3 Things Creatives Can Learn from Milan Design Week 2024

Image credit: Brandon Russell via Unsplash

Milan Design Week is quite possibly the biggest design event of the year. Trends are set and creative stories are told.

So much happens at the event – from fashion and furniture to experiences and installations. Like a magpie to a shiny object, my focus is always on the latter.

As a senior creative with a background in design, I am always interested to see how brands show up and encourage audience participation at a large, cultural event like Milan Design Week.

As I look back on the week, with an Italian dark roast espresso in hand, I’ve pulled together three learnings that creatives can take from Milan Design Week 2024.

1. Stick to storytelling

Milan Design Week often gets criticised for being over-saturated with brands and artists fighting for visibility. When in fact, it successfully brings together headline names in a strategic way.

Within each experience, there is a strong foundation of beautifully told stories. These stories, when told well, play a balancing act of connecting unique themes with a cohesive brand story. Immersing guests into the experience before they have even stepped foot into design week territory.

Lexus was a great example of this, telling a compelling story of next-generation mobility through the theme of time. Executing this with two immersive art installations; Beyond the Horizon and 8 Minutes and 20 Seconds.

Beyond the Horizon came to life in the real world in a theatrical ten-minute sequence. It showed life from sunrise to sunset, alongside a live soundtrack composed by the musician Keiichiro Shibuya.

I thought it was quite a clever way to tell a lovely story, one which encouraged visitors to capture the beautiful, changing light.

2. Don’t prioritise products, prioritise experience

Usually when we work to briefs, the ask is about creating an 80% focus on product and a 20% focus on a stand-alone ‘pure’ experience. (These stats are not from our strategy department, so sorry Charlie L.). Whereas at Milan Design Week, I find quite the opposite.

Because the experience takes up the ‘80%’ at Milan Design Week, it allows the moment that guests finally interact with the product to be a highlight. Ultimately making the product more memorable and allowing the experience to live free of distractions.

Porsche’s Art of Dreams installation is a great example of this, spotlighting a climbing installation whilst showcasing a single Porsche 911. However, my favourite this year came from an unexpected toilet in ‘Terminal 02’ by Samuel Ross and Kohler.

The installation symbolises the movement of water and provides an immersive, sensory experience – encouraging guests to follow a maze-like set of industrial orange tubes, led by the flow of water running through them. As you explore the maze, the water stops off at pockets where there sits either a tactile experience or a perfectly positioned product.

I loved to see the experience and the installation become the central feature and the product blend into this seamlessly and subtly. The outcome was a super impactful sculpture that created so much intrigue, particularly in contrast with the historic Palazzo del Senato.

Far too many times we see brands wanting to have the product front and centre and then building the experience around it. Successful brands at Milan Design Week own the 80%/20%.

At TRO, we are always encouraging clients to hero the experience and let the products speak for themselves. I think Milan Design Week hosts so many great examples as to why this works so well.

3. Be calm, to be bold (less is more)

Milan Design Week invites the bold and the confident. Year on year, it’s recognised ‘clean luxury’ aesthetic turns heads and makes project managers and creatives wonder “how did they get away with that?” Mainly referring to the lack of branding or product.

The brands that make headlines and produce beautiful, relevant work, are the ones who are bold enough to trust the process. The ones who let artists shine and aren’t afraid to hero a single colour, idea or product.

I found Oatly’s MDW premier this year spoke to this idea. Showing up with the Designed for Humans experiential pop up – taking over a quiet space with a serene courtyard heroing a single sky-blue colour with a central feature: The Fountain of Youth.

The fountain encouraged visitors to not only get involved in the sampling, but it also provided a bold storytelling piece that was guaranteed to bring people through the door. Who doesn’t want to be young forever?

Milan Design Week always inspires me to take the creative to the next level when bringing brands to life in the real world.​

​This article was originally published on the TRO website 7 May 2024.