Ernesto Gismondi Founder and President of Artemide

Our projects are all developed with the best ICT technologies and the most sophisticated design, but keeping in mind people (Ernesto Gismondi)

"Artemide is the result of an idea Sergio Mazza and I had when we were young. I had the first idea when I wasworking at Breda Meccanica Bresciana designing missiles. I was seeking an inspiration, I wanted to startmyown business producing parts in that sector. But I had doubts on the future of that market in Italy. Don't askme how, but after having thought about it, the idea of producing lamps came up to me". This is how Ernesto Gismondi, founder and president of Artemide, a company in which design is a must, talks about himself.

"When designing a lamp we always take into consideration peoples needs in different moments" continues Gismondi "we try to make products which respect the different needs of work and home and that are also aesthetically pleasing". Continuous innovation is essential: new materials, new technologies, new shapes and of course, at the first place, new people's needs. Research is always on the go. Our last frontier is My White Light: the light that seems white has in factmany nuances, many different colours and temperatures. At the end of the 19th century, Lord Kelvin said that if one wanted a moon coloured light it would have 20000 °K, whereas a romantic candle light has only 2200 °K. Human physiology responds differently to various white lights in diverse situations. To learn more about the subject Artemide consulted the Istituto di Medicina del Lavoro, the San Raffaele Institute and CEFRIEL-Politecnico di Milano.

Gismondi shows us one of his latest creations: "We have produced lamps in which it is possible to regulate both the luminous intensity and the colour temperature. We can also suggest, thanks to medical physiological studies, the best usage. Technological innovation is in these cases of utmost importance, yesterday we used incandescent lamps, today we can control leds perfectly. Research is therefore necessary to know in which direction to go in order to satisfy the physiological needs of people, ICT technological innovation is essential for realizing our products and last but not least, design is crucial as it pleases the aesthetic sense of our clients and allows to integrate our lamps in the most varied interiors". Gismondi's vision of the union between technology and design is "partly marriage, partly war: while following the future, we also need to satisfy those clients who simply need an appliance that produces light, in houses in which many points of light are now creating theatrical scenes". This is why professional figures have changed. Today successful designers - in companies like Artemide - must also be valid technicians and scenographers, while engineers need to understand the reference terms of designers. This winning combination between state of the art technology and design is an authentic Italian brand recognised worldwide.