“It is not the designer who should be the star; it is the product. In the same vein, it is not the marketing decision-maker who should be the star; it is still the product. And for the product to become the star, it must have a history, a culture, and a level of savoir-faire that are inherent in the brand,” explains Franco Cologni. “Creativity is therefore not a simple exercise in pure freedom. It occurs in a precise context. It draws on its strength within a pre-determined DNA.”
This reflection provided the impetus that led to the recent founding of the ‘Creative Academy’. Located in a neighbourhood near Milan’s central district that is also home to the various Richemont operations in Italy, this academy is a unique design ‘school’ for watches, jewellery and accessories. It is housed in former industrial buildings that were remodelled by the talented Italian architects, Spadaro and Bonanno. This vast space, where cultural and design exhibitions are regularly held, is spread out over two floors and encompasses classrooms, workshops, and a large library containing design books, as well as the offices of the ‘Fondation des Métiers d'Art’, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the various professions related to the art of watchmaking and jewellery, which was created by Franco Cologni.

Dual approach
Compared to other design schools, the Creative Academy is distinguished by one major particularity. It is divided into two different yet totally complementary approaches. One is the ‘Creative Design’ path, intended for students coming from applied arts schools or with several years of professional experience. The other is quite original and is called ‘Creative Management.’
“The idea,” says Franco Cologni, “is to teach designers about the notion of the brand, and at the same time, to teach marketing people and brand managers about the concept of design. Too often, we observe that the marketing departments, after having identified a ‘need’ in their target audience, will command, in an authoritarian manner, a design that meets their needs. What we are looking for is something that brings mutual benefit, something that flows in both directions, contrary to a directive from the marketing managers to the creative department or, on the other side, from a ‘star’ designer that arbitrarily imposes his choices on the marketers. At the Creative Academy, we want to bring an awareness of creativity and all that it implies to the entire decision-making process.”

The students speak
During a visit in early June 2004, Europa Star had the opportunity to meet several students in the first year of ‘Creative Design’. Their training takes place over nine months and is divided into three parts. The first four months are devoted to the relationship between design and marketing and to the concept of brand identity. This initial training has practical implications. All the CEOs of the various brands of the Richemont Group come to talk about their particular vision. Various presentations are also given by a panel of experts from the companies and their marketing departments. Speakers from outside the group are also invited, as are members of the scientific committee of the school such as the famous designer, Ettore Sotsass.
The following two months deal with concrete design projects, beginning with real ‘briefs’ proposed by the group’s brands. “At this stage,” explains one student, “we are in a ‘real life’ context. We need to learn how to work fast, as a function of the requests. We must also, as in the real world, respect the idea of confidentiality.”
An internship in one of the companies completes the training program, and this is arranged according to the specialty desired by the student. Upon graduation, the students will earn the degree of Master in Design for Applied Arts.
The first group is made up of 18 students (a maximum of 20 are accepted) coming from around the world. We met young people, aged 21 to 32 years old, from France, Brazil, Mexico, India, and South Korea. All are either from the professional world or hold degrees from advanced schools. Everyone we spoke with is very enthusiastic about this novel program.
The students also talk highly about the concrete approach to design, the true element of discovery, the notion of the brand, and the strong correlation of their activity with all the other related professions and crafts. In particular, they appreciate the multi-cultural nature of the student group and the global approach of the intensive training, all of which opens their eyes to new and unexplored horizons.

The intelligence of the hand
Fabrice Paget, a professor and tutor at the school, is a former marketing director and watch development manager at Cartier, even though he is relatively young at 35. He explains in detail the training: “On a theoretical level, the students begin by studying the concepts of the brand, communication and luxury. They receive instruction in professions related to the art, their historical development, and their contemporary reality. This training is complemented by practical exercises: pure creation, applied exercises, graphic arts that allow students to concretely express the idea of the brand. They also have courses on methodology: how to work in concert with the marketing department, with the company. These classes also involve practical work on real projects. They go into development workshops. They learn how to proceed from the artisanal workshop to large-scale industrialization. In brief, it is a type of education that allows them to develop what we call, ‘intelligence of the hand’.

Research managers interested in creation
The first batch of students began the program January 12 and ended courses on July 23, followed by an internship in a company until the end of November. The Creative Academy is now recruiting for its second year from applicants around the world. The second branch proposed this year is ‘Creative Management’, which should start in mid-November 2004.
Franco Cologni explains it very clearly: “If, on one hand, designers must understand that they are not working in a purely imaginary world, then on the other hand, the marketing people must understand that there are no slaves that have to obey their orders. We want to irrigate the overall process with the waters of creative conscience.”
The academy recruits students from universities with marketing programs, enterprises, and the world of economics. “We want to change the enterprise from the ground up,” adds Cologni.
What a wonderful and ambitious, program...



For more information and how to apply, visit the website, www.creative-academy.com or send an email to [email protected].