Sara Biancaccio - PSSD Alumni stories

Summary

Sarah, an Italian designer from Milan, shares her journey from studying product design to pursuing a more comprehensive education in PSSD (Product, Service, System Design). She emphasizes the importance of combining design with business understanding in her career. After moving to China, she faced the realities of tight project deadlines but learned to adapt design processes to meet customer expectations. Sarah, along with her business partner, now runs a successful design studio with branches in Italy and China. She encourages future designers to stay curious, explore different cultures, and always dig deeper into the 'why' behind their projects.

Takeaways

• 😀 Sarah is from near Milan, Italy, and initially studied product design at Milan Polytechnic before pursuing PSSD for a more comprehensive education.
• 😀 Sarah chose the business aspect of PSSD, which helped her gain a broader understanding of design and business, influencing her current career.
• 😀 Understanding business principles alongside design is crucial for aspiring designers, as it helps in managing projects and clients effectively.
• 😀 Sarah's initial goal was to spread good design practices wherever she lived or worked, leading her to move to China for her first job.
• 😀 In her first job in a Chinese company, Sarah faced challenges in balancing design methodology with tight project timelines, learning to adapt to the realities of client-driven design processes.
• 😀 Sarah highlights the importance of focusing on essential design elements when under pressure and clearly communicating the value of the design process to clients.
• 😀 After completing a double master's degree, Sarah and her business partner Benedetta founded their own studio, Panglossian, which now has branches in Venice, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong.
• 😀 Running their own studio was challenging but rewarding, and Sarah is now responsible for photography, branding, workshops, and managing her team.
• 😀 Despite the daily challenges, Sarah finds her work fulfilling, especially when it allows her to shape the future of design.
• 😀 Sarah believes designers have a unique ability to make solutions smarter, user-friendly, and more efficient by addressing both the tangible and intangible aspects of design.
• 😀 Sarah encourages future designers to remain curious, explore different cultures, and dig deeper into the 'why' behind design challenges to become better, more open-minded professionals.

Q & A

What motivated Sarah to pursue PSSD instead of continuing her studies in product design?

Sarah felt that her initial studies in product design were not enough, and she sought a more comprehensive education, which PSSD offered. She was especially drawn to the business aspect of PSSD, which she found valuable for her career.

How did Sarah’s background in design and business contribute to her current career?

Sarah believes that having a solid understanding of both design and business has been crucial to her career. It helped her understand the bigger picture of projects and better address the needs of clients.

What was Sarah’s goal when she began studying PSSD?

Her goal was to bring good design anywhere she went, whether in Italy or abroad, ensuring that design principles would be understood and applied globally.

Why did Sarah move to China, and what challenges did she face in her first job there?

Sarah moved to China for a job in a Chinese company. She faced the challenge of balancing her design methodology with the pressures of real-world project timelines, where time constraints forced her to simplify and focus on the most crucial elements of design.

What realization did Sarah have about design processes when working with tight project schedules?

Sarah realized that, while design education trains you to follow tight schedules, real-world project timelines are even more demanding. She had to focus on the essentials and explain to clients why certain design processes, like pausing to reflect, were crucial.

What is Panglossian, and what role does Sarah play in the company?

Panglossian is a design studio co-founded by Sarah and her business partner Benedetta. Sarah handles various aspects of the studio, including photography, branding, workshops, and managing employees.

How does Sarah describe the daily challenges she faces at Panglossian?

Sarah describes the daily challenges as demanding but also fulfilling. She is grateful for her team, noting a moment when they gifted her the 'World's Best Boss' cup as a token of appreciation.

What does Sarah hope for the future of designers in the industry?

Sarah hopes that the role of designers becomes more prominent, both in tangible and intangible aspects of the product-service system. She also believes that designers have the ability to create smarter, more user-friendly, and smoother solutions.

Why does Sarah emphasize the importance of understanding the cultural and contextual aspects of design?

Sarah believes that diving deep into the cultural and contextual parts of a design project is essential for creating meaningful solutions. She emphasizes the importance of understanding these factors to develop better and more relevant designs.

What advice does Sarah give to future designers, especially those who are currently students?

Sarah encourages future designers to stay curious, always question the 'why' behind a project, and to embrace travel and cultural exploration. She believes these experiences will broaden their perspectives and make them more open-minded, which is crucial for becoming better designers.