Studio Algoritmo: Design as Poetry and Craft in Rome

Studio Algoritmo, a Rome-based design studio founded in 2013 by Alessandro Gorla, merges product, interior, and graphic design with a focus on simplicity, functionality, and poetic expression. Gorla, a 1975 graduate of Politecnico di Milano, established the studio in a former carpentry workshop in San Lorenzo, emphasizing a workshop culture where design students from Italy and abroad contribute to projects. The studio's logo references Olivetti's Lettera22 typewriter and Apple's MacBook Pro, bridging past and present. Gorla also teaches at Quasar Institute of Advanced Design in Rome and ISAD in Mexico, and founded the IDE&A exchange program bringing Mexican students to Rome for design experiences. Key projects include Sisma (marble nutcracker for UpGroup), Marmobianco cutting boards, Selce porcelain lemon squeezer, Olimpo ceramic incense holder, Daphne sound-absorbing screens in pet felt, Briscola wool rug inspired by regional playing cards, and Bonjour table mirror. Gorla advocates for sustainable design using single materials for easy recycling, and explores primitive, archetypal forms. He is working with Consorzio FaròArte to create a Palazzo dell'Artigianato in Rome to preserve artisan crafts. References include Castiglioni brothers, Enzo Mari, Joe Colombo, Bruno Munari, Giulio Iacchetti, Antonio Aricò, and Formafantasma.