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Creative Industries: the job of the naval architect and designer

Interviewing Mr. Andrea Colli, a naval architect and designer, has been an interesting 
experience as it allowed me to realize how much the field of naval architecture, in particular, the job of boat-building and that of designing on-board equipment and motors, can relate to other creative jobs. Besides coordinating the activity of his studio "H3O Yacht Design," based in Milan, Italy, Mr. Colli designs different shapes of boats and their external and internal lay-outs. In doing this, creativity means taking care of every single aspect of the design of each new model, including the creation of the structures and on-board systems. On a daily basis, Mr. Colli's job consists of interacting with the technical offices of construction sites, studying new elements and new functional aspects, planning boats' internal fittings, components and accessories, meeting customers, and dedicating himself to the promotion of the company's business. 

As Mr. Colli has explained in the interview, "creativity in general, and in the naval 
architecture field, covers social, cultural and economic areas." A creative worker, like Mr. Colli, is someone who communicates with society, who innovates, creates and develops in order to satisfy and meet his customers' needs and wants. Thanks to Mr. Colli's contributions throughout the interview, I realized that the field in which he works is clearly part of the creative economy, as it consists of a sector which specializes in the use of creative talent for commercial purposes (Newbigin, n.d.). Indeed, as Mr. Colli explained, "the nautical sector is one where passion, creativity, talent and experience are extraordinary components." In terms of creativity, "the job of the naval architect and designer, also means understanding and anticipating the tastes of the market. When design and creativity are applied to industry, as in this sector, the latter is no longer a 'science' but it becomes a creative discipline," he added. 

The interview allowed me to further understand how certain countries, such as Italy, consider well-established business-to-business and business-to-consumer industries (such as publishing, software, advertising and design) as part of the creative economy. In this sense, the field of nautical architecture is part of the creative industries and it incorporates other creative jobs such as those in the field of research and development, marketing and advertising, public relations, and of course design. As the interview proved, the combination of culture, creativity and commerce that the creative industries represent, is a powerful way of providing a distinctive image of a country and of its culture. As Mr. Colli sustains "aesthetics perceptions are diverse and subjective, and vary from country to country. One has to study these perceptions, evaluate and integrate them, but at the same time, pay attention to them as what is 'beautiful' and attractive, is such always and everywhere." Mr. Colli further explained that the Italian naval engineering and design is well recognized globally, especially in the American continent, where the Italian imprint creates the beauty of the object (the boat), its shape and structure, and this has become throughout the years, one of the main reasons for purchasing. 

Moreover, what surprised me during the interview was noticing and acknowledging how the  nautical sector has been able to treasure the years of the 2008 economic crisis, in order to restructure itself and set the right conditions for a solid and lasting recovery that is independent of the Italian economic situation and environment. Throughout his career years (from 1990 onwards), Mr. Colli has noticed a big change in trends, that is, a new attitude towards consumption. As he explained, his sector has shifted from the era of quantity to that of quality. A greater attention to detail, skillful use of materials, formal elegance combined with functionality has allowed him to restructure and set the right conditions to succeed in this sector. 


References: 
Newbigin, J. (n.d.). What is the creative economy? British Council | Creative Economy. Retrieved from https://creativeconomy.britishcouncil.org/guide/what-creative-economy/





Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 18, 2020 at 8:20 AM

    Very insightful entry Allegra, I think it's really interesting that your interviewee spoke about the creative process in his work, which as you mention, does not come across as an obvious thing element when we talk about designing in areas that are not considered to be artistic. Great entry.,

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