Signs of Mediation : Tracing Magistretti’s Work in Specialist Magazines

This essay is the outcome of a study conducted as part of the research project sponsored by ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne and conducted by an international team. The project looked at the design work of Vico Magistretti with the intention of analyzing the production history of some of his designs, and to answer the question: why does a brand stop manufacturing design classics? This essay reports the outcomes of the critical analysis conducted by the author on the mediation of Magistrett's work, through specialized design magazines from 1960s to 2000s (especially Domus and Ottagono). The study conducted provides some answers to the questions posed by the research team and finally offers a critical reflection on the dynamics of the furniture design market in the second half of the twentieth century.