Interview With Cinelli's Chief Art Director Alessandra Cusatelli

interview with cinelli's chief art director alessandra cusatelli 11/12/14 10:42
interview with cinelli's chief art director alessandra

cusatelli
dec 10, 2014
interview with cinelli's chief art director alessandra cusatelli
interview with cinellis chief art director alessandra cusatelli

image designboom
images courtesy of cinelli
following the interview with cinellis head engineer fabrizio aghito,
http://www.designboom.com/technology/interview-cinelli-chief-?utm_campaign=daily&utm_medium=e-mail&utm_source=subscribers Pagina 1 di 9
designboom continues its three part studio visit series by sitting down with
the italian bicycle manufacturers chief art director alessandra cusatelli, to
understand more about her experience of growing up and studying in milan,
her design philosophy and the possibilities for the company in the future.
after studying at the istituto europeo di design and politecnico di milano, and
working for design studios and in her independent practice, alessandra has
been in the role at cinelli since 2001. she has overseen the charismatic
decoration of the bicycles and merchandise ranges that cinelli are famous for,
and has managed the collaborations with multiple artists including; mike
giant, zio ziegler, and carlos and miguel donjuan.
designboom (DB): please could you tell us a bit about your background and
how you came to work as the chief art director for cinelli?
alessandra cusatelli (AC): in 1986 I took a degree in industrial design at the

european design institute in milan. in the 1980s the city my native city was a
hotbed of creativity, where cultural movements like memphis and alchimia were
the leading players. major exhibitions at the triennale offered extensive tributes
to design where the buzzword was experimentation. this was the period in
which the international council of societies of industrial design (ICSID) came to
milan, bringing greater fame to the city and thanks to the collateral activities
organized by associazione per il disegno industriale (ADI), with the visionary
support and intelligence of small and medium italian companies, the future of
what was to become the capital of design began to take form. today the period of
the salone del mobile is an enormous international event with all that it entails
for better or worse.
to get back to my own experience, after working in some well-known designs

studios I started my own independent practice, designing objects for different
sectors, including sporting goods. at first I designed bike components for 3T, and
later I worked on the colors and graphics of cinelli bicycles. after a few years of
independent work, I realized that my way of designing and having an impact on
the progress of companies was only partial. I felt a need to expand my project
range so I went back to school and completed a masters program in strategic
design at the milan polytechnic. this led me to corporate positions, first with
kappa and then with cinelli, where Ive been working for 15 years.
alessandra (left) at eurobike show 2014 with team cinelli chrome rider kelli
samuelson (right)
DB: who / what has been the biggest influence on your work to date?
AC: I have already mentioned the cultural scene in the 1980s which if you were
living and working in the city where many of the greatest designers were
located, was undoubtedly stimulating and a source of inspiration. at the time we
young milanese designers, by birth or by residence, were a small but very active
international community with a great desire to do things, to learn and to
exchange ideas. certainly a part of this was also the birth of the domus academy
which brought vitality and experiences from all over the world to our city.
design templates displaying different color combinations

image designboom
DB: overall what would you say is your strongest skill and how have you
honed that skill over the years?
AC: intuition and the ability to interpret certain languages thanks to a constant
passion for contemporary art, time spent in museums, and a feminine sensibility
we girls should all be proud of.
the 2015 strato faster has a renewed body and soul
DB: where do you look for new ideas and inspiration?
AC: there is no precise or constant area from which I get inspiration as it varies
depending on the project of which I am working on. often the creative antennae
which have a life of their own, guides you to one context as opposed to another.
in other cases it might not even be correct to talk about inspiration because the
objectives are so definite and the constraints so precise, that the work practically
runs along a very clear track.
DB: have any other designers or artists influenced your way of thinking?
AC: definitely the masters of italian design, like magistretti, castiglioni and
munari. they are examples of intelligence, humanity, irony and surprising
inventive force.
the 2015 very best of bicycle in its new three tones livery
DB: are there any colors/designs you personally try to avoid using?
AC: I can mention a phrase I read on the cover of an issue of domus a few years
ago, my favorite color is the rainbow and at the end of the rainbow there is a
treasure chest with also gold and silver
DB: are there any new projects that you are working on? if so, could you
enlighten our readers with some information?
AC: we are designing the 2016 line of bicycles and accessories, and moving
forward with some interesting product partnerships.
mike giants artwork for cinelli
DB: is there a artist/designer that you would love to see collaborate with
cinelli and if so, who?
AC: luckily some of the artists I most admire already work with cinelli, or have
done so in the past. keith haring who decorated the laser track bikes which are
now an icon and the synthesis of the cinelli philosophy, is one such example.
we have done very successful projects with mike giant, both futura 2000 and
death spray have decorated cinelli frames and parts, while the door of our
warehouse was decorated by zio ziegler a very young and talented artist from
san francisco.
the covers of our catalogs have been completed by young international artists.
art is part of the companys DNA. its president and owner, antonio colombo, is a
collector and he also owns an art gallery. his passion is an integral part of every
product right down to the names and it intertwines with all our design
actions.
one designer with whom I would like to work with is jony ive. I met him last
year in new york, at a benefit auction organized by bono of U2. we had a
conversation there, and later, reading the biography of steve jobs, I realized his
design approach is very much in tune with that of cinelli, and certain similarities
made me think that our company is like a small apple in the world of bicycles.
DB: do you have any advice for emerging students who would like to
specialize in art the way you do?
AC: young people have access to much more information than they once did and
its easier to get involved in movements through different cultures. they already
have great skills so I dont think I should be giving them advice related to that
but I recommend that they nurture their curiosities and passions. as well, they
should try and range as widely as possible in design because its wide variety of
applications, is an activity that lets you have all kinds of experiences.
the cinelli laser nostra auctioned for RED cause at the sum of $47.500
DB: what are you passionate about besides your work?
AC: I love to travel, and I am passionate about art, cinema, architecture and
sports.
DB: whats your personal motto?
AC: one thing leads to another.

Interview With Cinelli's Chief Art Director Alessandra Cusatelli

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interview with cinelli's chief art director alessandra cusatelli 11/12/14 10:42