I have the impression that for you the label ‘artistic director’ is a rather tight fit. More generally, I am prompted to say that today, inevitably, those who design for a company, at all levels, cannot help but also design the market, the distribution, a new audience.
It depends what you mean by artistic direction. In our world, unfortunately, it is seen as a military occupation of all the creative roles inside a company. For me, on the other hand, it means surrounding yourself with design intellects that are different from yours, to be ready to approach the new challenges of the market. The true issue is to always find new counterparts with whom to establish a relationship, a new audience for new products.
In my view, historic design brands bask in the idea of having a fixed position in the imaginary of generations: but obviously that is not the case, and it will not suffice to be included in the permanent collections of the most important design museums, in order to feel like you can stay above the competition. Brands are quickly forgotten, in spite of their history. We need to break out of the inner circles of the sector and the historic audience of reference (that wants to crystallize things inside a world of melancholy nostalgia), to get in touch with new generations thanks to correct products, gauged to respond to new needs, that provide the cue to narrate what Danese has been able to do with its legendary and iconic products, once you have caught people’s attention.