Designing with humor
November 22, 2003 | 12:00am
Talent in designing is not enough to make one a famous designer nor is it enough to be accepted in a famous design company. First and foremost, the upcoming designer must know how to market himself and his products to break into the highly competitive world of industrial design. Just how can a young designer without financial backing do that? The answer is simple: Participation in an international trade fair. As a stepping-stone for young designers to market and sell their products, fairs are the best way to catch the attention of buyers, design firms, manufacturers and distribution companies who could later turn their prototypes into real commercial products. Luckily, international fairs like the Tendence Lifestyle Fair in Frankfurt, Germany have a soft spot for budding young designers. Tendence even invites and sponsors the participation of deserving designers to showcase their work.
We were able to interview the most promising international young designers in one Tendence fair. They not only have the talent but the determination to succeed as well.
Here are their works – and their stories.
Halfdesign was born from the dynamic partnership of Fenna Vilchis van der Tas and Wendymay Tiktak who are new graduates of the Academy of Arts Arnhem in the Netherlands. Their concept is to convert normal things into objects of fun.
They cite the example of taking a bath – a mere everyday routine – and for this activity they designed a soap bar with a strand of hair in real gold. The gold hair was designed as an accessory to go with one´s everyday wardrobe.
Another example is cutting and peeling potatoes, which is a staple in European cuisine. They have designed several variations of knives specifically to make the otherwise tedious task of peeling potatoes a fun activity. One knife is for taking out the brown spots, the others to cut and peel the potato. For their market trial, they visited several farmers and together with them, sold the potatoes with the knives following several demonstrations. The designers believe that getting the personal feedback of the end user as well as documenting the whole design process is very important in their work. Their products have caught the attention of galleries, museums and small shops.
Alex Gabriel and Willeke Evenhuis, after one year of graduating from a design school in the Netherlands, teamed up to produce lamps. They were not just any other lamps since they were produced utilizing a technology well known in the industrial world called rapid prototyping. This is made possible through a software program that comes up with a three-dimensional image which then makes it able to produce the different layers of the polyamide material.
Willeke explains that the prototyping technique gives them versatility in interpreting their chosen material – there are no limitations in creating new and varied shapes, which would not have been possible using other materials. It takes them 10-20 hours to produce one lamp. When asked whether they are afraid of being imitated, Willeke confidently says that their technology is so complicated it is impossible to copy the technique.
Jens Paulus is a graduate of the Furniture Design Offenbach School of Design in Germany. He explained that his product is a project he did during his graduating year, which he spent in an exchange program in Finland. It was conceptualized, produced and financed with the cooperation of his host university in Finland.
The innovative concept of his furniture, called "Saari," is Connecting People. This motto was translated through his creation of a work area where there are neither chairs nor fixed tables. He designed one big open sofa without arm rests but with two flat wooden blocks, one square and one rectangular to replace the fixed back rest and two movable tables, one long and rectangular with an open shelf to store things while the other is a small circular table. The cushion, sewn in squares like a patchwork, was designed in a way that one could insert all the movable components wherever one pleases. The wooden blocks serve as back rests while the circular table is for the laptop. All the movable components are double purpose: the wooden blocks serve as trays for refreshments while the small circular table may be used as a regular table. The result is a more pleasant working environment since the atmosphere becomes informal and thus creating an ambience where people talk and listen to each other.
One look at this piece of cloth with small lights will lead you to ask whether it’s a head gear, a body bag, a bustier, a vest, a hat, a disco outfit or a table lamp. The product is made with three fasteners and the lights are embedded in the cloth, creating a shining effect. It turns out that the Japanese designer, Ken Yokomizo, designed it to be all seven things in one – and more depending on your imagination. Yokomizo admits his design may be too advanced for its time and but he believes the product is a great functional piece for today.
Perhaps it is Yokomizo´s Milan experience which gave him the inspiration to combine industrial design and fashion in his product. He worked as a freelance designer for Italian companies and studios. He is also a veteran of design fairs. Since he has been embarking on his wearable light products, he joined the London exhibition, 100% Design in 2002 to exhibit his first marketable product. It was in 2003 when he was nominated for the Design Report Award 2003 in the Salonsatellite in Milan where he got the attention of the international press, which has been following his career since.
Who says only gold sparkles? Finn Stone´s chairs sparkle literally. With the use of hollogramic dust, mixed flakes, glitter normally used for makeup and with its fiberglass structure, the chairs sparkle in the dark. No wonder on the list of his clientele are nightclubs, salons and fashion boutiques. In Germany, he was asked to design a line of jewelry using the same material and furniture pieces for music videos.
