The fear and the masks, making safety possible from the artisans to the makers

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought a strong hit to human society, the creative and design environments suffered the needed and correct restrictions applied as countermeasures to the spreading of the virus, but at the same time, it reacted on its way. To contain the risk of contagion one of the most efficient devices is the face mask, which quickly rose to be a sort of iconic symbol of the Pandemic period. In this paper, a short excursus about the story of protective masks and gas masks bring to the present days where the tentative about creating 3D printed solutions have tried to integrate the numerous solutions proposed to contain the contagions. After a general analysis of the proposal and solutions advanced by companies and makers using 3D printing solutions, a specific and original case study will be presented as a conclusion of the whole process, integrated by a critical test operated on a small group of users to verify the resulting functionalities and comfort. The complex scenario of the pandemic event will be analyzed from the point of view of the creatives and designers giving help in the difficult situation applying their qualities to find solutions to safety issues.