Intuition, Identity, Impact: The Power of Industrial Design
A conversation with Andrea Mocellin on design, mobility, and the strategic role of intuition.
Andrea Mocellin doesn’t just design objects – he designs how we move, interact, and feel. From hypercars to folding wheelchairs to ultra-light aircraft seats, his creations merge utility and emotion, discipline and intuition. But beyond form and function lies something deeper: identity. In this conversation, Andrea shares his approach to industrial design as one of the most underestimated tools of brand building – and why every CEO should care.
Andrea, thank you for taking the time. Let’s begin with a simple one: What’s something in your life that you think is exceptionally well designed?
For me, that would be my laptop. It sounds obvious, but as an independent designer, flexibility is everything. I need to be able to work anytime, anywhere. The laptop is the one tool that allows me to create, present, and communicate no matter where I am – in the office, on a flight, at a client’s site.I invest quite a bit in having the lightest, most powerful machine I can find. Right now, I use a 13-inch MacBook Pro, and I’m still amazed by the power it packs. You can travel light, but still feel fully equipped. That autonomy is everything.
You’re based in Munich now, but often on the move. Has your relationship to space – say, stepping into a hotel room or aircraft cabin – changed because of your design lens?
Absolutely. When you travel a lot, you operate partly on autopilot – you know where the coffee is, when to board. But the real value comes from the unfamiliar. That moment when you enter a new space, and you have to adjust. It sharpens your perception. You notice small things – the light, the materials, the layout – and those observations feed directly into your work.Especially in mobility design, the more you travel, the better. Because you experience firsthand what works, what doesn’t, and what could be better. Every little pain point or small delight is a data point. That lived experience is what makes design more human.
You’ve worked across categories – from hypercars to aircraft to foldable wheelchairs. Is there a common philosophy that guides your approach?
Yes. For me, it’s always about movement – and how movement shapes experience. I’ve always been fascinated by how products can influence the way we move and feel.
Even as a kid, I wasn’t just sketching cars. I was inventing brands, imagining slogans, logos, the full system. That connection between product and identity was always there.Mobility, for me, is not just a sector. It’s a way of thinking. Whether it’s a plane, a car, or a wheelchair – the goal is the same: move people safely, beautifully, and with meaning.
“Mobility isn’t a sector – it’s a way of thinking.”
Where do your best ideas come from? Is there a place or moment where you feel most creatively tuned in?
Ironically, not in the studio. The studio is where I execute, where the NDA-bound work gets done. But ideas – those come while I’m moving. On a plane, in a hotel, walking through a new city.Sometimes I email myself three ideas in a row just to make sure I don’t forget. A moment of struggle, an unexpected interaction – those are clues. You translate them later into a product. But the initial spark often comes when you’re out of your bubble.
You mentioned aircraft seats, wheelchairs, and hypercars – quite different constraints. What project challenged you the most?
Two come to mind. The first was Lilium, the electric vertical takeoff aircraft. It was a radical shift from the automotive world. The regulations, the aerodynamics, the safety requirements – everything changes. It felt like learning a new language.The second was Revolve Air, my own startup. We developed the world’s first foldable wheelchair with full-size wheels. I’m not a wheelchair user myself, so I had to learn everything from scratch – ergonomics, user needs, mobility constraints. What I thought would be a simple design problem turned out to be incredibly complex. And deeply human.
“I thought designing a wheelchair would be simple. I was wrong.”
What sparked the idea for Revolve Air?
Honestly? Curiosity. I was working for a large OEM and felt the urge to invent something. I started by folding a wheel. I wanted to learn how to patent something – just for the sake of it.
But then I saw how many people resonated with the idea. I had veterans reaching out, caregivers, users. There was a real need. And now, nearly 10 years later, we just signed a long-term manufacturing deal in India to scale the product for India and Africa. It’s been a long, tough road. But incredibly rewarding.
You once featured a bike using that same folding wheel tech.
Was that always part of the vision?