Finn Stone is as wacky and wild in person as his creations. With his fashion sense and accent, it was like talking to Austin Powers. More so when he explained that his motto is "Bling bling." It makes you forget that he is a designer. It was only when he mentioned that he was part of the British European Design Group Contingent that you remember that he is a real furniture designer.
He explained that the sparkle concept stems from the fact that diamonds are a girl´s best friend. He designed his chairs with the likes of Madonna and Puff Daddy in mind, and explains that his chairs can be used for indoor settings such as bathrooms, bedrooms or living rooms and even for outdoor use.
So the next time you see sparkling jewels, better take a closer look to see if it is indeed gold because it may just be fiberglass with hollogramic dust.
After viewing the whole collection of all the young international designers, one reaches the conclusion that an innovative concept that is both functional and original makes a product stand out. However, one needs marketing know-how to go places.
Young designers like Ken Yokomizo and Finn Stone are good examples in this regard. Yokomizo has a big canvas wall background that shows his model with his product and name. He has flyers, postcards, CDs of his designs to give away and participates in international fairs. Both Stone and Yokomizo have their own comprehensive websites featuring their products, biography and collection of press clippings.
Stone concludes by saying, "Push it to the limit of your imagination. Don´t be too serious. Keep up with the times but put some humor in the world."
We were able to interview the most promising international young designers in one Tendence fair. They not only have the talent but the determination to succeed as well.
Here are their works – and their stories.
They cite the example of taking a bath – a mere everyday routine – and for this activity they designed a soap bar with a strand of hair in real gold. The gold hair was designed as an accessory to go with one´s everyday wardrobe.
Another example is cutting and peeling potatoes, which is a staple in European cuisine. They have designed several variations of knives specifically to make the otherwise tedious task of peeling potatoes a fun activity. One knife is for taking out the brown spots, the others to cut and peel the potato. For their market trial, they visited several farmers and together with them, sold the potatoes with the knives following several demonstrations. The designers believe that getting the personal feedback of the end user as well as documenting the whole design process is very important in their work. Their products have caught the attention of galleries, museums and small shops.
Willeke explains that the prototyping technique gives them versatility in interpreting their chosen material – there are no limitations in creating new and varied shapes, which would not have been possible using other materials. It takes them 10-20 hours to produce one lamp. When asked whether they are afraid of being imitated, Willeke confidently says that their technology is so complicated it is impossible to copy the technique.
The innovative concept of his furniture, called "Saari," is Connecting People. This motto was translated through his creation of a work area where there are neither chairs nor fixed tables. He designed one big open sofa without arm rests but with two flat wooden blocks, one square and one rectangular to replace the fixed back rest and two movable tables, one long and rectangular with an open shelf to store things while the other is a small circular table. The cushion, sewn in squares like a patchwork, was designed in a way that one could insert all the movable components wherever one pleases. The wooden blocks serve as back rests while the circular table is for the laptop. All the movable components are double purpose: the wooden blocks serve as trays for refreshments while the small circular table may be used as a regular table. The result is a more pleasant working environment since the atmosphere becomes informal and thus creating an ambience where people talk and listen to each other.
Perhaps it is Yokomizo´s Milan experience which gave him the inspiration to combine industrial design and fashion in his product. He worked as a freelance designer for Italian companies and studios. He is also a veteran of design fairs. Since he has been embarking on his wearable light products, he joined the London exhibition, 100% Design in 2002 to exhibit his first marketable product. It was in 2003 when he was nominated for the Design Report Award 2003 in the Salonsatellite in Milan where he got the attention of the international press, which has been following his career since.
Finn Stone is as wacky and wild in person as his creations. With his fashion sense and accent, it was like talking to Austin Powers. More so when he explained that his motto is "Bling bling." It makes you forget that he is a designer. It was only when he mentioned that he was part of the British European Design Group Contingent that you remember that he is a real furniture designer.
He explained that the sparkle concept stems from the fact that diamonds are a girl´s best friend. He designed his chairs with the likes of Madonna and Puff Daddy in mind, and explains that his chairs can be used for indoor settings such as bathrooms, bedrooms or living rooms and even for outdoor use.
So the next time you see sparkling jewels, better take a closer look to see if it is indeed gold because it may just be fiberglass with hollogramic dust.
Young designers like Ken Yokomizo and Finn Stone are good examples in this regard. Yokomizo has a big canvas wall background that shows his model with his product and name. He has flyers, postcards, CDs of his designs to give away and participates in international fairs. Both Stone and Yokomizo have their own comprehensive websites featuring their products, biography and collection of press clippings.
Stone concludes by saying, "Push it to the limit of your imagination. Don´t be too serious. Keep up with the times but put some humor in the world."
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