Born and raised in Switzerland by Italian immigrants who decided to build a better future for themselves, I grew up learning several languages and a desire to follow in my parent's footsteps. The first 28 years of my life were spent in and around Bern, where I attended the Art Institute of Bern for two years before my apprenticeship as a draftsman, learning the basics of mechanical design and manufacturing. Afterward, I studied at the University of Applied Science in Bern, earning a bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering.The desire to explore the world led me to Hong Kong, where I arrived in June 2003 right after SARS. I never looked back and started a new chapter of my life in Asia. Within three years I had my own design consultancy while attending the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, earning an MBA in Innovation and Design. For 15 years I consulted clients in various categories of consumer goods, teaching myself industrial design. Combining the mindset of an Engineer and Designer, was not a straightforward endeavor, especially while also being an entrepreneur. But my stubbornness prevailed and I was able to make a living while gaining invaluable experiences.In 2014 I finally made a long-time dream come true by launching my watch collection. Again I was able to gain a lot of experiences unrelated to design & manufacturing. I had to focus on sales, marketing, and distribution, making everything work together and be profitable.In and around COVID, I decided it was time to switch back to employment. I contemplated several directions going forward. This led me to a postgraduate diploma in Digital Transformation from Columbia University, two certificates from IDEO (Storytelling and Communication for Impact) as well as a Personal Training certificate from NASM. Meanwhile, I was looking for interesting career opportunities that would align with my skillset and experience. I found the perfect job as the New Product Development Director for Hayco Group, starting my new role based in Shenzhen on the 1st of March 2022.Now I provide industrial design and product development services if they do not interfere with my position at Hayco. If you are interested in finding out more about what I can do for you, do not hesitate to contact me through the contact form at the bottom of the page.

These cufflinks are designed in the best tradition of Italian love for simplicity and respect for organic shapes. They are featuring a unique see-through look, which creates lightness, while the rough inner texture creates added contrast.Each cufflink is hand made from Sterling Silver. To keep its shine, they are individually polished and either Platinum or Rose Gold plated. The flat, fin-like stem keeps them from rotating while making it easy to put on and take off.

Do you remember as a kid, when you saw something for the first time, and you wondered how it works? Kids often ask their parents how things work or how they come to be the way they are. Sometimes the parents know what to say, sometimes they don't. Either way, the curiosity of a child is priceless and makes growing up a time of wonder and surprises.With this laminator design, I wanted to address creative inquiries, changing the user experience. I am showing how a laminator works, by creating a transparent laminator, exposing the heated rolls. By showing how the laminate and paper go in on one side and come out the other end as a melted unit, there is no more guessing what exactly happens anymore.The process of lamination is now fun and explainable for those parents, who love to show their kids how the world works.I continued the same train of thought for the user interface, which instead of a traditional rocking switch, features a turning knob. By using this turning knob, combined with the metal grating and the transparent cover, we are elevating the design to more than just a utilitarian object.

LUZERN kitchen utensils are designed in the best tradition of Italian love for ergonomics and sensuousness. Entirely manufactured in Germany, this one piece design saves on material and labor, while delivering a uniquely ergonomic experience. Each utensil is made of glass fiber-reinforced Nylon material, improving stiffness, while guaranteeing a high food safety standard. All tools are heat resistant up to 210 degrees Celsius.

An existing client I had worked with for many years, approached me to create a product identity for home appliances, a new product category they wanted to enter. What they were after was to make smart home appliances that solved everyday issues with class and ease.The product to launch this new category was a vacuum sealer. The client already was manufacturing ODM units for other brands, so they had an excellent understanding of the technology and its limitations.I began by redesigning an existing unit, focusing on improving the user experience. In this model, the lid is removable for easy cleaning. The original design had an unpleasant handle that was difficult to use. I redesigned the knob, including internal construction and replaced the connecting hooks with magnets. By doing so, the handling and ease of cleaning were improved. To improve cleaning on the outside as well and to give the whole unit a high-end feel, the entire top side is injected with transparent plastic (SAN) and then spray painted from inside. After spray painting, the artwork of the buttons is laser-cut, and the logo is pad-printed.The high gloss cover contrasts nicely with the injection moulded cork base, which gives it its unique look and unmistakable identity. To make storage more comfortable, we needed a cable compartment. Since it was hard to roll up or remove the cable, I used a tact switch-like function to push the holder cover in/out, making the handling of the cable much more manageable.

