A blind person walks down the street, guided by their own clothing, which indicates where there is a curb. A skateboarder manages to use their hands as signals, not by extending their arm before turning, but thanks to a device that intelligently illuminates their clothing. A child uses recycled cardboard turned into an ambulance and, in the process, learns about road safety.
All of these solutions stem from design.
The Integrative Project brings together the creative talent of aspiring designers and the production capabilities of companies. Combined with the decision to work with local suppliers, this results in a commitment to prioritizing domestic production.
The only way for a company to stand out for what it does is by designing and manufacturing locally.
Mr. Daniel Domínguez
The School of Design encourages the formation of partnerships between future professionals and companies. This year—the 13th edition, coordinated by Domínguez—saw record participation: more than 150 companies applied, and 63 were ultimately selected. Since 2008, a total of 592 companies have participated.
The dean of the faculty, Eduardo Hipogrosso, believes that, within a mature university education system, “it is to be expected that there will be a close relationship between academia and the business community, both public and private.”
We have always understood that this integration is a win-win for everyone involved. Young professionals, free from preconceptions and established mindsets, can creatively contribute solutions that align with each company’s goals.
Eduardo Hipogrosso
Design and Mobility
In recent times, Montevideo’s streets have seen the introduction of rental scooters. In addition to the regulations, which are overseen by the city government, it is necessary to provide safety equipment for their riders.
To increase visibility on public roads, Josefina Coll’s (Fashion Design) project for the Grin brand proposes a line of smart clothing. On the one hand, it incorporates traditional elements, such as reflective strips, but also innovative features like the use of electronics: for example, gloves with sensors that light up the wearer’s arms like a traffic signal.
In addition, more and more people are buying their own scooters. Marina Cardozo (Industrial Design) contributed by designing charging stations for the vehicles. In this regard, the company’s goal was to increase user engagement. That is why this project aims to encourage riders to get into the habit of bringing their scooters to the charging stations.
Design and Training
Is there anything more exciting for a child than playing with a cardboard box?
If we add to that the skills and creativity of designers, we can further stimulate children’s imagination, while also contributing to their development.
A cardboard box is a neutral object that sparks the imagination. With just a little creativity, a child can turn it into a castle, a kiosk, or a vehicle. Julieta Adano’s (Industrial Design) project for the company Rustikids is called Chiche and reimagines the traditional cardboard box: it is a durable, sustainable product (made from reforested materials) crafted using state-of-the-art techniques such as CNC (computer numerical control) milling, which allows for the production of high-precision parts, such as interlocking pieces.
Chiche doesn't have just one way to play or a single "correct" way to use it. It's a toy that encourages children's imagination and freedom while playing, through the interaction of a structure with various accessories.
“We are designed to play our whole lives.” This quote from Stuart Brown, winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, is reflected in Adano’s project, which encourages parents to adapt their play to the child’s age, while also taking into account that the material is durable and sustainable—in other words, long-lasting.
Play is also a means of fostering educational development, not only in terms of academic learning but also in terms of psychomotor skills. In the Minibosque project by Natalia Vicente (Industrial Design) and Paula Ferrando (Graphic Design), visual identity elements were created for communication and marketing purposes, as well as a very simple system of interlocking furniture, where children can build a game board and, in turn, begin to grasp the concept of order. This aims to help young children begin to develop a certain understanding of spatial organization so they can comprehend it.
How can design facilitate educational processes?
UJU is a company that develops board games for teenagers. María Noel San Román (Industrial Design) chose sexuality as her theme: her design aims to use play to address sex education and foster dialogue with a teenage audience.
Another example can be seen in the project by Tamara Rajchman (Industrial Design), who collaborated with the Pika brand. The student developed “Characters on the Street,” a playful system that encourages children to pretend to be drivers and, in the process, learn traffic rules and road safety. To do this, she turned cardboard boxes into fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars.
It is a game with a highly significant educational component, and it would be very appropriate for it to be used in schools.
Mr. Daniel Domínguez
At the Recreation exhibition, the Integrative Project team decided to highlight the importance of this and set up the booth to resemble a public road, complete with guide lines, crosswalks, and traffic signs.
Design and Inclusion
What should a desk be like for a user with limited mobility? For example, for a user who uses a wheelchair.
Paulina Ruvira (Industrial Design) proposed, for the company Creatica, a piece of equipment designed to improve the user experience for people in wheelchairs—for example, by incorporating an inclined surface for using a tablet. The key is to create furniture that adapts to the specific needs of a particular user group.
And how can technology help a blind person navigate public spaces?
Fashion design student Pilar Martínez created smart garments that allow users to interact with their surroundings: recognizing challenges and obstacles, and even identifying other people to interact with. She collaborated with Robotec, a company that provides technological solutions. The proposed product stems from the collaboration between the company and the designer, as well as the definition of the target audience. That is where the creative contribution lies: identifying a specific need within a particular audience.
Similarly, Florencia Fandiño (Industrial Design) designed playground equipment with a clear focus on inclusivity: collaborative games in which children with and without disabilities play together. This is a new type of playground equipment, created for the company Benito Salgado.
Once again, we see the value of combining a company’s desire to produce locally—by boosting its production capacity—with the exploration and research of a designer who is able to identify such opportunities.
Mr. Daniel Domínguez
Collaborative design and teamwork are key. “Projects generally go beyond a single design discipline. “Since the university, we’ve tried to ensure that discussions about solutions—just like in real life—take place openly, in teams,” said the dean. “That requires having a multidisciplinary team of faculty members who are actively practicing professionals, joined by graduates and professionals from the companies themselves, who help enrich the experience and support the development processes.”
Design and Customer Loyalty
With the aim of raising the school’s profile, Escuela Horizonte reached out to Recreación and found in Pedro Corso (Graphic Design) a voice to help promote itself.
Horizonte works with children who have severe to profound cerebral palsy and also serves as a home for many of the children who live there.
“The school didn’t have a defined identity; the logo was simply used as its identity. What I saw was that it lacked a cohesive visual universe to help generate content. What I proposed was a new identity, featuring bold colors that would perfectly reflect the school, highlighting its strengths: values, love, understanding, and a sense of family,” explained Corso. With those ideas in mind, he decided that the school’s new identity should be a smile. “The redesign aims to highlight the unique smile the children have when they greet you and the joy that shines through them,” he summarized.
Building user loyalty at sports facilities is also a challenge for future designers. On this occasion, we collaborated with Club Plaza Colonia (Danilo Losada, Graphic Design, and Fabrizio Casagrande, Multimedia Design), Club Biguá de Villa Biarritz (Matías Deangel, Multimedia Design), and Defensor Sporting Club (Camilo Carballo, Graphic Design).
In these cases, the development of graphic and multimedia content aims to bring fans and users closer to the organizations by creating content for apps and social media. For example, in the case of Plaza Colonia, Casagrande noted that one of the greatest needs was the development of digital and audiovisual content that would convey “the essence of the club and show it exactly as it is.” The future designer worked, alongside his colleague from Gráfico, on an institutional website, an online store, advertisements—“based on humor and warmth, two characteristics very much present in the club today”—, a self-service platform for the club’s canteen that automates the member’s purchasing process—“in addition to adding technological innovation to the venue”—and an institutional video.
