Interview with Asuka Saito

Award Winning Designer Asuka Saito shares insights

Interview with Asuka Saito at Sunday 8th of January 2017: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AS : I learned knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry, and obtained qualifications from Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A) And I completed some courses for jewelry making skills at REVERE academy of jewelry arts... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AS : The most thing motivates me to design is loving designing. It is really fun to see the work finished when I start to design from zero. .. DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? AS : I design unique jewelry inspired by forms and colors found in nature with a symbol of beauty through the ages. Medium I work with mostly is Swarovski crystal, pearls, and natural stones. ..

Interview with Viktor Bilak

Award Winning Designer Viktor Bilak shares insights

Interview with Viktor Bilak at Sunday 18th of December 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? VB : I was born in USSR and the art of Soviet avant-garde influences on my designs. I got classical art education in Russia so the traditions of the Russian school of painting is very important for me... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? VB : From childhood, I wanted to draw. When I was 5 years old, I saw the picture of fairy tale: animals were in doll’s theatre. It was so bright, colorful and magically that I wanted draw the copy of this picture and made them a lot. When I was 9 years old I went to the art school, 14 – I went to the art college and finished it 19 years old, 21 – 27 years old I studied arts in faculty of design in Stroganov’s Moscow State Art Industrial University... DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? VB : I work in field of exhibition design to create trade faire stands...

Interview with Morteza Farahnak

Award Winning Designer Morteza Farahnak shares insights

Interview with Morteza Farahnak at Thursday 15th of December 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? MF : I started my career as a professional graphic designer in 2010 and finished my B.A in graphic designs in 2013. I've participated in many poster workshops with great designers such as Studio Faldin from Russia, Ali Can Metin and Cem Cara from Turkey, Piotr Kunce from Poland, Fin Nygaard from Denmark, Stephan Bundi from Switzerland, Studio Noviki from Poland and etc. ... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? MF : I like designing cause it is like language for connecting people around the world. The language that everybody knows. I like to creat something new, something that everybody could connect with... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? MF : It was not pre-planned, But when I started Graphic Design I liked it and enjoyed designing gradually till I found myself as a professional graphic designer...

Interview with Roohollah Merrikhpour

Award Winning Designer Roohollah Merrikhpour shares insights

Interview with Roohollah Merrikhpour at Friday 25th of November 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? RM : I am Roohollah Merrikhpour, an industrial designer from Iran. I started my education with civil engineering and I got my bachelor in 2003. Since I have been fell in love with industrial design I saw no choice but starting my education from the first in a very new and very different major. I successfully passed the national university exam and started studying bachelor of industrial design in The University of Tehran which is the first-ranked university of IRAN. Honored as an outstanding student I received a full scholarship from the university for studying Master of Industrial Design. I finished the MFA program and then worked for about 3 years as an Industrial designer in GIG which is a big holding company in Iran. As a hobby I also was designing small design-oriented products and was selling them in design exhibition around the world. I participated in several Design exhibition in Tokyo, New York, Seoul, Stockholm etc. In 2013 I decided to start another master program in College for Creative Studies, Detroit, MI. Due to my good resume I got a scholarship and a dean award from College for Creative studies so I moved to the USA... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? RM : Design is about changing and creating. This is exactly what I live and it makes me feel alive. You change your environment, you influence things around you, so you make sure that you exist!.. DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? RM : As I said I changed my professional way significantly to become a designer. So, yes I myself chose to be a designer...

Interview with Aya Codama

Award Winning Designer Aya Codama shares insights

Interview with Aya Codama at Tuesday 22nd of November 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AC : I majored in graphic design at Tokyo Zokei University, where I attended a seminar held by the graphic designer Kan Akita. Following graduation, I worked at the design firm AWATSUJI Design for 7 years, and founded BULLET Inc. in 2013... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AC : I first learned the concept of graphic design from a teacher at the art school I attended to prepare for university. I had been a student who simply liked to draw pictures, but there I realized that design is not something superficial, but to think about the true nature of things. I probably wouldn’t have become a designer if I hadn’t met him... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? AC : I chose to. I thought hard about different options before deciding my first job: I was also offered positions in sales and systems engineering. But getting to know different job areas helped me realize that design was what I really wanted to do, and I made up my mind to learn more about design at a firm whose works I really liked...

