Dave Colliver

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Dave Colliver ("DC") 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?

DC : I was fortunate enough to go through the Industrial Design course at UniSA which by all accounts was world standard. From there my career path took me on a very extensive apprenticeship through industrial design, sales & marketing, manufacturing, quality, production engineering, Lean & continuous improvement and business management. This has been a long but valuable education, one that left me eager to re-enter the design world and apply the lessons learned.

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

DC : Initially, I suppose my reasons for getting into design were quite selfish. I liked nice things and wanted to create them. Enter the real world. Years of delving into marketing and manufacturing and I now see that the benefits of design are far beyond my own desires and even those of the consumers. Now, my motivation is to create great experiences that make the world a better place in the most economical and environmentally friendly manner.

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

DC : It was a choice when I was young and a burning desire now.

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

DC : I love designs that focus on the simple things, transforming activities we often take for granted into experiences that we can take pleasure in. Ideally there will be visual, tactile and mechanical elements with an appreciation that can grow over time and endure. I’m more into lasting cherished experiences than an instant wow factor that fades.

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

DC : I’m a long way from seeing myself as a design legend but I do believe young designers should learn everything possible about what consumers want and what is needed to turn that into a real and viable product. This is an ongoing process in an ever changing environment.

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

DC : A great designer creates something really new in a concept, process or product. The market ultimately determines this to a point but may not see the gold that lies underneath in many cases. This is part of the value to the design community in awards, competitions and exhibitions such A’Design where these things can be dissected and communicated.

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

DC : Beyond being viable, I’d say that it’s how well the outcome meets the intent. You could be out to design something that lots of people like, something a few people love, something that prompts vigorous discussion or even something that plants a seed and can grow with consumer input. There are a myriad of different purposes for design projects and the measures will be different for each one. With this in mind, some tangible and intangible goals should be set in the initial brief. These can be tested throughout the design process, in prototyping, with focus groups and ultimately with market response.

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

DC : It’s a part of human nature to progress and design is an inseparable part of that. Good designs that produce new and lasting paradigm shifts, no matter how large or small, represent ratchet steps. These ratchet steps prevents us from slipping back and wasting time, effort and resources covering old ground.

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

DC : It will be something that aids a healthy, active and social lifestyle.

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

DC : It’s over the horizon still, I know it’s there, I can feel it drawing me in, I’ll let you know as soon as I do.

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

DC : Many of the greatest products throughout history, in terms of market success, have been the result of great design, timing and exceptional marketing all of which make a strong connection with people. Even then, the companies responsible for their success often struggle to fully explain the specific reasons for it. One thing they do seem to have in common is an understanding that people want to be both individual and a part of something bigger than themselves.

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

DC : Philippe Stark is one that comes to mind who has inspired me with some of his products.

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

DC : Mostly, my Zippo lighter with the lifetime guarantee engraved in the case. It provides a pleasurable experience that engages a number of senses and emotions while meeting a basic need very well. The engraved guarantee openly celebrates the reliability and durability of the product and the focus on quality and customers. The replicated 1935 shape also gives it a little personal uniqueness.

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

DC : This one - so far. It’s honest in its appeal, no trick or exaggerations, and there are people who have really fallen in love with it which give me a bit of a lump in the throat.

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

DC : I read a comment from Austen Angell, CEO of Modern Edge that I thought had great merit. "It's all about getting away from the old world design of ‘we're going to perform magic’… now the magic is this process of collaborating.”

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

DC : I would have been a disillusioned want-to-be designer probably. I have had many roles throughout my career and in every one I have valued my training and background in design. I think design knowledge forms a great foundation for so many things. There is a design component in creating anything new.

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

DC : Design is about pulling emotions and ideas together to create new ways of meeting needs and desires. Design for me has always been about using inherent forms, properties and forces to their utmost, in the simplest form possible, to achieve interesting outcomes. It’s not about making things happen – it’s about removing the barriers so they can just happen the way they are meant to, physically and emotionally.

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

DC : My fiancé has been very supportive during the ups and downs that come from being passionate about design and that simply must be acknowledged. The greatest encouragement has come from Sandy Walker, a former lecturer of mine from UniSA. Thanks Sandy.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

DC : I don’t really see myself as great yet. There is a lot more still to accomplish. Using and honing my design skills in all areas of life has helped me get where I am though.

