INTERVIEW NEWS

Erwan Bouroullec: Media make the stars in a short term

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Portrait: �Morgane Le Gall
Erwan Bouroullec about the role of media on the scene of design, what the feeling to be famous is, who he would first interview if he was a journalist�

�Media make the stars, at least in a short term. In a longer term, work is far more important than communication. The importance of media has positive and negative aspects. Press gives a certain reality to concepts that are difficult to make real. But media rhythm is very different from the real design rhythm. Press needs new projects all the time, and it takes 1-2 years to complete a project.�

Carlo Volf : Italian Design Learns from the Scandinavian One

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Carlo Volf

In the last years Scandinavian design clearly and explicitly demonstrated its creativity. What is the key of this and would Italian design manage to keep its leadership in the future � you will find in our interview with Carlo Volf .

�Italian design is more loudspeaking than Scandinavian one. I think that Italian design learns a lot from the silence in Scandinavian design.�

Carlo Colombo: Italian Designers are the best innovators

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Portrait: Caio Esteves Ribas

�Italian furniture industry is the most important in terms of innovative design thanks also to their Italian designers.�

Andrеe Putman: I am still a woman when I act as president

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Portrait: Xavier Bejot, Tripod Agency

Andree Putman is one of the world-famous designers and interior architects. Beside this she is a successful president of a company and a mother of two sons. What obstacles she has passed through, what heights she has gotten to, which are her woman�s secrets and many other curious details of her personality you will find in our interview with her.

Inga Sempe: Media try to turn designers into movie stars

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Inga Sempe shares before deZona what she thinks about the role of contemporary media for the development of design, how a designer become a star, and what the feelings is to be in the top news�

�Media try to turn designers into movie stars. Media can make you famous more often than a wonderful project. Media lets your work to be seen. The companies get to know you through the magazines, and then get in touch with you� And a designer can �go down� in media, while working a lot and doing great things.�

Ditte Hammerstrоеm: Scandinavian Design Is Humanistic

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Ditte Hammerstrоеm

�We have a tradition for humanistic design. A long tradition for making simple quality furniture and everyday object that every one can afford to buy.�

At the down of an e-magazines� era

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Marcus Fairs - Editor of Dezeen

Images: Marcus Fairs

Marcus Fairs is the current editor of Dezeen, former editor of the Icon Magazine and the author of the book �Twenty-First Century Design�. He is a person with a keen eye for design and architecture. Especially for the readers of deZona he reveals his personal and professional view on the design, architecture and their relations with the medias.

�There\'s nothing new you can do with a magazine, but blogs and websites are only just beginning to explore what is possible.�

Harry Wakefield: Design is thought, innovation, creation crystallized in an object

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Photos: Harry Wakefield

Harry Wakefield, the editor-in-chief of Mocoloco, shares before deZona what is the role of design, who the best designers and architects are, as well as some of the challenges while making a web blog�

�Design is thought, innovation, creation crystallized in an object. We need more and better thinking in this world. We [Mocoloco] like new ideas that solve old problems with design. We believe design can make world a better place for everyone.�

Matali Crasset: Communication is a part of the project

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Matali Crasset about the importance of communication for the design process, what it is like when people recognize you and come to you on the street, and what Philippe Starck has brought to her growth as a designer�

�My point of view is that communication is a part of the project. It�s even more important when it�s about new logics or new typologies. It helps to make the project understandable. It�s really a pleasure to work global.�

Karim Rashid: Media Made Design a Public Subject

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Milovan Knezevic
Karim Rashid tells us how a designer becomes a star, what the role of media for the popularisation of design is, what the brands should nowadays look for�

�I am a celebrity and it affords me to make design a public subject. Remember design is for others, make a better world, change the world! I am not here to provide a service, but instead to shape culture.�

Robert Thiemann: A designer becomes a star just like any other star - by being published

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Robert Thiemann, the editor-in-chief of Frame and Mark magazines, share before DeZona his attitude towards contemporary design and the ways a designer can become a star.

