Roberto and Fabiana

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Roberto and Fabiana ("RAF") 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?

RAF : Fabiana and I are both graduated in architecture and Urbanism with Master degrees from the University of Italy and Argentina.

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

RAF : We decided to become designers for the love of curiosity and to explore the limits of our ideas in the practical and tangible scale of the object design industry.

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

RAF : It was always a personal choice, maybe supported by our frustration when we looked around for modern good quality products for our architectural projects here in Kenya and we couldn’t find anything at a reasonable price.

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

RAF : We specially like to work on light and household products

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

RAF : Just do it, again and again until you find yourself in your design

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

RAF : A great designer tends to break any established boundary by pushing the limits of production techniques and technology.

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

RAF : We all live in a narcissist society so the first aspect we all analyses is the aesthetic quality of an object. The shape of a product can attract you in many different ways, from pleasure to disgust or curiosity and it immediately establish with the consumer an emotional link. The analysis on the functionality of the product come immediately after or even before according to Fabiana, as we believe that even the nicest object without even the simplest functionality is utterly useless. Otherwise, after our experience as volunteers for some community projects in Kenya we also recognize the importance of the positive impact that a product can have in every community.

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

RAF : Good design is timeless, therefore it always retain a value, either emotional or economical.

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

RAF : We always dream to design for brands like Artemide or Flos or to some extent Ikea

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

RAF : A big light installation for a contemporary space made of natural materials coupled with advanced lighting technologies.

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

RAF : Humbleness, curiosity and perseverance

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

RAF : Any of the Italian design masters of the sixties and seventies.

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

RAF : Icons like Parentesi or Arco the lamps designed by Achille Castiglioni or Eclisse by Vico Magistretti among many other.

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

RAF : Keep researching, travel a lot and build your network with other professionals from different disciplines.

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

RAF : We started as Architects so if it wouldn’t have been for our curiosity which supported our attempt to be designers, we clearly would have kept working in the architectural field. Otherwise I (Roberto) would have pursued my dream to be a famous musician.

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

RAF : To design is to answer to a necessity with a functional and aesthetically elegant solution

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

RAF : The organizers at Afrika Handmade Gallery gave us a huge boost of confidence and our friends and relatives always supported us

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

RAF : The administration of our Company and the business side of our work has been and still are two of the biggest obstacle in our career.

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

RAF : It always depend on the context, the type of product and the results you want to achieve

DL: How does design help create a better society?

RAF : Our responsibilities are enormous, as the creators of products used by the masses we have the chance to show how to live a comfortable and pleasant life using object that have a minimal impact on the environment in a cradle to cradle production setup and which can possibly enhance the quality of life of the community

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

RAF : we are facing a major environmental and economic crisis and part of the problem is to be found in the mechanisms of mass production, if we want to increase our chances to survive we have to re-think our approach to industrial manufacturing, for example by using materials directly harvested from nature and by following a "producing on demand" philosophy

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

RAF : Time varies depending on the emotional attachment to that particular design

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

RAF : Our design process usually start with a conversation during a meal, with one of us rushing to look for a piece of paper and a pen, then follow a drawing, after that a small scale model to understand feasibility and then boom... the sky is the limit!

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

RAF : Just do it, again and again until you find yourself in your design

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

RAF : Powerful iconic designs always sets the trends, all the others just follow it.

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

RAF : Technology is playing a marginal role in our latest design; the only industrialized components are the electrical fittings. Our designs though are still evolving to integrate more hi-tech and sophisticated components.

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

RAF : Hands, pencils and paper for the concept sketches and working drawings. Simple handmade techniques and materials are at the core of our production line.

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

RAF : Textures, colours and emotional values are all enhancing the experience of the customer.

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

RAF : Most of the time we try to imagine the manufacturing process behind it’s realization

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

RAF : We are open minded and we believe that the future is in the collaboration of many disciplines and expertise.

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

RAF : Most of the Italian design masters of the sixties and seventies. Leonardo Da Vinci if I really could travel in the past.

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

RAF : Honestly this is our first awards and we’re still speechless but it doesn’t seem hard at all.

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

RAF : The joy of our son when we gave him is Giraffe Chair which we specially designed for him. Our surprised faces when we received the invitation to exhibit our products at the Afrika Handmade Gallery The shock when we realized that we won the Silver medal in the A’Award competition

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

RAF : Frankly we would have never imagined it

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

RAF : We will probably become extinct or we will have colonized other planets, meanwhile on Earth Nature will repossess its own spaces