Abstract

The article frames the co-design activities developed in Phase 3 of the DeinSite project, aimed at promoting product innovation in traditional craft districts through dialogue between young designers, artisans, museums, and SMEs in Southern Italy. It introduces the DeinSite Co-Design Framework, a replicable methodological model integrating three complementary types of co-design–Open, Participatory, and Prototype-Led Co-Design–that guide the entire design process, from field research to co-creation to digital experimentation. Within this framework, the article delves into the Manus Maris workshop, focused on cameo and coral, a key sector of Campania’s productive activity. The workshop interprets the marine environment as a creative, cultural, and productive ecosystem, inspiring new narratives and formal languages that combine artisanal memory and technological innovation. Through collaborative activities, physical–digital prototyping, and an intergenerational exchange between designers and craftsmen, Manus Maris has generated experimental jewellery collections reinterpreting the local tangible and intangible heritage. The findings highlight the framework’s potential as a tool for activating systemic innovation in Southern Italy’s artisanal districts, enhancing museums as cultural and production hubs and promoting new synergies between tradition and contemporary design. The proposed model is a transferable methodology, useful for regenerating “Handmade in Italy” supply chains and constructing territorial ecosystems oriented towards innovation, sustainability, and international competitiveness.

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