Interview with AS Design Service Limited

Award Winning Designer AS Design Service Limited shares insights

Interview with AS Design Service Limited at Friday 18th of November 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AF : I have been working with my company partner more than 10 years, AS Design Service Limited was founded around 7 years ago, we like to inject an essence of experimental art for the possibility of combining space and art, which is our design philosophy... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AF : I started to learn art and the courses related design during my high school period, I felt very fun at first. I like drawing and thinking in my childhood, I had been spending more time to it and I thought that design is suitable for me, I started walking on the path of design slowly and unconsciously, the more time that I spent to it, the more I think my choice is right, because I really like design... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? AF : I am sure that I choose to become a designer, because it brings a lot of fun...

Interview with Vasil Velchev

Award Winning Designer Vasil Velchev shares insights

Interview with Vasil Velchev at Wednesday 2nd of November 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? VV : After my graduation from the University as a Master of Electrical Engineering i realized that i want to do something else. I worked some time as Electrical engineer but i wanted to do something more creative, to work with colors and shapes. Eleven years ago i started as a Graphic designer and later proceeded with the Product design... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? VV : When i have an idea and i find it interesting i want to share it... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? VV : Yes, I chose to become a designer. I think that you cannot be forced to do something that is related to art and creativity...

Interview with Ellen Zhu

Award Winning Designer Ellen Zhu shares insights

Interview with Ellen Zhu at Tuesday 1st of November 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? EZ : I am a visual artist and visual communication designer, currently completing my postgraduate design degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. My Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts at The University of New South Wales (UNSW ART & Design) was completed in Sydney. I consider myself as a mixed-media artist. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? EZ : My Australia identity and China heritage strongly influenced my art and design practices... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? EZ : At the age of two, I followed my family immigrated to Australia in 1996. In the beginning, before I completely mastered both Chinese and English, drawing was the way foe me to communicate with others, I think from this point laid my future to study art and design...

Interview with George Drakakis

Award Winning Designer George Drakakis shares insights

Interview with George Drakakis at Monday 31st of October 2016: DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? GD : Outdoor benches will always have a great impact in my design practice. Mainly because I think it’s the place where a lot of activities can take place in the same time. Just think about it; some people are relaxing, others are taking a break, or getting ready to go. A bench is a dynamic place, not only an ephemeral destination, but also a starting point for the next ongoing activity. A continuous movement in different directions, not just circling around, it's more like being on a single-sided surface, as described by A.F. Moebius and artistically expressed by M.C. Escher... DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design? GD : A good design is something that makes people smile and urge them to pay attention and interact, that is, spend more time the product. Time is our most precious property, and designs that manage to consume out time, are certainly the most successful ones... DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient? GD : A blank canvas, a loose imagination, past experience, cultural background, social concerns, inspiration from art and science. These are my secret ingredients and the Synthesis of all the above is the most valuable one...

Interview with Anastasia Gavrilova

Award Winning Designer Anastasia Gavrilova shares insights

Interview with Anastasia Gavrilova at Monday 31st of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AG : Amazing nature of the places where I was born, instilled in me a craving for everything beautiful. I started to draw since my childhood: I visited fine arts studio since I was seven years old. Even in this age of my art skills appeared in numerous local exhibitions and awards. It has determined my further development and I entered art school. Later, I graduated from the Institute of Architecture and Arts of Southern Federal University, and then I got additional education in British Higher School of Art and Design. My husband and partner - Rafael Gainullyn since early childhood tended to innovation and creativity. He has got his higher education in computer science, he has extensive experience of user interface design, usability, business analysis and project management... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AG : In conscious age, I finally realized that only art in its purest form wouldn’t be enough for me. I wanted to bring significant benefits, to solve the current problems of society and to create not only beautiful things, but also things that are multifunctional; I wanted to create something new. So I discovered for myself industrial design. Rafael, being the inventor at heart, with great pleasure shared my interest. Now it has become the meaning of our lives... DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer? AG : The intention to bring the project to perfection and true love for yours job. ..

