Giovanni ‘Gio’ Ponti (1891 – 1979) was an Italian architect and designer associated with the post-war development of modern architecture and modern industrial design in Italy. Gio spent the 1920s establishing himself on the Italian design scene, founding Domus magazine in 1928. During the 1950s, he increasingly focused on industrial design and built Milan’s iconic Pirelli Tower in 1956. His career was spent formulating and teaching the concept of “Italian-ness”, mixing form and function in his designs and architecture.