Edoardo Petri

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Edoardo Petri ("EP") 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?

EP : I attended the University of Architecture in Venice and I worked for important architects and designers and then opened my own professional studio. Having worked in a city like Venice has shaped my way of designing and considering the asymmetries as a design inspiration for my work. Venice par excellence and a city of assymetries.

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

EP : I became a designer because I felt the need to express myself freely through the design of individual objects and because as an architect, in addition to the design of the house, customers also asked me for the interior design even in details like the design of a door handle .

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

EP : I draw everything. in this I am very eclectic

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

EP : I'm not a legend and you do not need to be a legend to become good designers. seriousness and professionalism and a dose of madness are everything

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

EP : the difference and the time. when an object exceeds the decades it means that it was designed by a great designer

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

EP : good design is recognized first by the beauty of the object and then by its functionality.

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

EP : the value of a good design and its quality of use; functionality, beauty and innovation.

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

EP : I would like to design innovative digital systems applied to the objects I designed

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

EP : I would like to create a large eco-sustainable architectural complex

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

EP : the secret of my projects I believe is and remains the imaginative and dream capacity that allows me to remain a little child.

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

EP : the great masters of the desig for me from Italian were: Achille Castiglioni, Carlo Mollino, Vico magistretti, Carlo Scarpa and many others ...

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

EP : I really like the simple, clean and immediate design. the purity of the form must follow its functionality.

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

EP : I have always liked the Thalia washbasin project and its design since I designed its first shapes. I believe that achieved a good level of creativity, functionality and innovation.

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

EP : to be good designers you have to look always and see everything that is not design. exactly the opposite of what they teach at school

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

EP : I think I would have made the photoreporter.

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

EP : design and like a beautiful woman.

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

EP : nobody supported me I had to always believe in myself.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

EP : curiosity and eclecticism

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

EP : make believe that my projects were valid

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

EP : all means of expression must be used to best present one's work. Often normal people have difficulty understanding a design.

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

EP : the next project will be an innovative concept that I still can't talk about

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

EP : there is no final goal because every project is a new goal for me

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

EP : professionalism and ability to listen to their requests and translate them into a project

DL: How does design help create a better society?

EP : through design, people's lives can be improved. very often designers focus only on form and not on function, forgetting people's needs.

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

EP : I'm working on a collection of sofas

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

EP : all my projects give me satisfaction because they are my children to whom I have given my life, my time and my love

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

EP : I would like to eliminate the concept of disposable in the world of design to reappropriate a design concept that would consider the long life of the product and its reusability

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

EP : design will enter the digital and virtual world.

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

EP : difficult to say because it depends a lot on the project and the customer.

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

EP : I always start from a dream or a vision. this is always the most beautiful moment, together with the physical realization of the idea

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

EP : Freedom ... to think, create, experiment

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

EP : today and the exact opposite, unfortunately, are the trends that influence design. few designers and few companies have the courage to do this.

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

EP : improve my design

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

EP : all the means of expression I use, from paper and pencil, to drawing software, to the plastic in three dimensions

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

EP : and an important role design is not only a form but a choice of the right materials and colors, this is called "harmony"

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

EP : beauty, style and functionality

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

EP : I want to try right away if it's functional

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

EP : Yes, I believe it, but I think it's not easy. we must find a person with elective affinities

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

EP : people of culture and travelers, people with an open mind

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

EP : all the books by Bruno Munari and Giò Ponti

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

EP : studying a lot and looking and observing the design of others and of the great masters

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

EP : with Jesus Christ.

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

EP : we must always remain humble. after all it's a job like any other, we're not super heroes

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

EP : my favorite color and blue, the place is a Greek island, the favorite dish and pasta, season and spring and the brand and Ferrari.

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

EP : the funniest note was that a company wanted my projects and drawings but did not want to pay me.

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

EP : know that I can create and put my dreams and ideas into reality and fantastic. this is the engine that keeps me enthusiastically going every day.

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

EP : no, I wanted to be a fireman

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

EP : we'll make love with an alien

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

EP : I would like them to know that behind every project there is a lot of study and much thought and that everything always starts from a little intuition that is present in our unconscious and this comes from our previous experiences and is stratified in our brain. so I would like to say that my design is the result of my life experiences and the objects they see reflect m