Interview with Peter Stasek Architect

Award Winning Designer Peter Stasek Architect shares insights

Interview with Peter Stasek Architect at Sunday 30th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? PS : My whole family consisted of architects and artists. Thus my study of architecture at the Bauhaus University in Weimar was a logical continuation. Nevertheless, from the outset I have pursued an organic language of form, contrary to the scholarly form of the Bauhaus teaching. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? PS : After a long observation of the surrounding environment I came to the conclusion that only the organic language which is based on the evolution can be the real basis for a sustainable design = biomimicry... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? PS : In the creative work I have simply grown in.....

Interview with Gabriel Cetrez

Award Winning Designer Gabriel Cetrez shares insights

Interview with Gabriel Cetrez at Friday 28th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? GC : The background started when I was a child , between two and six years old, growing up in Sweden. I was always interested to sketch and paint, persons and things that I have seen, in order to stay creative. For me it was easy to enhance this progression and to stay creative, since I continued it. In the pre-school, I overdone it by drawing teachers I didn´t liked, in a facetious and sarkastic way, since I knew they could not take it badly. They even liked what they have seen. Later as adult, I moved to Germany and my interest changed mainly into fashion, by sketching clothes and garments, instead persons, since I looked forward to things that I could benefit with my talent, instead making a hobby out of it - which is a waste of time. It´s agreeing with the fact that what you experience or what you see as free and exciting is also connected to a creative process. Therefore I knew that I had to enhance this progression, in order to continue. But at the same time, I never look into my backgrounds or the past. I never analyse the past, because I only live in the present. The background is often connected to heritage. And heritage to me, is where I want to be and where I feel free - I´m not bounded to any specific place!.. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? GC : Motivation comes only from satisfaction. If you are not satisfied with yourself or with the circumstances, nothing helps. In order to stay motivated, you have to have a solid basic to look forward. You also can´t force yourself to be motivated for something. So in fact, you have to prank yourself in order to imagine it as a habit. .. DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? GC : Nobody can force someone to be something. I believe it comes by coincidence. And this industry is driven by many coincidences and most of them are even not equitable. I had a clear vision, to work only with what I can do best. In my case, it started when I began to draw as a child , later I knew that I need to continue in the creativity and art aspect, to benefit from my skills. ..

Interview with Nikola Vucicevic

Award Winning Designer Nikola Vucicevic shares insights

Interview with Nikola Vucicevic at Thursday 27th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? NV : I have Masters degree in Graphic Design from the School of Applied Arts at the University of Belgrade in 2004. In 2007, I completed Auto Desk Courses for Computer Graphics Software Maya in Chiron. I have over 15 years of design experience, which has given me the opportunity to work with many prestigious agencies including New Moment, McCann Erickson, and Leo Burnett. In 2005 I opened my own studio and have collaborated with a variety of clients from over 25 countries, including the Serbian Government. It has been my passion and success of design work that allowed me to receive my visa to stay in the USA. I promote my work as Designer and Gentleman. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? NV : I have always been passionate about visual arts. But I became a designer because I’m passionate about bringing brands and products to life and intriguing customers to take action. This brand-product-consumer-action relationship enables me to explore and be part of the whole process... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? NV : When I was a kid I considered myself a young artist. It turned out that I found my path in communication design rather than fine arts. But I would have never been able to be as successful as I have been if this passion didn’t come from within. ..

Interview with Omdesign

Award Winning Designer Omdesign shares insights

Interview with Omdesign at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? OC : Established in 1998, Omdesign is a Portuguese design and advertising agency that works on a daily basis for those clients that honour us with their patronage and loyalty. Based on a solid relationship between us and our clients and partners, we work with leading companies worldwide in different industries such as food and beverage, large consumption, tourism and others; the high quality and excellent work we perform are recognised globally... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? OC : The efficiency of our everyday work based on the recognition of our clients and their consumers... DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you? OC : Like in any other job, you must love what you do. Diversity, lack of formulas, liability for building and boosting the companies’ major asset - brands - and being able to consistently and effectively recreate them...

