Marco Penati

Born in the fifties in the industrial but “green” outskirts of Milan, Marco Penati gets his diploma in Industrial Technology.
In the years 70/80 ies he works in the Technical Direction of Zanotta. He gets to know and co-operate with the most important designers like Castiglioni, Zanuso, Colombo, Mendini, Branzi, Munari, Mari.
In 1992 with Arch.Marina Bani he sets up an engineering studio working for furnishing companies like Arflex, Cappellini, Interflex.
In 1997 with Arch. Patrizia Scarzella and Marina Bani he opens and is the President of a new consulting studio – SIGLA – for Design and Communication.
SIGLA designs and projects several objects for Zanotta, Arflex, Fontana Arte, Baleri, Koleksion and for international companies such as Saint-Gobain, Newell Rubbermaid, Bormioli Rocco etc. for the development of each product and its communication.
His personal design conception is strictly bound to his personal direct experience with “the teachers” he has known.
Strong ethical motivation, great care in the consequentiality between shape-function and industrial production process, all permeated by a subtle irony, are characteristics of his work.
Today Marco Penati, besides working in SIGLA, is teaching at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan and writes satirical short books on the design environment.