History as a necessary condition for knowledge

Editorial PGJ43

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.82068/pgjournal.2026.23.43.01

Abstract

We have waited for the third issue of the new Progetto Grafico Journal to address a topic currently at the 
heart of scholarly debate across numerous established disciplines—as well as new fields that have emerged 
in response to this development (such as philosophy of information, ethics of technology, etc.) and, specifically, within the field of communication design: the role of design education in the age of Artificial Intelligence. More precisely, following a proposal by Michael Stoll, we focus on the role of history in the education of communication designers. This reflection holds strategic significance within the journal’s scholarly context and contributes to a conversation in which many educators and researchers wish to participate, aiming to update their perspectives and dispel the doubts and uncertainties sparked by the advent of AI.

Author Biography

  • Carlo Martino, Sapienza University of Rome

    Architect and designer. Full Professor of Design at Sapienza University of Rome. His main areas of research and teaching are: design, cultural and territorial identity; design and multiculturalism; design and natural capital; linguistic and morphological experimentation applied across the fields of Product Design, Visual and Graphic Design, and Exhibit and Spatial Design. Coordinator of the Master’s Degree Programme in Design, Visual and Multimedia Communication at Sapienza University of Rome (2007–2023); from 2013 to 2021, he was a member of the final selection committee for Italian design projects for the ADI (Association for Industrial Design) Design Index and, from 2018 to 2026, a member of the ADI General Department. Between 2009 and 2011, he was a member 
    of the Italian Design Council at MIBAC (Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities) and, between 2015 and 2016, 
    of the Patents Committee at MISE (Ministry of Economic Development). Author of over 250 articles, monographs, essays and contributions to Italian and international scientific publications, he has served as editor-in-chief and editor of the scientific journal DIID _ Disegno Industriale/Industrial Design and as a member of national and international editorial boards. As editor of the design journal “Design for Made in Italy. Da Roma al Lazio’, he has contributed to the Treccani Encyclopaedia on design-related topics, writing over 100 encyclopaedia entries. Finally, he is the driving force behind numerous initiatives and events aimed at promoting design culture

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Published

2026-10-01

Issue

No. 43 (2026): Back Then Is Back Now. Design History and Education in the Age of AI

Section

Editorial

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