�Designers become stars just like any other star: by being published many times. And they are being published as long as their work is new and fashionable, which is during a couple of years only in most cases. Journalists decide what�s interesting news for them. The answer will influence what they publish.�

Architect Manfredi Nicoletti: Future Is Today

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Architect Manfredi Nicoletti shares before us his goals when he is working on a new project, how the contemporary architecture is changing, what makes an architectural project remarkable, which are the best three architectural projects of the last decade...

�Future is today. The present unrestrained advancement of new materials and technologies is not going to stop. There has to be seen if this component will become the only substance of the box-like ultra refined neoclassical architecture that it is taking over in our physical environment of today. I hope not.�

Marva Griffin: There is a future in design as long as there are innovative designers

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Luciano Pascali

Marva Griffin is a name that every young designer whispers with awe. Marva Griffin is their �one way ticket� to the design society. She is the founder of SaloneSatellite at iSaloni Milano. Find out what�s new in SaloneSatellite 2008, what�s the future of design, which are the 3 object of today that Marva would take with in a capsule of time�

�I am not a designer. I am always longing to see new useful designed pieces.�

Pinar Yar & Tugrul Govsaresım: Design is not a job, it is a hobby. It keeps people alive

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: GAEAforms

Pinar Yar from GAEAforms, who recently caught the attention during IMM Cologne 2008 with their innovative products, shares before us about the key aspects of their work, what design for them is, and which the most important tasks before contemporary designers are. �Building emotional value in industrial products will always be a must in the development of contemporary society��

Daniele Lago: Minimalism is a Glass of Water, New Baroque - a Saint Honore Cake

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Daniele Lago

Daniele Lago � the art director of Lago � is the person who turned the company toward the contemporary, modern design. In recent years he has designed all the products currently in the company catalogue. Daniele describes his work as �an innate predisposition for research, innovation, change, a formal rigour leaving no space for decoration as an end in itself, an intellectual honesty in studying new products created to resolve the everyday needs of home living in an essential manner. Find out why he tends to the minimalism and what he has against the New Baroque�

Kengo Kuma: The balance between the totality and the detail makes one architectural project successful

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Which are Kengo Kuma�s favorite architectural projects and what he thinks about the contemporary architecture� You will find out from our blitz interview with the world-famous Japanese.

�I want to be remembered for an architecture that when you see it directly, will impress more than seen in photographs.�

Richard Hutten: My 10 NO

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Richard Hutten studio

Richard Hutten - one of the best Dutch designers � is known for his crazy designs about Droog Design, Hidden, Harvink, DMD, Planet, Sawaya & Moroni, REEEL, E&Y Tokyo, IDEE Tokyo, Englender UK, S.M.A.K. Iceland, Pure-design Toronto, Centraal Museum Utrecht, MOSS New York, Donna Karan New York, Maxfield Los Angeles, Karl Lagerfeld, KPN telecom and HRH Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. He says the he would design anything. Find out what he would never do�

�I don�t want to hear that people call me a pussy.�

Gaye Cevikel. The Challenge of Establishing an Own Design Brand

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Gaia&Gino

Gaye Cevikel is the person behind the brand Gaia&Gino. How the young woman succeeded to make it one of the most popular names in the sphere of design, what�s the price she had to pay for this, what she has in common with Yves Behar and many other interesting details around her personality� you will find in our interview with her.

�The designers who work for Gaia&Gino need to be multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and progressive.�

Gaye Cevikel. The Challenge of Establishing an Own Design Brand

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Gaia&Gino

�The designers who work for Gaia&Gino need to be multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary and progressive.�

Rossella Bisazza: Theatre and Mosaic, what do they have in common?

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

If you are interested in the answer of this question as well as who exactly Rossella Bisazza is, read our interview with her!

Stanislav Katz: I design objects with hidden messages

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Stanislav Katz

The young Latvian Stanislav Katz shares before deZona about the difficulties that designers in the post Soviet country meet, about the risks of making-up the time of isolation, and what the perspective for development in Latvia are�

�My principle is designing things wear hidden messages so that different people would treat them in different ways� In Latvia design is being gradually accepted and appreciated. The problem is you still can�t get a decent design education. We do need up-to-date design education as well as setting up a good contemporary art and design museum.�

Jimmie(&)Martin: There are no rules� create something that makes you happy!

