Giusi Castaldo

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Giusi Castaldo ("GC") 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?

GC : I graduated in "Architecture. Architectural Design" at the Faculty of Architecture in Naples in 2012 and in the same year I became co-founder of the Film & Design Association “Unisono Produzioni”. I’ve started with the Design in 2013 designing, prototyping and realizing products with waste material, in specific wood. From this I’ve created "Lulù" and "Zeno" lamps and "Tquadro" tables, unique pieces made recovering materials from old wooden carpenters and abandoned wooden pieces of boats on Italian coasts, giving life to what is termed "creative recycle". Lulù, Zeno and TQuadro have been exhibited at international design fairs such as HOMI Fiera Milano_Rho, DESIGN CIRCUS in Milan, BRERA Design District and PAN - Napoli Arts Building. My last project, "Little Tu", table and applique lamp, made of wood and corian, was born from the will to combine light and nature, life and craft. A project in which creativity becomes sustainable.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

GC : The emotion in thinking of creating a daily object but having its own uniqueness.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

GC : I choose to do it every day.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

GC : I love designing the relationship between things in space. Draw objects in their spaces and spaces that will be ready to welcome them. Lately, however, I also have a strong sensitivity to the design of light. Light is a very complex, fascinating phenomenon, it is invisible energy that makes things visible, spaces.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

GC : They have to love their work, to be constantly inspired, to be up to date, to be aware of what is around them, to be entrusted with the needs around them. The best projects are the fruit of necessity.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

GC : Humility in creating from something bigger than himself.

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

GC : A good design is valued by his ability to live the moment but also to last and thrill over time.

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

GC : A good design that lasts longer is an aesthetically pleasing, comprehensible and therefore successful design. If successful it is certainly a good investment.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

GC : I would design for people who have a reduced ability to interact with the social environment; for those who are less autonomous in carrying out daily activities and often in disadvantaged situations in participating in social life; for those who, for economic reasons, have limited access to essential and primary goods, vital goods and social services.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

GC : The next one!

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

GC : Simplicity, delicacy, poetry...

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

GC : Bruno Munari, Charles and Ray Eames, Joe Colombo.

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

GC : Munari's "Useless Machines". Poetry and magic for both children and adults. "Lounge Chair" by Charles and Ray Eames. Excellent combination between cinema and design. The first armchair and pouf, made in 1956, was a birthday present for Billy Wilder, the award-winning director.

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

GC : Little Tu, because since today it’s the project that more than the others sums up the researches and the aesthetic and ethical trends carried out over these years.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

GC : Listening more to your neighbor and his needs.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

GC : Jazz singer.

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

GC : Significa avere uno sguardo attento, provare a risolvere problemi in tutti gli ambiti in cui viene applicato.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

GC : “Little Tu” Artistic Director, Film Director and Co-Founder of Unisono Productions, Alessandro Falco.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

GC : Inspiration, information, research, listen to the needs of the neighbor, and a good deal of courage.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

GC : Meeting difficulties every day. Very often it also affects the place where you live, your difficulties in getting you out or just producing. Then I realized that passion goes far beyond any difficulty and every day I do everything to not lose it.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

GC : Every work has to be presented with responsibility, respect and honesty both in ourselves as designers and in regard to who is devoting our time.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

GC : A project that responds to the difficulties of social integration.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

GC : Design objects taking into account the needs. Continue my research and experimentation to succeed in designing and designing more and more objects, with common sense, at the service of others.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

GC : Professionalism, concreteness and imagination.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

GC : At any moment, somewhere in the world, the designer designs and produces an object. Consequently, objects, infrastructures, homes, cities, waste, and a huge amount of energy are created. And in part it is the fault of designers and designers. But at the same time I believe design can help people overcome these difficulties, reduce waste production, reduce energy consumption and resources. Design, therefore, as a conscious opportunity in solving these problems, is not the cause of them.

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

GC : I'm working on a new lamp with which to interact as much as possible!

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

GC : Every project gave me satisfactions. "Little Tu" is the one most representing my idea of approaching to nature.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

GC : I would like companies and industries could be more open to young designers. Expectations for both negative and positive responses are too long and sparse.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

GC : I hope for a more sustainable city, where technology is only in the service of man. Future projects should aim to improve the quality of life, without waste or excess.

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

GC : It depends on the type of project, the results you want to get and how much time you have available.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

GC : I begin to give him opportunities for growth and production, trying to put it inside the company to make it part of it, through fairs, events, exhibitions.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

GC : Humility, humanity, utility.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

GC : Unfortunately, trends affect design.

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

GC : Today you are completely slaves. But I think it is fundamental in some cases.

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

GC : I use Sketchup and Adobe Photoshop very often.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

GC : They are elements of research and success of a good design. A good color, the right material and the environment in which it can fit, are fundamental data that define the object, giving it confidence and quality. They are an integral part of the project.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

GC : Elegance, essence and simplicity.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

GC : Why did not I think about it?

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

GC : My ideal design partner is, in most cases, not a designer. Indeed, I believe in the collaboration of several professional figures, to have different approaches to the project.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

GC : Musicians, directors, photographers and sociologists.

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

GC : Some texts by Bruno Munari, Thomas Maldonado, John Maeda, Adolf Loos, Alexander Calder, Egon Schiele, Nicola Emery, Carlos Martí Aris ... and many others.

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

GC : Using the art of "doing to learn" and "learning to do".

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

GC : Charles and Ray Eames.

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

GC : I have just started!

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

GC : Green. Sea. Chips. Winter. Hands. Unisono Produzioni.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

GC : Use train tickets when I went to college as a prototype cardboard to create a mini chair for industrial design examination. I always consumed them before arriving at their destination, risking fines every day.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

GC : I feel lucky because every day there are eyes that encourage me. And every day I commit myself to do the same.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

GC : No! But I was hoping!

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

GC : Design will change shape but will not die.

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

GC : Behind every little detail in my projects there is a thought. Many times even the fruit of sleepless nights. They are not choices left to chance. Everything lives in logic, poetics, composition and harmony.