George Drakakis

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer George Drakakis ("GD") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

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.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

GD : It's My chair. i designed it 10 years ago as a coffee-dining chair. Now the prototype serves as my office chair. The cantilevered back of the chair creates a swing motion (like a rocking chair) and gives me piece of mind so i can concentrate on my projects and it also calms my enthusiasm when a new idea comes into my mind and the time is right to move on form brain-storming to rational thinking.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

GD : Design is Poetry through time and space. Design is an on-going process. It's going through stages. It's about grabbing a word, a feeling, a meaning, an idea and mentally sculpt it till it gets a new meaning. It’s a non-stop procedure, but in certain moments, when the time is right, the process is materialized, a new product is made.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

GD : The most exciting news are yet to come. This year i have been working on a collection of indoor and outdoor furnishing on behalf of a local company called Inomo. It was specifically designed in order to introduce a start-up furniture collection that will best describe the spirit, the values and the aesthetic of a brand new furniture company, based in Greece, while at the same time highlight the cultural continuity and craftsmanship connection between the present and the past. It is called Modern Takes and the whole project was conceived as a gesture of Forward Movement, trying to blend minimal design and maximal inheritage. It embodies what i call the Sling Effect; the more you look back in time, the more you advance ahead. Prototype models got client's approval, actually they are on their way for production and i am thrilled with the idea of communicating my designs to the public.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

GD : I couldn't really answer this question. Mainly because the "end" of the design process simply doesn't happen. I could refine a project every time over and over again. Deadlines and time scheduling milestones, are "non-finito" moments.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

GD : Form Follows Satis-Function. That's my paraphrased motto. Design should be side-by-side with emotions and always trying to practice serious fun.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

GD : 3d modelling applications made everything easier especially during the phase of refining the details of the design, or reconfigure over and over again the whole shape. Quite recently, 3d printing services prooved extremely useful for prototype modelling evaluation

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

GD : At first pencil sketches act as a reminder for the basic shape or idea, then Cinema4d for the modelling part, it's the perfect tool for this kind of modelling and Thea Render for the highly accurate material set-up and rendered images and animations, be it early stage visualizations or the final presentation to the client.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

GD : i would like to thank A' Design Award for giving me the chance to communicate my designs and ideas to a wider audience. Extensive and intense publicity of my projects was the main reason to sign my latest contract furniture agreement.