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Jimmie Martin

The company Jimmie Martin provides an eclectic showcase of one-off pieces of furniture combining the decadent and quirky with the nostalgic and urban. The designer�s duo Jimmie Karlsson & Martin Nihlmar shares with us their opinion about the Newbaroque, the Minimalism, and the flamingos on their armchairs�

�We bring new life into these pieces and get people to enjoy the old shapes and styles from the passed.�

Daniel Libeskind: Architecture Once Was a Box. Now It Is Turning Into a Flower

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Architect Daniel Libeskind shares in this interview for DeZona magazine what makes a project successful, what was the hardest thing in his professional career, what are the new tasks that stand before contemporary architects�

�We have released architecture from the box it was closed in. Now architecture is rapidly changing in its forms, its functions and its technology. Architecture is turning from just a pocket box into a flower�.

The UnKnown Sawaya & Moroni

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Joseph Chartouni

William Sawaya and Paolo Moroni are the founders of the famous Italian company Sawaya&Moroni. Since 1984 the brand has become a synonym of high quality and exceptional design. There are thousands of articles in the press about the company�s success, its extraordinary products, the awards they receives� but only in DeZona you will read what William Sawaya and Paolo Moroni wouldn�t like to be part of their lives.

William Sawaya: �I would never spend money on gambling or paying for sex.�

Kwangho Lee: I Give New Meanings to Everyday Materials

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Kwangho Lee

Kwangho Lee shares before DeZona a few words about his attitude to art, design, and architecture. �I use common materials from our everyday life to which I give new meanings�, the designers explains. All of his designs are hand crafted and thus offered in limited editions.

Emmanuelle Moureaux: I Try to Give Emotions to People

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Emmanuelle Moureaux graduated Architecture in University of Bordeaux. In 1996 she moved to Tokyo and later got the Japanese First Class Architect�s License. A few years ago she established Emmanuelle Moureaux Architecture & Design. Today Emmanuelle shares before us what her understanding about contemporary design is. She also explains the connection between design and architecture, as well as her expectations for their future development�

Michael Young: I wouldn�t like to hear people call me an asshole, but I can be.

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Image: Michael Young
Here is a brief interview with Michael Young who talks about his everyday, about the things he dislikes the most, about what he would never design� �I�m not qualified to work for anything other than what I do�, he says. Have a look at the rest of the story�

Manlio Armellini: An exciting trip in the world of excellence or just Il Salone del Mobile

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Here is an exclusive interview with Manlio Armellini - Managing Director of COSMIT (Comitato Organizzatore del Salone del Mobile Italiano) that organizes Milan\'s Salone Internazionale del Mobile. �Il Salone Internazionale del Mobile is getting more and more selective in terms of quality. We will probably enlarge the typology of offering, responding to the new market of furniture distribution. In a furniture shop you don�t buy only pieces of furniture nowadays, but vases, table clothes, glasses etc., so probably something is destined to change in this direction.�

Nani Marquina: �The mistakes I commit in the past have been useful in the long run...�

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: nanimarquina

The Barcelonese Nani Marquina is the founder and the general executive of nanimarquina � the worldwide recognized leader in the market of luxury carpets and textiles for home. She describes herself as a designer and a businesswoman. She says: �I started managing a company as the only way to see my designs produced� Nowadays I do enjoy managing such as designing...�

Arne Quinze: Milan is a nightmare for traffic

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Arne Quinze

Arne Quinze tells DeZona his personal impressions from the Milan Furniture Fair 2008. �I think there are little events in the design industry that compete with Salone. There is of course INTERIEUR in our hometown Kortrijk but that is a real fair not a happening like Milano. That goes on 24 hours a day in the entire city.�

Satyendra Pakhale: I do not see a need to work with any designer

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

image: Satyendra Pakhale

One of India�s most famous designers Satyendra Pakhale confides what he likes and dislikes about everyday life. He also shares some of his basic believes on subjects like politics and humanism. �I do not dislike politicians but I often dislike their politics. This space is not enough to list them all. And then, is it really worth it?�, he says. Get to know him by his own words, shared with DeZona.

