We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Giuliano Ricciardi about their original and creative Mussel Knife design work. Giuliano Ricciardi is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original mussel knife works.
Giuliano Ricciardi ("GR") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Iedde Mussel Knife. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
GR : Taranto, my city, is famous for the production of mussels. This year the Taranto mussel has become a Slow Food presidium and, on the occasion of this recognition, the inspiration was born to design an object that was linked to this typical Taranto product.
GR : Analyzing the tradition, it emerged that the grammella was useful to best represent the city. Iedde, therefore, was born from the desire to create a re-edition of the traditional grammella. A redesign operation that is not simple because the traditional grammella is a poor object resulting from an anonymous design.
GR : Iedde is already in production. The first series is of 100 pieces and is characterized by a progressive serial number useful for identifying the very first production. Being a symbolic object of the city, production will continue and, thanks to the support of the Municipality of Taranto, it will also become the city's cadeau. Furthermore, the name IEDDE has become representative of the brand with which I am starting the production of tools and products intended for the consumption and processing of the prized Taranto mussel
GR : The redesing of this concept required a careful analysis of the traditional grammella, but also of its use. Some prototypes have been made and the appropriate corrections have been made on the basis of these in order to obtain a functional and practical object.
GR : I drew this concept for several reasons. the first is the desire to design a representative object of my city. it is also true that it had been commissioned as a gadget for a well-known restaurant in my city whose owner, however, judged the compensation I requested exorbitant.
GR : Iedde is currently produced and sold by me, but a brand with the same name will soon be born and with which other concepts associated with the consumption and processing of mussels will be produced. The idea of transferring the production rights to another company is interesting and I will certainly evaluate the proposals that arrive.
GR : the desire to create a symbolic object of my city and linked to tradition
GR : The grammella is a very simple object, but at the same time unique in its kind. I was inspired by the work of other craftsmen who produce oyster openers, but it is also true that this tool is different from mine because it is intended for a very different seafood.
GR : Iedde does not have a defined target. It can arouse the interest of individuals who want a design mussel opener for special occasions or it can be purchased by high-level restaurants that want to offer their customers valuable tableware, but also by brands that want to offer their consumers particular gadgets. such as wineries or restaurant chains. The municipality of taranto wants to make Iedde official gift of the city
GR : in this product it is the ergonomics and the shape that make the difference compared to common tools for opening molluscs and seafood
GR : Iedde is the translation into the Taranto dialect of the pronoun "she". I wanted an iconic name for an iconic object, so when I'm looking for "she", I'm looking for "the grammella" and not a common grammella
GR : first of all I developed several pencil sketches inspired by the shape of the mussel. After the sketches I switched to a 3d modeler with which I modeled the object and made some renders to evaluate the finish of the handle. Finally, thanks to 3D printing, I produced the first specimen. This example was used by the craftsman who produced the first prototype
GR : Definitely the handle that takes shape from the mussels and the curved shape of the blade.
GR : the project was entirely developed by me, but the support of the craftsman I selected to make the grammelle was very useful
GR : I wanted a handcrafted object, but, at the same time, always the same in each copy. To obtain this result, the use of laser technology for cutting the blades and numerical control machines for modeling the handles was essential. The chamfering of the blades and the finishing of the entire object is manual
GR : Research has been indispensable above all because the traditional grammella is a poor object born more from a necessity than from a project. The study was mainly focused on ergonomics and structure.
GR : the redesign of an anonymous design object is already a challenge, precisely because these objects are often very minimal and with very simple functions. In my case, the grammella is a tool used to open and shell mussels. The main challenge was to evaluate the traditional object to improve it above all from the point of view of ergonomics and structure, thus making it an aesthetically refined object with an attractive design while maintaining simplicity of use and perfect functionality.
GR : Dozens of design concepts are produced every year. Some of these are destined to become products, others remain prototypes, still others remain simple sketched ideas. A very refined design object, linked to tradition, territory, and in which the famous formula "form follows function" certainly deserves a nomination for a design contest
GR : Iedde is the first kitchen tool that I design. In designing it I learned a lot about ergonomics, dimensions, materials and finishes. Simplicity, even if combined with a complex shape, always wins over any applied decoration, especially if we are talking about an object intended for very manual use
GR : Design is a continuous evolution of itself, thanks to the improvement of technique and technology, new materials and new trends.