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

DC : Taking the time out of my career to go it alone on a non-commissioned project has tested my resources, resolve and at times my self-confidence. Knowing the challenges that others have faced in similar situations and the commitment they have shown to get where they are has helped me put it in perspective though.

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

DC : It depends entirely on the audience but for presenting commercial products in the market place, by emphasising benefits rather than features.

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

DC : For now I’m mainly focused on taking the if… pen to the next stage.

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

DC : To make peoples’ day.

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

DC : Profitability.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

DC : I think by giving people fresh new experiences and showing what is possible. There will be some hits and there will be some misses but ultimately, society will get a choice in shaping its future.

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

DC : Getting a product to market that will hopefully sell the merits of Design for Lean.

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

DC : I have gained a great deal of satisfaction designing the if… pen, as much for the verification of the approach taken as the end result.

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

DC : More emphasis on design for Lean will I think yield better results for business and the environment simultaneously. I only hope though, that people truly understand what Lean is about before embarking on that journey. Unfortunately many text books look only at what they think are quick fix pills rather than the underlying principles.

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

DC : There is a lot of glamour around new and experimental technologies at the moment with the desired user experience being defined as less effort is better. I think in some circles this is reaching a kind of utopia of “no effort is better” or “synthesized can replace reality” and may not represent society as a whole. I think attention may start to shift back to design meeting the needs of real experiences and simple pleasures.

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

DC : In a designer’s mind, no design is ever finalized.

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

DC : I explore the market, see what is around, how people use it, how they want to use it, what emotions are expressed, what issues and opportunities there are and what longer term potential there is.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

DC : I like the quote credited to Einstein that “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result”.

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

DC : Design can influence direction but society creates the field of play. If you fit degrees of innovation with a standard bell curve, the outliers will not immediately gain enough traction to have a lasting influence. Innovations that are only a few standard deviations from existing centered trends and gain the greatest following can have a far greater effect in skewing the curve.

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

DC : Technology definitely helps visualize complex concepts and explore a large number of ideas quite quickly. I find it valuable though to also spend time getting a more intimate feel for chosen concepts through manual methods.

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

DC : I use Solidworks. Gladly, I’m still at a beginner to intermediate level where what I can create in a CAD model can also be made without huge expense.

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

DC : I think we should try to involve as many of the senses as possible in designs in a way that brings clarity to the purpose and method of use for a product but also brings life through movement.

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

DC : Where can I get one?

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

DC : I see a designer, design team or company with a clear unified vision and a great sense of collaboration.

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

DC : I do believe in co-design though I’m yet to go down that path. As a yachtsman I have had a very successful and enjoyable time with a crew whom I knew very well where we could act in unison without the need for too much communication and could trust each other beyond question. The same would hold for a design partner.

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

DC : I have had the good fortune of meeting many business people through local networks. The ones that have influenced me the most are those who have a set of simple over-arching goals that include customer, quality and people.

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

DC : “In Search of Excellence”. It gives some great insight into, among other things, what innovation means and how important it is.

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

DC : Through a very long apprenticeship in many varied aspects of product realization with my eyes and ears open.

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

DC : Henry Ford. I want to know his true philosophy and understand how he pulled together so many different aspects of product realization.

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

DC : Well I’m not famous and don’t feel a need to be but the recognition is a huge boost to my self-confidence and I can carry that forward with increased conviction in my approach and ideas.

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

DC : Personally, my favorite color is PMS 285. In a design, different colors evoke different emotions so to use more than one at a time I feel can be a bit confusing for the soul. My favorite place is anywhere that I can see the ocean. My favorite season is spring as it brings a sense of new life and lifted spirits. My favorite thing will soon be the wedding ring I am designing with my fiancé. My favorite brand, for the story behind it, is R.M. Williams.

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

DC : In one project when I was still at university I came up with an amazing product that was perfect in every way except meeting the brief. I have never done that again.

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

DC : Hearing how my design has had a positive impact on someone makes my day and is an invaluable source of motivation. What more can you ask for?

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

DC : Not to me but my parents were often bemused by my continuous questions about how things worked and why things were the way they were. I think they may have had a clue but they also always reminded me that whatever level you are at there is room to strive for better.

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

DC : A thousand years is a long way off, too far off to accurately predict, but I think what people fantasize about in science fiction movies they will find a way of seeing happen. Just not tomorrow.