Master in Sustainable Car Design

The Course

The course aims at elaborating the future of sports cars design through the analysis of current design trends and through philosophical thinking about the profound changes that the “car product” is undergoing.

The availability of new and innovative energy sources, from solar to hydrogen, will not only create new machines but also a radical shift in the transportation paradigm. Aesthetics and use of sports cars will go through a complete rethinking and a new vision is required.

The objective of this course is to create a new design vernacular for future sports cars through a semiotic analysis of the significance of sport and its relation with the human being. At the Ferrari and Lamborghini Museums, it will be possible to examine in depth the significance of sports cars in the very context where they were first created.

Study objectives

Multidisciplinary approach and Design thinking:

Students learn to adapt knowledge, skills and new approaches to reach collaborative solutions based on ecological, economical and socio-cultural sustainability.

Students learn to apply creative problem-solving methods and tools in facilitating dialogs, defining problems, generating ideas and obtaining solutions.

Content of the studies

The Creative Sustainability program comprises classroom lessons, group assignments workshops, practical projects, and a thesis. Courses deepen the basis for professional skills in sustainable product design. Courses and projects are carried out within topics of interest for partner organizations that can be local or international car manufacturers, energy providers, city planners or other associations or public organizations.

The Master consists of 60 ECTS composed of compulsory studies in the Department of Design, compulsory Creative Sustainability design studies and optional studies. The pedagogical approach is based on integrating teaching and research, problem-based learning, and a strong connection to practical outcomes.

Course List for Master Studies 2020

Block One: Design Full Immersion Studies (Motor Valley Museums)

• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Ferrari Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Lamborghini Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Ducati Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Pagani Museum
• Design Full Immersion Studies @ Maserati Museum

Block Two: Semiotic Studies (Maranello Village Classroom)

• Semiotic studies 1: Introduction to Semiotics
• Semiotic studies 2: The Power of Myth
• Semiotic studies 3: Semiotics of Sustainability
• Semiotic studies 4: Semiotics of Transport Design
• Semiotics of Lamborghini design: tradition and modernity
• Semiotics of Ducati design: from Centaur to Unicorn
• Semiotics of Ferrari design: the Sign of Power

Block Three: Strategic Design (Maranello Village Classroom)

• History of Design
• Aesthetic Studies
• Cultural Anthropology
• Strategic Design Studies: Coherence between product and Brand design Block Four: Sustainable Design (Maranello Village Classroom)
• Sustainable Design
• Philosophy of Sustainability
• Epistemology of Forms: Origin and meanings
• Artistic identity through an analysis of forms

Block Five: Professional Transportation Design Studies (Maranello Village Classroom)

• Vehicle engineering studies
• Symbiosis between vehicles and city
• Professional Car Design Studies: Ferrari designer Janmejay Desay Masterclass

Block Six: Historical Perspectives on Sports and City (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)

• Dynamism: epistemology of forms throughout history (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)
• History of Beauty: meaning and artistic expressions throughout history (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)
• History of Cities: Early models, Evolution, and Sustainability (Universita Europea di Roma Classroom)

“In Maranello, we Create Future Car Designers”

Maranello Design Academy is a Certified Graduate School specialized in design studies. The courses are certified by University’ Europa di Roma.

https://www.universitaeuropeadiroma.it

At Maranello Design Academy we are committed to train students and transform them into high-level professionals.

We have a unique program that is based on a very close collaboration with the industry and offers very special opportunities to experience the Italian design and art culture.

Our program is based on three main pillars:

1. Learning by Doing

Students at M.D.A. learn by doing in small studio classes led by professional designers, giving the possibility of reaching a high level of design skills and competence during the study years.

2. Full Immersion Sketching

Sketching and learning design in galleries and museums of some of the most famous sports cars and motorbike manufacturers such as Ferrari, Maserati, Lamborghini, Ducati, Pagani, and Alfa Romeo.

3. Full Immersion Art

The M.D.A. curriculum includes visits to the most important Italian Art Museums and historical architectural sites. In this way, students develop their aesthetic skills in areas like painting, sculpture, and architecture by visiting the historical masterpieces of the Italian art culture in Rome, Florence, and Venice.

Full Immersion

Car design lives and breathes in both the classroom and its surrounding environment. Maranello Design Academy is dedicated to immersing the student in these realms by offering a unique “Live Sketching Programme”.

With the guidance of professional designers and field trips exploring the car museums of Motor Valley, the students at Maranello Design Academy are exposed to examples of contemporary and historic car and motorbikes models at the Museums and Galleries of Maserati, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati and Pagani where they will practice design sketching “live”.

During these special sketching classes, students are introduced to fundamental ways of seeing, thinking, and doing that are essential for anyone interested in pursuing a career in transportation design.

Factory Visits

Maranello Design Academy's educational philosophy is rooted in a deep interaction between teachers and students in the studio, in the field, and in one-on-one mentoring. The Full Immersion program course is broad in its range of discourse but specifically meant for each participating student. By the conclusion of the program, the students have received an engaging introduction to the rich design and engineering context of Motor Valley, where the school is located and will have begun to develop and refine their own distinctive approach to learning about design.

Maranello Design Academy takes its students on a cultural journey through the fascinating museums and production facilities full of history and technology of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, Maserati, and Ducati. We believe that the “Full Immersion Programme” offers possibly the highest example in terms of quality and in the technical knowledge offered to the students. The program provides personalized visits and one-on-one lectures with prominent designers and engineers that will share their professional experiences and give diligent attention to all the student’s design challenges.

Full Immersion Art

Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci: Rome, Venice, and Florence are open-air architectural museums, where the evolution of styles, techniques can be witnessed by walking around the magnificent Plazas or by visiting their incredibly rich museums.

For design students, Italy is a paradise with an invaluable wealth of works and places.

Maranello Design Academy has a special “Full Immersion Programme”: an immersive program that introduces students to the invaluable wealth of works and place of the Italian artistic tradition and culture.

This program is intended to help students gain and develop a deeper sense of forms, proportions, and colors through the critical thinking and observation of the most important artistic masterpieces of the World.

Familiarizing with the expansive architectural and artistic culture of Italy the students become immersed in the visual and structural landscape and its cultural context.

Maranello Design Academy provides the students with a unique opportunity to experience Italian architecture, painting, and sculpture first hand through field trips to Rome, Venice, Florence, Bologna, and many other important cities and museums.