Art Nouveau is probably the first form of design system I got exposed to. Not that at that time I knew anything about design systems though.
What is remarkable to me about this revolutionary approach, it’s the breath of its reach, really encompassing everything, from architecture, to interior design, graphic arts, furniture, glass art, textiles, ceramics, jewelry and metal work. A Gesamtkunstwerk (“total work of art”) capable for the first time to unify the architecture, furnishings, and art in a common style.
In Italy the Art Nouveau was known as Liberty, and the major figure was Ernesto Basile, born in Palermo in 1857.
Just being able to walk everyday by masterpieces created by him like the Villino Florio, it was for me an incredible treat, but having the luck to work and collaborate with Gianni Pirrone, an illustrious architect who was really the main authority on Basile, it was really something that gave me breathtaking insights in many of these spectacular projects.
What I admired most in Basile was his incredible ability to visualize, with a few strokes of a pencil, a project in its entirety – always combining in a seamless way form and function.
An attention to details that went far beyond the entire building, designing everything, from the furniture, to the handles for doors and windows, the lamps, the rugs, the silverware, and even the typeface used for a specific project.
Wouldn’t you call this a design system?