Mnestic Traces. Documents and Testimonies of an Institutional Revolution

This chapter documents the institutional transformation that led to the creation of the Design System at Politecnico di Milano and its expansion across Italy. Drawing on archival materials, it reconstructs the gradual development of a network of educational, research, and professional structures. The chapter highlights Alberto Seassaro’s role in connecting research and teaching, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and establishing new institutional frameworks. Through these initiatives, design is redefined as a systemic and strategic discipline, closely linked to cultural and economic contexts, and his work emerges as a sustained effort that reshaped design education at a national level.