Giuseppe Santacroce

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Giuseppe Santacroce ("GS") 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?

GS : I decided to become a designer when I was 18, when I realized that I could shape my imagination and at the same time allow people to use my ideas in everyday life. I come from a small province of Southern Italy, a country in Calabria, a place of sea, fishing and wonderful landscapes. I spent most of my life in close contact with the sea until I decided to move to Milan to study design. In my homeland there are many good craftsmen, so I thought of combining craftsmanship with the experience I gained studying in Milan. I have never lacked fantasy, and after deepening my studies first in the IED university, and then at the Accademia Di Belle Arti in Brera, I decided to start my career by creating customized products and unique handmade pieces. I hope to grow my studio following this philosophy. Currently I also work in the family business, a coffee company, and I deal with the whole Design sector. This allows me to have funds to invest in my creations. I think that through hard work I will be able to put my mark. I currently live in Milan, but I hope to be able to be appreciated in other states, transporting my ideas and the craftsmanship of my works, which are the result of a long thought, and of noble and eternal materials such as olive wood.

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

GS : I've always dreamed of leaving my mark on the world around me, without limiting my expressive stamp. As I said before I decided to become a designer when I was 18, I'm passionate about sculpture, and when I realized that I could shape my imagination and at the same time allow people to use my ideas in everyday life, I decided to study Design. I love design because it is the means of expression that can best tell a story and a function. I always thought that "only through craftsmanship can we bridge the distance between Art and Design. If you don't live the essence of your materials, you will end up becoming an artist without a canvas or a designer without sincerity". I hope to develop a communication skill that can give any type of emotion to those who touch my products.

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

GS : Obviously it was my choice, a choice that allowed me to travel between art and function. I love materials, nature and technology, and Design allows you to do all this.

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

GS : My design includes different sectors (hospitality, residences, offices, yachts, product design), I don't have a real priority, each of my creations has my own state of mind, or a situation that I am currently experiencing. If I had to choose, I would like to devote a little more time to the design of yachts, this would combine design and sea, two worlds that I love.

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

GS : Well to become a legend I still have to go a long way, my fortune is to have started studying design early, so I'm still young. And to young people like me I would say to always express their idea, without being conditioned by social media. "Following a word is copying, listening and understanding many words is research".

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

GS : I think there are two fundamental aspects. One is the ability to help, help the environment or people in life, therefore a more "scientific" design. The second is the ability to tell something, tell it in a unique and exciting way, then an "artistic" design.

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

GS : To evaluate this many factors come into play. We need to understand what that particular product leaves to the world, and what that product conveys. It can convey beauty, emotion, or even contempt, hatred and anger. The difference in my opinion lies in time, a perfect design is a design that lasts over time, which becomes "eternal". It is beautiful and exciting today, and it will be in 50 years. So, for me a winning design must keep its characteristics unchanged over time. It must be useful today and tomorrow, exciting today and tomorrow.

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

GS : Because design has to excite you, it has to make life better, to the point that you can't do without it.

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

GS : There are two environments that I would like to know better and maybe work on. I know one and it's yacht design, here I could combine my passion for the sea with my work as a designer, it would therefore be a perfect environment for me. Another truly amazing field is that of motoring. I love the automotive design of the past years (50s/60s/70s), it fascinates me a lot and as an Italian I am passionate about motors. Just think of the history of Ferrari or Lamborghini, stories of shapes and innovations that come to life through design.

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

GS : The dream project must remain a dream, I think, so that we can always pursue it. This allows you to never stop, to not settle for something well done, but to seek more and more. Here's how you can achieve ever higher goals. I think that in this work you never end, your style and your ideas grow and change with you, and consequently also your goals and your dreams.

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

GS : The secret recipe is made from the union of many small ingredients. Emotions, and ideas and materials, through these elements you can let anyone touch your soul.

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

GS : The great masters have shaped the past, but we must shape our present, we must study the masters of the past, but be inspired by our present to make the right Design.

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

GS : There are really many, and it would take a long time to describe everyone. But in the last period I have been passionate about the history of a great designer, namely Horacio Pagani, the creator of the famous Pagani car manufacturer. I'm very passionate about the way he followed his dream, creating his shapes and making them become a brand of great prestige worldwide.

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

GS : The ways to improve are endless. I like to think a lot and travel. Knowing other cultures allows you to be more careful even with your own culture, and to appreciate design in the world in many forms.

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

GS : Probably I would have tried to make my way in two opposite worlds, if I speak of dreams, I would have tried to make a career as a race car driver, but I would also love to make a career and know the world of agriculture well. Nature always offers great emotions.

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

GS : For me, design is an art that must touch the heart, eyes and hands. The hands because the design must allow to live the works daily.

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

GS : All the people who love or hate you help to shape your personality. But of all the people from whom I drew inspiration to form my person, the one who most supported me in my choices, is my mother. I could say that the last revision of each of my projects, I leave it to her, from her reactions I understand the validity of my ideas.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

GS : Everyone's ability to grow up is directly proportional to the ambitions. The bigger the ambitions, the more difficult it is to become a great designer. But what if you reach the goal? Well at that point you will understand that there are no limits, and you'll be a great designer.

