CREATIVE CULTURAL DISTRICT; Co-Creativity for the ComOn Design industries

The future of the global market and of the society we live in is increasingly influenced by creativity and the ability to generate ideas, knowledge, innovation. The term “Creative Class” includes the following catego- ries: entrepreneurs, public and private executives, mana- gers, researchers, and professionals. ComON Design was launched by initiative of the Como section of the Confederation of Italian Industries to allow young European creative talents to get to know the territo- rial industry and has laid the basis for a systemic coo- peration between local enterprises on the one hand and training institutions on the other. The project therefore transfers knowledge within the design sector and creates networks capable of promoting the strengths of the local area. To this purpose, the best performing students of Milan Polytechnic’s course in Industrial Design, divided into pairs, were assigned to several companies of the Como District (DESALTO, LEMA, LIMONTA, LIVING DIVANI, POLIFORM, RIVA 1920); the goal was to implement a joint design project that would involve market experts and har- monise production constraints and fresh creative energy. All the prototypes resulting from the projects were then displayed at the Triennale Design Museum of Milan. The paper presents all the main aspects of this experien- ce, creating a teaching model that integrates with the re- ference local manufacturing industry; a training model that has made to transfer the expertise and practical excellen- ce of the local districts / clusters of creative companies