If there is one thing that can be said about humans, it is that they have always been resourceful. Our ancestors did not have much, so they had to use animal pelts for clothes, trees for spears, and rocks for massage.That's right, hot stone massage dates back as far as the third millennium B.C. It started as a part of Ayurvedic healing, and early practitioners used rocks that they pulled out of streams, heating them in fires.Nowadays, hot stone massage is more popular than ever. To heat up the stones, however, most spas are using food warmers. They are the same exact products used to keep food warm in hotels and restaurants.I was asked to design the first Hot Stone Heater, which improves the whole user experience of handling stones for massages.The Caldera Hot Stone Heater introduces a beautiful new way to heat stones. The central unit is set on a charging base and can easily be removed by simply lifting it. It can be done comfortably and safely by holding it at its appropriate depressions while keeping the design sleek and simple. This simplifies the filling and emptying of water enormously. The inner heating basin is made of forged aluminium with a non-stick coating, reducing weight while making it easy to remove massage oils. An internal, removable silicone basket provides partitions to organize the stones while protecting the basin from scratching and guaranteeing quiet handling. Apart from all its benefits, the sleek and simple design will let this unit blend in with any modern spa.

How many times did you go shopping and wished you could keep your experience free of germs? Avoiding germs entirely is not possible, not even healthy. We need bacteria in our lives to build up our own antibodies and improve our immune system. Yet it would be great to reduce contact with bacteria at critical hotspots, like when going shopping. Groceries and especially trollies get touched hundreds, if not thousands of times per day. Your shopping bag gets loaded with groceries all the time, and these germs get transferred. Would it not be great to reduce the transfer risk, creating a safer shopping experience, and as a consequence, live healthier lives?I designed the Anti-Bac Shopping bag that comes in several different looks and includes an antimicrobial additive. Antimicrobial technologies minimise the presence of bacteria, mould, and fungi. In contrast to antibacterial agents, antimicrobial substances offer a greater level of product protection by continuously inhibiting the growth of microbes on surfaces for very long periods of time. The broad spectrum performance of antimicrobial substances makes them perfect for use in hygiene critical environments.

I was hired to conceptualize, design and engineer the Dropsafe barrier system, which is used on oil platforms and mining sites around the world. The function of it is to prevent objects from falling off walking platforms and hurting or even killing people. To solve that, Dropsafe needed a secondary securing solution that is relatively inexpensive, yet easy to install on existing sites.The goal was set high, by requesting to come up with a locking mechanism that can be securely attached to guardrails, while using no tools, yet withstand category 5 hurricanes. On top of that, the barrier panels itself needed to be designed in a way that combined several parameters. It led to an intricate honeycomb design. The proportions between cell size, panel size, and thickness, cross-section, and shape, made for a unique design that now has become Dropsafe’s trademark.Within a short time, I was able to design and prototype a solution with 3D printed plastic parts, that performed at nearly 90% of its target specifications. Nevertheless, much time was needed to get all components designed, tooled, tested and production-ready.The whole barrier system design led to a utility patent for Dropsafe, enforcing its unique position in the market while outperforming competitors in several areas.

