dunand is a Swiss sculptor, metalworker, and artisan. He was born in 1877 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and died on the 27th of December 1942.Read More →
-
William Lescaze: A Journey Through Architecture and Design
William Lescaze, a Swiss architect and designer, revolutionized the field of architecture and design with his visionary approach and innovative creations. He established his own practice in New York City in 1923 and collaborated with architects like George Howe, creating groundbreaking projects like the Philadelphia Savings Fund Society building. Lescaze also excelled in furniture and…
-
Hans Gugelot (1920 – 1965) Dutch-Swiss Product Designer
Hans Gugelot (1920 – 1965) began his career in engineering (1940–2) and architecture (1940–6) in Switzerland and was closely associated with the radical Hochschüle für Gestaltung (HfG) in UlmRead More →
-
Kurt Thut (1931 – 2011) Swiss Designer and Manufacturer
Kurt Thut (b. 1931-2011) was born in Möriken, Switzerland. In his father’s workshop, while attending the School of Art and Design in Zurich, Thut improved his carpentry skills.Read More →
-
Mario Botta (b.1943) Swiss Architect and Designer
Swiss architect Mario Botta, known for his geometric styles and use of brick, has designed numerous structures worldwide, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He also created various furniture pieces, participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions project, and won several awards for his works.Read More →
-
Alpine Eagle XL Chrono – Design Classic 🥇
The Alpine Eagle collection of sporty-chic timepieces stretches its wings, embracing a flyback chronograph in a new 44 mm diameter case for the first time. The Alpine Eagle XL Chrono clock with the integrated bracelet is inspired by the might of the eagle and the beauty of the Alps, as is the complete series.Read More…
-
Hannes Wettstein (1958 – 2008) Swiss Furniture Designer
He started to work for Cassina in 1994 with his Juno bed, and some more recent projects were presented in 2003. Since 1991 he also taught; he was a lecturer at the ETH of Zurich and taught at the Hochschule fur Gestaltung in Karlsruhe.Read More →
-
Penguin Book Covers (1946 – 1949) Designer: Jan Tschichold
Tschichold created new standards of text arrangement and style that inspired all of the British postwar graphic design, although only working for the publication for three years. Then, with the formulation of the “Penguin Composition Rules,” he was able to apply Modernist theory to the requirements of book manufacturing.Read More →
-
Wolfgang Weingart – Swiss Typographer and Designer
He was dubbed “the father” of New Wave or Swiss Punk typography . LEARN MORERead More →
-
Johannes Itten (1888 – 1967) Swiss designer colour theorist
Itten was a founding member of the Weimar Bauhaus, along with German-American painter Lyonel Feininger and German sculptor Gerhard Marcks, under the guidance of German architect Walter Gropius. TELL ME MORERead More →
-
Jan Tschichold (1902 – 1974) – Swiss Typographer
German-born, Tschichold is one of the most outstanding and influential typographers of the 20th century, He cleared away the old typography of pre-1925 and made room for a modern, structured and regulated new typography. His work is characterised by rigorous structure, asymmetrical placement of contrasting elements, and layouts based on horizontal and vertical underlying grids.Read…
-
Carl J. Jucker (1902 – 1997) Swiss metalworker
Carl J.Jucker was a metal worker from Switzerland. He studied at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zürich, from 1918-1922. He studied under Muche between 1922 and 1923. He studied at Bauhaus with Christian Dell, Paul Klee and László Moholy-Nagy.Read More →
-
Sigfried Giedion (1888 – 1968) – Swiss art historian and designer
Sigfried Giedion (1888-1968) was a Swiss art historian and designer. He was born in Prague. Read More →
-
Marianne Straub Swiss weaver and designer
Marianne Straub began weaving as a child and later trained under Heinrich Otto Hürlimann Between 1928-31, at the Kunstgewerbeschule, Zürich. Between 1932-33, she was involved with machine production, at Bradford Technical College.Read More →
-
Gertrud Preiswerk 🇨🇭 Swiss textile designer
Gertrud Preiswerk was a Swiss textile designer she was born in Basel. Between 1926 and 1930, she trained in-the weavingRead More →
-
Herbert Matter (1907 – 1984) Swiss Designer and Photographer
Herbert Matter (April 25, 1907 – May 8, 1984) was a Swiss-born American photographer and graphic designer known for his pioneering use of photomontage in commercial art.Read More →
-
Hélène de Mandrot (1867 – 1948) Swiss Designer and Arts patron
She was a wealthy lady with cultural aspirations, who spent her time travelling between the great cultural centres and fashionable holiday resorts of Europe, and who liked to gather artists and authors around her. Read More →
-
Design Classic – Swiss Army Knife
The Swiss Army Knife, every schoolboy’s dream, was first manufactured in the late nineteenth century. The knife is more than a simple pen knife, with its distinctive bright red body bearing the trademark white cross: it is a compact household tool kit.Read More →
-
Fritz Haller (1924 – 2012) Swiss Architect, Designer & Town Planner
In Switzerland and Rotterdam, he worked as an apprentice and collaborator with Willem van Tijen and H.A. Maaskant. He founded an architecture firm in Solothurn in 1949. He was a guest professor at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles from 1966 to 1971.Read More →
-
Albert Frey (1903 – 1998) and Desert Modernism
Frey was born in Zurich, Switzerland, and obtained his architecture diploma from the Winterthur Institute of Technology in 1924. Frey got technical training in traditional building construction rather than design education in the then-popular Beaux-Arts style. Frey worked in construction during his school vacations and apprenticed with architect A. J. Arter in Zurich before getting…
-
Le Corbusier Swiss born architect designer and theorist
Born Charles Édouard Jeanneret, Swiss-born architect, designer and theorist, Le Corbusier was one of the most influential artistic figures in 20th-century architecture, publisher of the Esprit Nouveau Modernist newspaper in 1920, author of several influential books including Vers une architecture (1923), L’art décoratif d’aujourd’hui (1925) and Les 5 points d (CIAM). He also coined the…
-
Xanti Schawinsky influential Swiss Designer
Alexander Schawinsky was a Swiss designer born in Basel. He studied painting and architecture in Zürich, Cologne, and Berlin. He was at the Bauhaus in Germany between 1924 and 1925.Read More →
-
Pierre Jeanneret (1896 – 1967) Swiss architect and designer
Pierre Jeanneret (1896 – 1967) was a Swiss architect and builder. He was a talented painter, artist, and architect as a young student, greatly inspired by Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier), his cousin and life mentor. From 1916 to 1918, he served in the Swiss Army as a cyclist.Read More →
-
Michel Péclard, stool, 1955. Beech and birch.
Michel Péclard, stool, 1955. Beech and birch. Made by Horgen-Glarus, Switzerland, from 1926 the firm produced wood furniture and they furnished the Swiss Pavillion, 1929-30.Read More →
-
Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873 – 1959) – Swiss architect and designer
Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873 – 1959) was a Swiss architect and designer. He was born in Lausanne. He was professionally active in Paris. Read More →