News

IED for iF DESIGN MARATHON 2022

Date

07 October 2022

Thanks to the "The future is rail", a project in partnership with the italian NGO Legambiente, the Product Design students are among the protagonists of the international initiative

IED Istituto Europeo di Design is the protagonist of the fifth day of the IF Design Marathon 2022, a prestigious international initiative that celebrates the combination of design and social commitment. Seventeen days, from 5 to 27 October, dedicated to the theme including presentations, talk rounds and conference meetings, which will involve designers from eleven different countries from four continents.

Among the Italians involved in the Marathon is IED Rome and its three-year course in Product Design, coordinated by Marika Aakesson, who for the occasion will present "The future is rail", a thesis project developed by the recent graduates of the course together with Legambiente. The students imagined and designed the trains of the future based on the needs of all - or almost all - types of travelers. Eight proposals came out: from the seats designed for users who work inside the train and which guarantee comfort and privacy, to the optimization of the design of products for the disinfection of spaces on the train for the prevention of epidemics; from the brand for food distribution which, through cooperation between restaurateurs and railway companies, allows travelers to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, to the range of services for travelers with pets, to ensure suitable spaces for their rest and relaxation. And then, again, medical assistance projects, new toilet designs and, even, a real train gym to meet the needs of athletes.

The "The Future is Rail" project, on display at the marathon on 11 October, starts from the analysis of the trends that have changed during the pandemic, or that were partly already present or in the process of evolution and that have undergone a acceleration from the phenomenon, with the ambition to implement the public interested in traveling by rail and, consequently, in feeding sustainable and safe transport.