Tra standard e libertà: una riflessione critica sul design pubblico digitale

This contribution critically examines the evolution of digital public design in Europe, framing it as a dynamic tension between standardization and creative freedom. Starting from the Lund Principles and the MINERVA Project, the paper traces a genealogy of digital cultural policies and infrastructures, leading to contemporary frameworks such as the Italian Design System. It argues that while guidelines and standards significantly improve accessibility, usability, and coherence in public digital services, their uncritical application risks producing homogenized, mono-functional interfaces lacking cultural identity and expressive depth. Drawing a historical parallel with the debate within the Deutscher Werkbund—particularly between Hermann Muthesius and Henry van de Velde—the text highlights the enduring conflict between typification and artistic freedom. Ultimately, it advocates for a project culture capable of interpreting guidelines critically, balancing technical rigor with semantic richness, and reaffirming design as a cultural, ethical, and political practice within the digital public sphere.