Influencer: you say it and you immediately think “fashion”.

Actually, the range of action of the “voices that matter on the Web” branches out in infinite directions. Design is one of them and it is also one of the main ones. What is more, the need to establish a relationship with influencers is becoming more and more widespread among companies: increasingly in demand and sought after, with their “hybrid” professional nature – high popularity combined with a remarkable influence – they are great brand testimonials. Reliable without being biased, interesting because they are disinterested, influencers are free throwers, playmakers, the number ten of communication. That is precisely why they play a crucial role. But who actually are influencers? We tried asking some of them. The goal is to understand together what their interests are and find out why and how their opinion can influence the mood of the Web, dictating styles and trends.

Let’s start with Camilla Bellini. Profession who is a 30 year old designer from Tuscany with her blog Camilla Bellini- the diary of a Designer. She has created a virtual place where design is (not) the absolute protagonist: yes, because followers (in her case, more than 72,000…) play a key role. Thanks to Camilla’s words, people get closer to the Holy of Holies that has represented design for too long now, confining it to a subject only for experts. Readers are irresistibly attracted to her blog, consisting of beautiful images and written texts with photographic immediacy.

Tell us about yourself briefly
I first attended the Siena Art Institute, architecture section, and I then studied Industrial Design at the University of Florence, Faculty of Architecture. I fell in love with design as early as secondary school, when I studied the famous Arco lamp by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni. I was fascinated by this world of elegance and beauty. My studies have allowed me to develop my creativity, putting it into practice and making it tangible today both through my work as a designer and through the online project Camilla Bellini – The Diary of a Designer

Camilla, your blog is a place of inspiration for many people. But what are you inspired by?
I am particularly inspired by pure shapes and colours. I also love contrasts and consider them the best weapon against stylistic banality. I especially love those who don’t show off, who are non-violent and who know how to stand out in an elegant way. I spend a lot of time looking for new styles, new materials and new combinations, and in this ongoing quest I also partly rely on the Web, in particular blogs and social media.

How do you think people are affected by what they read and see on your blog pages?

My followers love design or want to love it. They want to personalise their living space as a way to reflect their personality and express their individuality. They trust my skills, and the relationship with my fans is based on trust rather than on influencing choices. The blog and social media provide a point of contact between their needs and my ideas for solutions.

Design rhymes with Creativity. Ideas are fine, but how do you do it in practice? llaria Ida Chiaratti, whose forte is her mise en place, knows quite a bit about it. Ilaria is an interior photographer, a stylist fascinated by Nordic style and an international hygge ambassador. An Italian girl who moved to Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in her blog it is as if she were opening her home to other people: in IDA interior lifestyle you can find Ilaria’s whole world, especially her own handmade creations, or, as Web-savvy people say, DIYs. 🙂

Tell us something about yourself

My name is Ilaria, I’m an interior photographer, stylist and Nordic style enthusiast. Since 2009, I have been living in the Netherlands with my husband Alberto at Happy House. Over the years, wild kitty Penny Lane and two children, Enea and Leo, have joined us.
As soon as I moved to the Netherlands, I started a blog called IDA Interior Lifestyle, which was created to share my inspirations for Nordic-style interiors and my crochet projects. That same year, I also started working as an interior photographer, which offered me the opportunity to be published in prestigious Italian and international magazines.
In 2012, in addition to my Italian Master’s Degree in Italian Literature {DAMS major}, I obtained a Dutch diploma as interior stylist and I officially launched my business, IDA interior lifestyle: my mission is to help women discover how to improve their home with creativity and personality, in perfect #IDAstyle, also through the pages of my blog.
At the same time, I take care of styling and product photography for small creative brands of high-quality crafts as well as creating advertising concepts for decor industry brands.
A few months ago I moved my HQ, Milky Way Lab, to the vibrant Sectie C complex in Eindhoven.

On the Web, it is easier said than done: it’s the law of creative jobs, the ones that are born and develop online. Do you think that influencers are people who act and inspire or are they inspired people who get people talking about them?