Interview with Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani

Award Winning Designer Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani shares insights

Interview with Alessandra D'Alessio & Alyssa Vani at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AV : Alessandra: Visual arts is my greatest passion, it has always played such a defining role in my life and has had such an incredible impact on me as a person. My favourite hobby growing up was drawing and continues to be today. I am now currently studying Interior Design at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada and am in my third year of studies. Alyssa: When I was younger I did not always envision myself in a career with design. I have always had a love and talent for it, but it was not until my later high school years that I decided to pursue it. Currently, I am enrolled in my third year at Ryerson University studying interior design and I could not be happier with my choice. I feel like I am doing exactly what I should be, drawing, designing, and creating graphics, while constantly finding new ways to be inspired. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AV : Alessandra: Throughout my childhood I experimented with painting, sewing and countless other mediums to express my creativity. Choosing an undergraduate degree that would lead me to a design related career was an easy choice, as it was something I always knew I would pursue. I became a designer because it is something I have always wanted to become. Alyssa: I've always had a love for interior design. I would always find myself watching the W Network and HGTV shows, eagerly waiting to see the final transformations. Working with my hands is one of my favourite things to do, whether it be sketching, physically making models, or anything computer related. Being an interior design student has allowed me to broaden my horizons and work on many projects using a variety of mediums to express my designs. .. DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? AV : Alessandra: I design a variety of things, especially now that I am Studying at the Ryerson School of Interior Design, which has allowed me to try out woodworking, advanced model making and 3d computer modeling as well. Mainly I design interiors for school, in addition to wood, or laser cut models that have to do with special relationships, overall concepts and the interaction of different materials. I wish to design more products, such as the braille blocks. I have become more and more interested in product design since I began my studies at Ryerson and hope to pursue the product design feel after my undergraduate degree. Alyssa: As an interior design student, the majority of my designs are of the interiors and exteriors of spaces. These designs include a wide range of things such as floor plans, sections, 3D renderings and models. In addition to this I have designed some products including a light modulator and Braille Blocks, as well as some posters for graphic design. I wish to design more products as well as some furniture as I have a strong interest for them both and believe that it would provide me with more experience and insight in the ever-growing design field. ..

Interview with Michal Maciej Bartosik

Award Winning Designer Michal Maciej Bartosik shares insights

Interview with Michal Maciej Bartosik at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? MB : I received my formal training in architecture. The rigor and scope of conceptualization through to production embodied in the discipline was seminal to my current design practice and ethos. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? MB : Over the course of my architectural career I became increasingly preoccupied with questions surrounding the 'Detail'. The Detail in my opinion is the cultural sinew between idea and material expression. It became evident to me that architecture, most often, does not afford itself the necessary time to sublimate the detail beyond a solely functional operation. The compressed scale at which industrial design contemplates the detail makes its ambitions central to these questions - What is the innate spirit of any given detail? .. DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? MB : I don't really see much of a distinction one from the other. When you are confronted with a conduit of Ideas and purposefully enter into its stream, the question of choice or control becomes an unnecessary distraction to the process of making. ..

Interview with Britta Schwalm

Award Winning Designer Britta Schwalm shares insights

Interview with Britta Schwalm at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? BS : I completed my education as a goldsmith as best of my course. After some time of practice I went to university to study design. I always wanted to be a designer and I love designing jewellery the most... DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? BS : I design jewellery according to the customers wishes - unique pieces for individuals. I´m specialized as a goldsmith to design adaptions. For example, if a customer inherited an outdated golden brooch with pearls from a beloved person I transform it into a pearl ring. If a customer inherited an outdated golden ring with an amber from a beloved person I transform it into a cute brooch. I love to (re-)design beloved outdated jewelry. To find out what fits to each single customer is a exiting design process. The shining in the eyes of the customers when treasured old jewellery gets a new makes me feel good... DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design? BS : A good design is not happening by chance. It´s an evolution dealing with the processes and the persons the design is made for. Good design can be developed in the context of new materials or new technologies. The relevance of the available economical resources is getting more and more important. Everyone should invest in good design because it should fit the needs of each single person. ..

