slowobjects is the practice of Vittorio Di Girolamo, product designer and design researcher.
I am an Italian industrial designer based in New York and originally from Rome, driven by the intersection of design, culture, and material practices. My background in industrial design, paired with a minor in Design+Anthropology, has shaped a strong commitment to ethnographic research, humanitarian design, and craft-centered methodologies.
I hold an MFA in Industrial Design from Parsons School of Design and a BFA in Industrial Design from Politecnico di Milano. My recent work spans material research in Maui and the island of Hawai'i, weaving fieldwork in the Anti-Atlas Mountains of Morocco, and a collaboration with Alessi, exploring how objects, systems, and cultural narratives can inform ethical design.
Awards & Exhibitions
Manifesto
Post Industrial Design
What can design be after capitalism?
It is important at this stage of design, and after so many years of industrial production, to readdress our needs. We must move from a 1–1 design model, where the designer works only for the client, to a 1–2 model. In this scenario, the “other client” includes all the people who will have to live with what we create.
The vision of the designer as a marketing savior for short-term profit is exhausted. In a new perspective, we must engage with others to create a more fragmented yet need-focused design.
A participatory design process, one that requires time and deep research, is the only way to move away from the old vision of industrial design. Focusing on specific communities and engaging with them to create artifacts that truly serve them is the only solution.