Paolo Rossetti

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Paolo Rossetti ("PR") 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?

PR : I graduated as a master of art, I was a partner of an international communication agency, and I founded two design studios

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

PR : I've always wanted to be a designer. Through design I can express my skills and help to make reality easier to understand and make experiences more usable.

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

PR : Nobody forced me, it was a choice that was confirmed every day.

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

PR : Brand Identity Design and packaging design are my main areas of intervention.

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

PR : Studying the masters, cultivating one's visionary side, defining one's own ethics, defining one's own aesthetic language, having technical skills.

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

PR : A good designer is an interpreter of his time. A great designer knows how to intercept something that is not yet there, he manages to define a style.

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

PR : Good design is clear, useful and innovative and makes life easier.

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

PR : The value of a good design is very much: it makes any intention clear and legible.

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

PR : I would make design for museums.

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

PR : The design of an exhibition.

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

PR : The secret is to go beyond form. The form serves to convey meaning. Meaning is the secret.

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

PR : Pentagram, Erik Spikermann

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

PR : They are all those who have the gift of synthesis, who have a meaning and who are pleasant.

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

PR : The brand for Wind telecommunications. A sign that manages to be poetic and surreal at the same time.

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

PR : Continue to experiment. Understand whether the language you are developing is original or a copy of others.

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

PR : An artist.

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

PR : It is a working method, it is a way of looking and a way of life.

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

PR : All the people I've worked with in the past and now. Everyone managed to give me a little or a big lesson.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

PR : The aesthetic sense I've always had.

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

PR : The insecurities of when you are too young.

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

PR : As if it were a story worth listening to.

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

PR : I don't know which one is next. But surely it will have the ability to surprise me.

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

PR : Give meaning and utility to the experience.

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

PR : In my team, people expect me to direct projects, support them, and bring out the best in them.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

PR : Design can make life experiences easier to understand and live.

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

PR : An anti-aging cosmetic brand

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

PR : The more complex ones where many resources and intelligence have been involved. The end result is the union of different skills and experiences and this is exciting.

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

PR : I wish there were new references and new teachers.

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

PR : In the same direction that the evolution of all of us is following. Design is linked to people's lives and their destiny.

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

PR : It depends on the complexity. From a quarter of an hour to months.

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

PR : From strategy. I then consider who is behind the project. The team is everything.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

PR : Go beyond form. It is the sense that counts.

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

PR : It is design that generates trends but then also works in the opposite direction in a process of mutual influence.

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

PR : Technology helps manage complexity. It is a significant role.

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

PR : Computers and applications for two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics.

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

PR : Color, materials and ambient are an integral part of the project and are fundamental because they are capable of generating emotions.

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

PR : Clarity, surprise, innovation.

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

PR : I think the authors have had courage, that something is changing.

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

PR : My undisputed partner is the client I work for. Together we find solutions for the client's audience. I strongly believe in co-design.

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

PR : With people who care about the project and know where to go.

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

PR : I don't like reading books on design. I prefer classical literature or sociology essays.

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

PR : Having continuous experience, working on myself and with others.

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

PR : Alexander the Great, Aristotle, Giacomo Leopardi, Mozart.

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

PR : I'm not that famous. Fame itself is not a difficulty as long as you have to make big compromises.

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

PR : Black, Italy, Pizza, Summer, Apple

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

PR : The strangest thing I happened to draw was a funeral plaque. It was not so easy to find the right font!

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

PR : Having continuous challenges and always new possibilities: every day is different from the other.

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

PR : No. Although I liked to draw and I imagined a future close to what then became my reality now.

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

PR : A thousand years is a lot! Perhaps we will arrive at a very high degree of evolution and then return to the caves. And then start all over again. Who knows!

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

PR : The next project is your next lesson. Don't forget to learn something new.