I don’t know whether I would call myself an influencer. I am just a person who likes to share lifestyle experiences and promote her passion {which is also my job} through social media.
So I identify with those “who act and inspire”. I like to share the spaces in my home, in my Lab, the places I visit with my family, the purchases I make. All this is real and absolutely personal. I never work with brands I don’t like and I don’t talk about products I wouldn’t use myself.
The people who follow me are the result of my passionate work over the last eight years. They are readers, they are my audience and they trust what I say. In order for me to be credible to this audience of readers, I always have to be consistent in my editorial choices.

Has being away from Italy for some time changed your perspective on your job? Basically, do you think that your profession is perceived differently (better) abroad?

Absolutely, and I say this reluctantly. Having a blog or a creative, self-feeding job involving self-management skills is still a difficult goal to achieve in Italy. Creative professions are often seen as “hobbies”, as “small jobs” that are done as a pastime. This is because we often incorrectly associate products that have nothing interesting to offer or that show nothing new on the market. Or because the spotlight is often on just a few specific people, whereas many small businesses that are run professionally and passionately, for example by young women like me, go unnoticed.

To be a designer or an influencer? That is the question! Aside from revisiting Shakespeare, the age-old dilemma is brilliantly solved by the creative couple of Design by Gemini. And the answer is: both! Yes, because in Elena and Giulia Sella’s project, an architect and an interior designer respectively, the idea is to create a world that combines art, fashion, lifestyle, trends… and, of course, design. Let’s discuss it with them.

Giulia and Elena, twins united by design: how did your project come about?

(secondary art school) and continued studying creative subjects at university: Giulia studied Interior Design and Elena studied Architecture. After graduating, we had some work experiences in studios/galleries in Milan and abroad, Giulia in New York and Elena in São Paulo.
Design by Gemini was created as a blog when we were far away from each other: constantly searching for new trends and inspirations, we started out with the idea to create a platform where we could share the latest trends that inspired our projects, travels and experiences linked to design and art from all around the world. It was our own special way of feeling closer to each other, since it was the first time we were separated for almost two years!
In September 2015, we came back to Milan and decided to create our own design studio while continuing to collaborate with brands and different companies.
It is a constantly evolving project, which was joined by Veronica Lafleur, who deals with collaborations and PR. Today, Design by Gemini is a brand and a creative design studio mainly dealing with pop-ups and installations, with a focus on communication and promotion on the media, which, over the years, have become our greatest allies. This led to partnerships in the world of fashion, YouTube channels, television programmes, e-commerce and international art and design events.

Your creative format is inspired by so many different things: so what constantly brings new life to the ideas you share in Design by Gemini?

That’s right, our inspirations are endless! Our true lifeblood comes from constant research: the world of fashion and contemporary art is a source of inspiration for us, so we always make sure to keep up-to-date on the latest exhibitions and events in the sector. Travelling plays a crucial role in our lives and in our jobs. Every city we go to, we are always looking for new trends: from boutique hotels to design restaurants, but also street art and concept stores. Social media are also a great source of inspiration for us: in fact, the continuous pursuit of new trends and the language of the media have become the focus of many of our projects, where design and the digital world have turned out to be a trump card!

Being an influencer is fine. But being an influencer in the design sector is slightly different. Let’s see what Giorgio Tartaro, a professional journalist who has long been involved in communication projects in the fields of architecture and design, thinks about this.

With your degree in Literature and a thesis on Enzo Mari, we can already sense a strong connection to design and architecture. What fascinates you about this world?

As for design projects, I am instantly attracted to shapes and what they communicate. Then, by working as a critic for major magazines and media in the sector and moving on to popularisation on TV, I am interested in the way people approach the project and the story of the designers. I am quite fascinated by the cultural impact and political message of Italian architecture and design, especially that of the golden age.

In times like these, when the boundaries of communication and art in general are increasingly blurred, is the role of influencers to bring people closer to world of design or to consecrate certain objects as icons of contemporary taste? A bit like in the early days of design… And I am thinking of Cassina, Bauhaus, Pininfarina….

Icons and popularisation are two major elements of my work process. In other words, “texts” and “argumentation”, as my brilliant secondary school teacher used to say. To conclude, I think I have an old-style approach, but I don’t tend to ignore new technologies and forms of communication. Looking to the past and reaching for the future.

The Editor