Interview with Camiel Weijenberg

Award Winning Designer Camiel Weijenberg shares insights

Interview with Camiel Weijenberg at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? CW : My design background is something that has come hand in hand with my upbringing. My grandfather was a contractor of a modest company. My father was educated as an engineer and later build his own plane while my mother is a sculpture. We always made things around and in the house and sometimes a new house. I think this has given me tremendous input in my work and thinking while running the office. .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? CW : Working life started as a carpenter and after a few years i enjoyed building furniture so much i wanted to learn more and applied for interior design at the Royal academy in the Netherlands and later graduated at the Architectural Association in London. After having worked at Wilkinson Eyre and later at Zaha Hadid in London for couple of years, i decided it was time to go on my own. After collaborating on a project with Ernesto Bedmar in Singapore i decided that this would be my new direction and setup right in the center of town in the heart of China town Singapore. .. DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? CW : By choice, my upbringing had been very free and was always given choice to make my own decisions from very early on. I can’t imagine anybody trying to be passionate in anything if you are forced into it. ..

Interview with Duval H. Patterson

Award Winning Designer Duval H. Patterson shares insights

Interview with Duval H. Patterson at Wednesday 26th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? DP : Iam not a professionally trained designer. I have a B.A. and I worked in the criminal justice system as a police officer, retired and became a crime scene artist at a large law firm in N.Y.C. I was always into drawing,painting and designing. I'm basically self taught , but have attended classes at Parsons School Of Design and The Art Students League. After I retired, I got into my art full time....on a part time basis. (smile).. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? DP : Designing was necessary in pursuing some artistic endeavors... DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design? DP : A good design is ageless...

Interview with Tianyi Shi

Award Winning Designer Tianyi Shi shares insights

Interview with Tianyi Shi at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? TS : I am currently pursuing postgraduate studies in furniture design at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London. And before, I learned industry design for four years in Beijing. Because of this background, I am concentrating on designing household products and furniture... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? TS : Of course I choose it by myself. Because I love painting and beautiful things since I was a child. In that time, I would like to be a designer. When I started my BA program, I chose design without hesitate. Then I became a designer and enjoyed design all the time... DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? TS : I am doing furniture and product design. I gradually took interest in material, handicraft and Chinese traditional culture and have been trying to utilize them in modern home life. I wish my design cannot only cater to people’s needs, but can also arouse people’s interest and resonance...

Interview with Youssef Abdel Zaher

Award Winning Designer Youssef Abdel Zaher shares insights

Interview with Youssef Abdel Zaher at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? YA : As I am designing banking products and services , My studies which was in the business field helped me somewhat in the designing process but this began when I was working as a customer service officer in a bank , I used to get feedback from bank customers about new banking products or services they need , so I was trying to make brain storming and try to figure out new product and services ideas , when I came up with new idea , i was writing it right way on a paper and began thinking about its features based upon my customer service experience and what they will want from this product , to give them more financial benefits , or provide savings for them or make their transactions more easier or saving their time , after that it becomes a hobby and a passion for me to the extent that it takes most of my thinking time , then i began thinking about turning this hobby to professional work , so i presented my first banking product or design idea to the bank to be turned to a bank project but it was not executed as I missed the projects pipeline deadline , then i made different trials with different institutions but in vein , then I discovered by coincidence the A design competition , so I decided to win in this design competition, after one year working on my project which is the " co brand bank card credit hours rights loyalty program " or shortly " education currency " project , I presented it to the competition and then , thanks God , I won the award at banking and financial instrument category , after winning , I decided to design revolutionary innovative financial products and services to be sold and used around the world and this became my dream , so I worked on designing many banking product and services ideas and I am trying to turn it to real projects through finding an institution that have interest to turn these product or services ideas to real project .. DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? YA : It began as a hobby as I discovered in myself the passion and ability to design new banking products and services , then it turned to a lifetime dream to become a designer and design revolutionary innovative financial products and services to be used and sold around the world ... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? YA : I decided absolutely to become a designer as I discovered in myself the passion and ability to design new banking products and services ...