Daniel Libeskind: We�re only beginning to discover how important architecture really is

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

images: DeZona, Jens Ziehe

One of the most significant figures of architecture in the 21^st century, Daniel Libeskind gave a press conference during Belgrade Design Week, where he openly discussed his views on how architecture affects life. �I think we�re only beginning to discover, in the 21^st century, how important architecture really, really is, not as for physical but for mental, and mostly for spiritual health of the community�, tells Daniel Libeskind. �I was a musician for a large part of my life. I�m not a typical architect. I�ve never worked in an office to be an architect, well maybe for three days because I didn�t very much like the work!�, he confesses jokingly.

Patricia Moroso: The Copy of a Product Helps the Original to Be the Original

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: DeZona

I�ve met Patricia Moroso � the art director of Moroso � at the Belgrade Design Week 2008 in Serbia. After her wonderful presentation at the conference we had a nice chat about the modern design, the future of the world, the problem with copying design objects, about her crazy personality and her attitude towards the East European designers� Here you can read the �script� of our lively conversation.

You cannot fight with copying design objects. You have to do products that are so strong, so yours that, if there is a copy, Ok there is a copy� Sometimes the copy helps the original to be the original. It is a sort of promotion for you.

Konstantin Grcic: East European designers have to give us something that we don�t have

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: DeZona

One of our most favorite designers, Konstantin Grcic, in an exclusive interview especially for DeZona at Belgrade Design Week 2008. Find out what Konstantin tells about the copying of design, about the things that provoke him, about the modern way of life�

Erwan Bouroullec: Big companies just wait, they don�t want to discover

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

images: DeZona

Erwan Bouroullec was quite straightforward when he talked to DeZona, during Belgrade Design Week. When asked about contemporary design, the one half of Bouroullec & Bouroullec, said: �Big companies just wait; they don�t want to discover stuff, so to produce them themselves they�re copying. First it�s really unfair, and second it loses the context in which the object is produced�. Erwan Bouroullec also didn�t hesitate to state: �Marcel Wanders, is still part of the 90�s design with this extreme joking. There is another part, lead by people like Jasper Morrison, which has a much modern approach�. There�s even more in the full interview! ▪

Maurizio Ribotti: The Day We Become Traditional and Common Will Be the Death of Zona Tortona

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: DeZona

Maurizio Ribotti is the CEO of DesignPartners. The Italian company is the organizer of Zona Tortona in Milan, the publisher of DesignItalia and the owner of DesignLibrary, 361⁰, RecapitoMilanese and PressGate. We have met in Serbia at the Belgrade Design Week 2008 and had a really nice talk about this year edition of Zona Tortona and about DesignPartners future projects. Maurizio has a very interesting point of view of what modern is. You can find it out from his exclusive interview for DeZona.

Shin Azumi: As a Designer I Have Nothing to Lose, So If I Want to Do Something, I Just Do It

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

image: DeZona & a studio

Shin Azumi talked to DeZona during Belgrade Design Week. �For me, as a Japanese designer, selling too much is a bit risky - you may end-up with designs looking like souvenirs from Japan. I always try to find something in the middle � between Japanese traditions and international design�, he says. �I don�t know about risks! Sometimes I take them without being in full consciousness. I�m feeling almost like a gambler! I don�t think about risks, before taking them�, admits Shin Azumi. For more on modern design, copying and his reason to be in Belgrade, you can read the full interview.▪

Jacob Odgaard, Bang & Olufsen: Modern Living For Us Is Convenient Living

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

images: DeZona, Bang & Olufsen

During Belgrade Design Week, we met up with Bang & Olufsen�s Expansion Markets Managing Director, Jacob Odgaard. We talked about the company, the market and his idea of modern. �What really makes us different is the ability to change the designed model into a producible unit that you can mass-produce. That�s what really differs Bang & Olufsen from other companies�, says Jacob Odgaard. He also shared with us some of the innovations we can expect from Bang & Olufsen, as well as some words on the company�s marketing strategy. Read more in the full interview!

Defne Koz: I try to build the shadows of the products

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Defne Koz

I�ve met Defne Koz at the Belgrade Design Week 2008 in Serbia. After her emotional presentation at the conference we had a nice chat about the modern design, the way in front of the young designers, the hidden nature of the objects� Here you can read the blitz interview with her.

