Anastasia Gavrilova

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Anastasia Gavrilova ("AG") 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: 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.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

AG : Firstly, the product should be in demand and bring some benefit. Secondly, the product functional should harmoniously broadcast into its aesthetics, there shouldn’t be nothing superfluous. In this sense, a standard for us is the wildlife, as there such principle is implemented for 100%. Thirdly, a good design should consider many factors all at the same time - the target audience and usage environment, production technologies and logistics, convenience and ergonomics, quality, safe disposal, and much more. This should be weighed and thoroughly considered decision.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

AG : It's obvious that people like beautiful things and they ensure successful sales, but that are not all the benefits of good design. Great quality of the work done at the stage of preliminary studies and design, allows reduce the number of possible risks and errors, which are much more difficult to correct after the launch of production. It is more saving and efficient way to create the perfect product that will leave behind all the competitors because of its properties. That’s why investing in high-quality design is the most reasonable solution for the launch of a new product.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

AG : Doesn’t matter how hard we strain our rational mind in an attempt to insert many factors in the project, only the intuition and creative insight are able to give birth to the present genius solutions. The idea aroused in my head for a split of second, sometimes turns out to be so thought-out, that mind needs to take a few days to realize and describe it. It’s a miracle and real creativity.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

AG : Santiago Calatrava, Nikola Tesla, Norman Foster, Zaha Hadid, Karim Rashid, Leonardo Da Vinci.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

AG : As I already mentioned, I am working in tandem with my husband. We complete each other, we consider a project with different aspects, but as a result we form a something one whole. For this reason, I don’t just believe in the joint design, I know that it is possible and it could be very effective. But reach this, people should have really trust relationship, they need to understand each other with a glance.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

AG : My wins in important competitions always give me lots of strength and inspiration for new achievements. Love of people and recognition - is the most important in the work of designer, it is evidence that your art work is in demand, and these efforts are not in vain.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

AG : I think that will be used, new, effective and safe energy sources, that do not require fuel utilization. All materials will be ecologically-friendly and recyclable. And people also will learn to better use their hidden talents and capabilities of the brain. Communication technologies will be based on telepathy. Instead of the planes there will be used teleportation.