Yes. My dream was to create a kind of next-gen Brompton. A foldable bike with full-sized wheels. But the performance demands of cycling — speed, impact, stress – made it hard to deliver something both reliable and affordable.
So, I shifted focus. With wheelchairs, the impact is clearer. You can transform someone’s daily life. Give them back access – to a car, a flight, a hotel room. That felt more urgent.
Let’s talk about the discipline itself. It is often talked about the untapped power of industrial design, is that still true?
Very much so. I often meet companies who want “an industrial designer” but have no idea what that actually means. They think it’s someone who sketches shapes all day. But real industrial design is deeply strategic. It connects engineering, user experience, manufacturing, cost, even storytelling.
I’ve worked with companies that had no design culture. And in those cases, the first step is often education. Helping them see the difference it makes. That design is not decoration. It’s decision-making.
“Design is not about sketching shapes. It’s decision-making.”
What’s the perfect brief for you? What do you look for when
starting a new project?
Clarity of purpose. If the client knows what problem they want to solve – not how to solve it, just what the real issue is – the project flows naturally. But if that’s unclear, it becomes chaotic. New directions every week. No consistency.
I also try to get close to the CEO early on. Not to micromanage – but to hear their voice. Understand their vision. If the decision-maker isn’t involved, the story gets filtered through layers. And the original intention is lost.
Is that why you’ve said the “power to say no” matters to you?
Exactly. As an independent, I’ve learned to walk away from projects that don’t feel right. Even if they pay. I look at the founder, the team, the business model. Is it real? Is it going somewhere?
Because in the end, your portfolio is your future. You don’t want to invest time in something that’s just a pitch deck.
What’s your relationship to branding? How does it show up in your work?
I didn’t fully understand branding until I joined NIO, the electric car company. Back then, the brand identity wasn’t finalized yet. But Kris Tomasson, the VP, came from Coca-Cola – and his clarity on branding was inspiring. It wasn’t just about cars. It was the ecosystem: how you charge, how you subscribe, how you feel. Everything told a story.
Since then, I’ve come to appreciate how much branding matters. You can build a brilliant product – but without a clear brand, it floats. With a brand, it lands. It has context. Coherence.
That’s why I love what we did with Expliseat. The new seat design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It speaks the same language as the visual identity. That alignment – visual, material, strategic – is what makes the brand powerful.
Let’s talk about AI. Is it influencing your process already?
Yes, but more as a tool for storytelling than for product creation. AI is great for visualizing ideas quickly. Especially for clients who struggle to understand sketches. You can bring a mood or a context to life fast.But real product thinking still requires human input. AI pulls from the past. Designers build the future. Sometimes I even show clients an AI version of something, then the version I crafted – to highlight the difference. That usually sparks good conversation.
“Freelancers spend so much time alone. It’s time to build new ways of working together.”
What about collaboration – is industrial design as collaborative as people claim?
It can be. But not always. I love the idea of collectives. Studios that bring designers, strategists, engineers together under one roof. But in practice, that’s rare.
Freelancers are often siloed. Companies approach branding, engineering, and design in separate waves – one after the other. That’s inefficient. Ideally, those streams should flow together from day one.
What’s a dream project or client for you? Something you haven’t tackled yet?
Robotics. I think that’s where the next big shift in mobility and lifestyle will happen. Not cars. Not planes. But smart furniture, home robotics, tools that support everyday life and give people more time, more autonomy.I’m already working on some independent projects in that space. But I’d love to go deeper. Because it’s still early days. There’s room to shape what that future looks like.
“We’re not just designing objects. We’re designing time.”
Finally, what’s the role of design in all of this? Where does it go from here?
Design should improve people’s lives. Not just in terms of aesthetics or usability – but in terms of well-being. We live in a time where everything is fast, stressful, fragmented. Good design can restore some balance.
Whether it’s a seat, a wheelchair, or a robot – the goal is the same: to help people move better, live better, feel better.
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