Neda Barbazi

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Neda Barbazi ("NB") 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?

NB : I have grown up surrounded with art and architecture. Ever since childhood, while walking down the river front to the old Bazaar on the way to Shah square – a UNESCO’s World Heritage site – I would always find myself in the midst of artistry everywhere. Astounding architectural marvels, the palaces, the bazaars, the gardens, the bridges, with their spectacular designs, mosaic tiles, painted walls, and cerulean domes all around me, mesmerized me and gradually, yet subliminally brought about an acute awareness and fiery enthusiasm for artistry in me. Pursuing my dreams, I have also been blessed to travel around the globe, from my birthplace to all other lands I have visited and lived in: from east to the west. I feel that my dual educational background – fine arts and architecture, my travels, my genuine curiosity and love for learning different school of thoughts have served me greatly to build a diverse lifestyle. My interest in art and architecture is no longer a school-girl’s dream. Proud of my mixed background, I have worn many hats throughout my academic and professional career, having been artist, trained-architect, designer, researcher, lecturer, design strategist, and entrepreneur allows me to apply lateral thinking to problem solving. Applying different design strategies ranging from human-centered research, prototyping, and iteration to business modeling and foresight analytics, I leverage my background in entrepreneurship, architecture, and fine arts to craft an experience and validate my assumptions.

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

NB : I love design for its potential to enrich human’s lives through creating modest yet beyond-expected values. With each chance I take, my attempt is to form enjoyable experiences, with the goal to make positive impact on human’s Behavior. My joy of research, learning, teaching, and consulting is what informs my design approach and continues to spark my curiosity, interest, and passion throughout the design process. I focus on creating socially responsive, culturally relevant, and technologically appropriate lasting experiences to better understand the human experience and determine appropriate value propositions for total value creation. I enjoy connecting dots to simplify lives and bringing excitement to everyday life.

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

NB : At the root of my design philosophy to the present, it is a continuing curiosity in the way things are and the way they interact with each other in different kinds of settings. I satisfy my curiosity by focusing on creating socially responsive, culturally relevant, and technologically appropriate lasting experiences. With a profound interest for uncovering latent, unmet human needs, I would like to always maintain a close link between body and object. The resulting design blurs the boundaries between subject and the object with sensitivity to new trends and maximizing adaptability to the environment. My wish is to expand the capabilities of what can be accomplished in design through new techniques and gain insight for how integration between design, science, technology, business, and human behavior can change the way we engage with our context.

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

NB : I believe that they should always maintain a close link between research, design, and practice. They should also appreciate the fact that any sort of design can be constructed through a better understanding of function, nature, culture and context to which the design is intricately linked. The solution that emerge at the end of their design process should hit the overlap of three different lenses: they need to be desirable, feasible, and viable to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success. Last but not least, curiosity and persistence must be the main tools of their toolkit.

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

NB : Persistence, Persistence, and Persistence.

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

NB : Design is connecting dots to simplify lives and bringing excitement to everyday life.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

NB : Connecting Dots to Simplify Lives.