Fabio Novembre: What I don�t like in women are too many clothes. I prefer them naked

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Image: Settimio Benedusi

We all know who Fabio Novembre is. We have read what he likes, where he gets his inspiration from. We know what kind of materials he prefers, what he would like to design. Do you want to see �the dark side of the moon�? Do you want to see what he dislikes, what he would never design, what he doesn�t like to hear about himself? Then read his 10 NOs, shared especially for DeZona magazine.

Tonerico: The invasion of East in Western societies is much stronger

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

images: Tonerico

The design team from the Japanese design studio Tonerico talked with DeZona about the East vs. West battle. �As thinking of Western, design industry seems like that is continuing to develop on the same line from Industrial Revolution�, they say. Is there a problem in the East � �We should resolve the lack of successors of traditional works�, believe the Tonerico team. Do they think East will overtake West or they believe in the healthy symbiosis � read the full interview.

Erick van Egeraat: A Building Can Always Be More Than Just a Building

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Portrait: (c) Attila Dubniczky

Images: (c) (EEA) Erick van Egeraat associated architects

Erick van Egeraat is one of the best architects nowadays. For almost 30 years of practice he has accomplished more than a hundred projects in eight countries. He has won a lot of prizes including a RIBA Award, Renaissance Award, For Budapest Award, Life in Architecture Award. Find out what architect Erick van Egeraat thinks about the �star architects�, what�s his choice for the world�s best new architectures; learn interesting details about his recent projects and more�

Sergio Viotti, Techno: Being Functional Does Not Mean Being Boring

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

images: DeZona

During Belgrade Design Week DeZona met Sergio Viotti, Techno �s export sales manager. He spoke about his professional reasons to be here, the difference between home and office furniture and Techno�s partner policy. �Everybody is creative in a different way and what we do by doing office furniture is to support them to be creative in their own way�, says Mr. Viotti. �Sometimes residential furniture is like art � you see a very nice chair and when you sit on it you need to stand up straight away! Sometimes they�re too low, sometimes sofas are too soft and you can barely stand up�you have to be comfortable in the office�, he says. For more, read his interview in full.

Taewan Kim: Italians Know How to Sell Design

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Taewan Kim

Taewan Kim is a brilliant representative of the young generation eastern designers who are trying to conquer the design world. And there is a high possibility to succeed! He was born in Seoul, South Korea, but now he lives and works in Milan, Italy. We asked him to comment the differences between eastern and western design. Find out what he thinks about that!

Ross McBride: China Could Be Paradise for any Product Designer

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Ross McBride

Ross McBride is one of the most successful designers nowadays. He was born in the USA but now he lives and works in Tokyo, Japan. What is it to be a western designer in an eastern country? What are the differences between eastern and western product/interior design? Why the eastern designers copy the westerns ones? His point of view upon these questions and many others Ross McBride shares with us.

Motomi Kawakami: The Western Design is Addition and the Eastern - Subtraction

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: Motomi Kawakami

The great Japanese designer Motomi Kawakami speaks about the differences between the Eastern and the Western design.

\"There is no extreme difference between Eastern and the Western design. If daring to express it, the West uses various materials. The East requests a certain product and interior design that harmonizes naturally in the quality. So I can say that the West is addition design, and the East is subtraction design.\"

Janne Kyttanen: Technology Can Provide More �Freedom of Creation�

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Images: FOC

Janne Kyttanen is a designer and the founder of the company FOC (Freedom of Creation) in The Netherlands. The company is known for applying Rapid Manufacturing Technology in the production process. We invited Janne to comment the opposition Technology Vs. Handicraft. Are they competitors nowadays? Find out what Janne thinks about this�

Max Lamb: Perfection and Quality Are Two Very Different Things

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Max Lamb is that kind of designer who constantly is pushing the boundaries of what is possible. His main job is to experiment with design and furniture production technologies. We asked Max to comment the opposition Technology Vs. Handicraft. Are they competitors nowadays? Find out what he thinks about this�

Simone Micheli: The Italian Design Defeats the Others

1970-01-01T00:00:00+01:00

Portrait: Maurizio Marcato

�The Italian design defeats the others, for its creativity, for its attention to industrial process and for its way to blend art and fashion in an emotive and peerless path.