As a kid, I was fond of drawing, especially cars. I guess looking back, it wasn't anything special since many kids my age have done so. What was more peculiar, however, was the fact that I kept doing so until my late teens. It was even the motivator for me wanting to go to design school. Unfortunately, I was not able to find a way to make that happen. It was a mix of lacking the necessary financial means, knowing nobody to guide me, and my lack of independence, which kept me from pursuing a design career.After resigning to my circumstances and falling into a state of indecisiveness, my father gently pushed me into starting an apprenticeship as a draftsman. My parents meant well, rationalizing that a draftsman, after all, is drawing as well.So my journey began, and after finishing my apprenticeship, I decided to find a job and study mechanical engineering. It was at that time that I first came in contact with a 3D CAD. I was lucky enough to work with ProE, which now is called Creo. I fell in love, and that love never left me. What excited me, up to this day, is that I had a tool in my hand, which could represent reality in a digital form. Whatever I could think of, and was capable of building in 3D, I would be able to manufacture one day.Fast forward to 2020. By now, I have moved to Hong Kong, living here for the past 17 years. I switched careers from Mechanical Engineer to Design Engineer/Industrial designer, and I am doing more or less what I have always wanted to. Granted, I am no automotive designer. But I have not lost my passion for drawing cars. Yet, I do it a bit differently now.What you see here is a concept of a very famous car, a Lancia Delta Integrale HF. At its peak time, it was the best rally car in the world, beating everyone and winning everything. Lancia used to make beautiful, iconic cars. Those times are long gone, and this is why I chose this model to redesign.I sketched the car from scratch, trying to maintain some of its original edgy looks. I then used Creo to model the whole vehicle and parts of the surrounding environment. After the modeling, I used Keyshot to render all the scenes. I started this little project back in 2018, and I have spent hundreds of hours to get the results shown here.

How to keep medication fresh while secure? Using a small safety box to be put into a fridge is a very inconvenient solution. That is what my client thought too. And that is why he came up with a brilliant idea.Snoop Guard (now Sneak Guard) is the first vacuum container that can be locked, allowing for medication and prescribed drugs to be stored safely and securely while remaining fresh.The four-digit locking mechanism protects content without putting children at risk, while the built-in vacuum sealing system removes oxygen, keeping everything fresh.Snoop Guard features an ergonomic design, double-insulated stainless steel construction, internal silicone seals, a visual pressure indicator, and internal humidiccant holders to remove moisture.Not only is the design ergonomic and appealing, but it also saves lives.

The Caterpillar licensee for travel gear was in need of design and development for a range of trolleys in various sizes. The original brief asked for a rugged feel, while also looking modern. To make production more efficient, it was necessary to use the same handle and wheel parts for all sizes. It also meant that the shape of each hard-shell size needed to adapt to the shape of the attaching parts. Another request was to reuse these parts for soft-shell trolleys as well. With extensive experience in travel accessories, I was put in charge of designing the whole project. I not only designed the look and feel of the whole line but also took care of each part and made sure they were tooling friendly, while ergonomic. Impressed with the knowledge and speed put forward, other trolley projects followed, including some accessories for soft goods.

The idea of Ragazzo as a brand has been in the making since 1994 when I knew that one day I would produce my products. I have always had in mind to create unique products with a subtle, classic look with great commercial value. It has taken me twenty years to be sure that I can follow through on my vision and deliver the quality and uniqueness I was after. I decided to start with wristwatches and expand into man’s accessories.This personal project was complex since I had to create the whole product range and brand identity. This was especially difficult because I chose to use my name. Art direction for photo shoots and advertisements were the next steps, including a social media strategy that included static and video ads.

The Fahrraday PAS (pedal-assisted system) bicycle was created in 2011 when electric-assisted bicycles started to get traction. I was approached by a Hong Kong company with competency in producing electric motors. At the time, they already used those motors in simple, pre-assembled bicycles. Going a step further, they envisioned to create a complete carbon fibre frame from scratch. This frame would have their electric motor integrated between the pedals, an integrated battery within the frame and a CVT (continuously variable transmission) from NuVinci in the back wheel.During the project, I was in charge of designing the complete bicycle, working closely together with the client and selecting suppliers for the integration of existing technologies and components. Since most suppliers were not comfortable sharing their 3D data, all parts had to be rebuilt in 3D to make the whole design come alive. Impressed by the delivered work, I was put in charge to find a suitable name for the brand and create its logo.The name Fahrraday is a combination of the German word "Fahrrad" (meaning bicycle) and Michael Faraday, an English scientist most famous for its Faraday cage and work in electromagnetism.