Biography

Michele Menescardi is an industrial designer based in Milan. During his professional experience, he has collaborated with various design and architecture studios, creative agencies, schools, and companies, spanning product, furniture, lighting, graphic, and packaging design.

 Son of an Engineer and a Chemist, he studied Industrial Design at the Politecnico di Milano. After graduating in 2004, he started his career as a freelance designer, developing each project from ideation to production.

In 2005 he founded MrSmith Studio, for which he has been designing for nearly ten years.

In 2012 the projects “Basil” and “Cream“, designed for Calligaris S.p.A., have been awarded the “Interior Innovation Award” by IMM Cologne and the German Design Council.

Since 2014 he has been running Michele Menescardi Designer, his independent design consulting based on a bespoke philosophy and located in the heart of Milano.

In 2016 his project “Lazy”, designed for Calligaris S.p.A., has been awarded the prestigious “Good Design Award 2016” by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

His project “Reef”, designed for Connubia, has been awarded the “Best of Neocon Sustainability Award 2022” and the “Best of Neocon Innovation Award 2022” at the Neocon Show in Chicago, with the “Archiproducts Design Awards 2022” in the categories of Furniture and Sustainability, along with the “iF Design Award 2023” by the iF International Forum Design GmbH, the “Green Good Design Award 2023” by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design and the “ADI Design Index, Selezione Compasso D’Oro” by the ADI – Associazione per il Disegno Industriale.

In 2023 he was invited as a member of the Jury of the “Good Design Award 2023” by the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

Some collaborations:

Alhium France, Alma Design S.r.l., Bolton Group, Calligaris S.p.A., Domus Academy, Driade S.p.A., Ferrero S.p.A., FontanaArte S.p.A., Levi Strauss & Co., Meridiani S.a.s., MMPJ Group, Nadler Larimer & Martinelli, NasonMoretti, Natuzzi S.p.A., Nautor’s Swan, Politecnico di Milano, PS Furniture, Redepaolini S.p.A., RossanaOrlandi, Saatchi & Saatchi, Sicurit S.p.A., The Swatch Group Ltd, TBWA Italia S.p.A., Trussardi S.p.A., Zaninelli Wood & Stone.

Portrait by © Sha Ribeiro – Milano, 2022.