Interview with Cangshan

Award Winning Designer Cangshan shares insights

Interview with Cangshan at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? CC : At Cangshan our team is purposefully diverse with many members coming from non-traditional design backgrounds, some with educations in engineering, business management and communications. A common thread of passion for design emerged within our organization which has facilitated building an environment where members are valued for their tangible skills and contributions to the end product and not necessarily on their job titles or previous work experiences. Currently our design team is split between China and America with 9 industrial designers working on location at our factory in China and the rest of our team working in our offices in America... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? CC : Our passion is to create beautiful function. This drives us to constantly identify opportunities to push, improve and innovate our current products and processes. Our whole team loves being able to create and share value by utilizing and coordinating our varied skills... DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? CC : We design everything we can, from our knives, to our eCommerce website to our credit application forms, we just love to design. Everyone at Cangshan tries to make sure nothing is throw away, nothing is a place holder, if we can design a product or process to be more efficient and effective than that becomes our goal. ..

Interview with Noushin Jafari

Award Winning Designer Noushin Jafari shares insights

Interview with Noushin Jafari at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? NJ : I started by studying architecture in Paris /France, and I have to admit my appreciation about french architecture schools accentuation on arts which is unique , and that's when I found my interest in design .After the masters degree in 2011 I went to Iran and got inspired by local artisans over there , then I started Interior Design ( continuing ) education courses in Hunter College in NYC in September 2015 . all along the way I took part of different kinds of internships and experiences , which I believe they had a very strong influence on my professional course... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? NJ : I enjoy creating and finding solutions , details matter so much in design process and I have this manic to details though (lol).. DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? NJ : I don't believe that anyone can "become" a designer by being forced to , it needs so much passion and patience beside the skills that would not happen by getting forced to . about me , I never had thought about my title , I just discovered my passions and took them seriously and they led me here where I am now , and who knows where they bring me tomorrow :)..

Interview with Virserius Studio

Award Winning Designer Virserius Studio shares insights

Interview with Virserius Studio at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? TV : I was born and raised in Sweden, so I have a foundation in European design, but I have also been influenced by my years living in China, and by my current home, New York City. I am fluent in Mandarin, which I perfected in Shanghai when I was part of the management team that started the first Ikea in China. I then moved on to Jeffrey Beers in New York, before starting my own firm in 2003. My diverse educational and professional experiences have allowed me to appreciate different cultures and provide a unique understanding of the global interior design landscape, while incorporating these elements into my projects... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? TV : I am motivated by the potential of the concept of what a space can be, how the guest or patron will feel when they are in the space, the mood and perception – the life of the space itself... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? TV : I didn’t always want to to be a designer I was an undergrad in law and then went for a Bachelors of Art in Mandarin with strong focus on Asia, particularly China and its culture and business...

Interview with Barbara Princic

Award Winning Designer Barbara Princic shares insights

Interview with Barbara Princic at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? BP : I graduated from industrial design (BA) at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design. A half year later I got the opportunity to work in Taiwan, in Taipei, at the Design Promotion Center CETRA. It was a unique experience for such a young person as I was in nineties. There I met several distinguished designers like Alexander Manu, Jean-Marie Massaud, Gad Shannon, prof. Stefan Lengyel, naming just few of them. After spending one year in Taiwan I had returned to Europe and the same year obtained a scholarship from the Dutch government for a post-graduate study at the European Design Centre in Eindhoven. There I got acquainted with environmental issues in design. I decided that this would be my future orientation. I followed environmental and ecological themes for the next decade and in 2007 graduated on MA level with a theme on Sustainable use of water when washing small children’s hands... DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of? BP : In a past I did a lot of chair designs. One of them, the 5x5 chair, was also awarded with a silver A’Design Award. I did other projects too, for furniture industry. But know I focused on children’s playground equipment. So in a future I want to do more designs made from wood for children... DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you? BP : Beside hard work it is necessary to follow your own dreams, to believe in what you do, to walk along your own way regardless what others say or think. ..

Interview with Ari Korolainen

Award Winning Designer Ari Korolainen shares insights

Interview with Ari Korolainen at Tuesday 25th of October 2016: DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education? AK : I graduated as an architect (B.Arch.) in 1984. I designed houses for about a year... DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer? AK : When working as an architect, I often carried with me heavy briefcases full of construction drawings. I started thinking about what would be an easier and better way of storing them and carrying them around to different places. So I created a lightweight briefcase for myself from cardboard. Soon the cardboard briefcase aroused a lot of attention, and people asked me where they could buy one... DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one? AK : So I had to establish my own factory, PRIVATE CASE OY, and started to design more items. ..