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

GS : I always say a joke for this, "if your project is clear even to grandmother then you have expressed yourself well". In addition to the joke, obviously a project must respect all the presentation quality necessary to make your idea and the function of your product understood, giving clear guidelines to the customer so that he already has the most realistic idea.

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

GS : I'm working on a project that I hope will help everyday life now and in the future. A product born after the latest emergencies of the COVID-19.

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

GS : I really like making works that are or become necessities for others, sometimes you realize you need something only after seeing it, or you need something that has not exist yet, it's the right time. I think there isn't a final goal in this job, but a continuous maturation.

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

GS : Certainly something original, each piece of my collections becomes original through the materials, and I think people love to feel unique, and that's what I try to do, making each project unique.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

GS : Design changes as society changes, so it is important to have solid roots, the future is built on the past, and this is what I try to do using materials and craftsmanship in my creations.

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

GS : I'm working on a project that I hope will help everyday life now and in the future. A product born after the latest emergencies of the COVID-19.

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

GS : All projects that help the people or the environment can give satisfaction. Just think of the umbrella, one of the greatest inventions in history, in its simplicity it will remain a useful object forever.

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

GS : This is a really good question, I would like very much if more attention was given to the word "design", nowadays this word is abused, diminishing the value of the studies and the work of those who really do design, of those who create something with commitment and feeling from scratch. To became a designer needs: study, sacrifice, idea and soul.

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

GS : Design in all its forms dictates the rules of trends. We have to look to the future, and the Design with awareness must look to the future, where production processes must not destabilize the world but educate it. Here is the direction of design in my opinion, that is education. Help the world or the next, and do it in style, what more can you ask for?

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

GS : More or less 3 weeks, research, drawing and various tests are needed.

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

GS : It all starts from an idea. I always draw by hand and pen, I don't use a pencil because the mistakes I can make by drawing must be visible to improve myself. Later I transfer my idea to the software. Technology helps you avoid material waste and speed up production times. I divide my time in blocks of 2 hours, at the end of every two hours I make a small revision. The designing takes a long time, but "thinking" is everything in life. So it is right to devote as much time as possible to the design, hours, days and sometimes even months. But during the designing you are facing the most beautiful and most difficult phase. After elaborating the design I contact the best craftsmen for the realization of my projects.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

GS : "Only through craftsmanship can we bridge the distance between Art and Design. If you don't live the essence of your materials you will end up becoming an artist without a canvas or a designer without sincerity".

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

GS : Design in all its forms dictates the rules of trends. We have to look to the future, and the Design with awareness must look to the future, where production processes must not destabilize the world but educate it. Here is the direction of design in my opinion, that is education. Help the world or the next, and do it in style, what more can you ask for?

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

GS : Technology helps you avoid material waste and speed up production times.

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

GS : Absolute simplicity: Feelings, pen and sheet, cad and 3ds, then, go to the lab.

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

GS : the material is a fundamental aspect for me. In fact, I often use olive wood, a wood typical of my region. It is a very resistant wood with wonderful veins, which almost look like paintings. A few years ago a soil deficit led to many specimens dying, so I decided to give these over one hundred year old trees new life, creating natural olive wood products.

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

GS : I would say "trust". The confidence to be carried away by my ideas

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

GS : I think: what led the designer to think about that thing, and why he thought it that way.

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

GS : I've never had a partner, because I often go into conflict when someone intervenes on my idea. This is probably it's my defect, but I prefer to learn from mistakes, and not to wonder how I would have done that thing if I had worked on it according to my philosophy.

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

GS : I think a lot about my choices, because I don't want anyone to be disappointed by my design. This makes me work very carefully. Before submitting a project, I must be sure of what I am promoting, because if my project does not have a story, then it will remain cold. Nobody would spend more than five seconds looking at him, and this would be a defeat.

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

GS : I would probably like to speak to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Some of his quotes suggest the interpretation that a master gave to his ideas. "My thoughts guide the hand and the hand shows if the thought is right." "In its simplest form, architecture is anchored in absolutely functional considerations, but it can ascend through all levels of consideration to the highest sphere of spiritual existence, in the realm of pure art." However, it would be nice to be able to talk to many artists who formed our world, to know what Basquiat thought, to deal with the tenacity of Enzo Ferrari, there are many fun personalities to know.

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

GS : Definitely summer. The colors, scents and flavors of summer convey joy. Sunrise and sunset over the sea, is there anything more beautiful? I feel the sea in my heart and summer is the best time to live it. There are so many brands that I love, but I'd like to mention one in particular, Versace. It is a worldwide brand and to think that everything started a few meters from my home in Calabria, in southern Italy, makes me very proud. The Versace brand is an excellent model for us (in southern Italy) to follow.

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

GS : Well, a funny thing (maybe), is the fact that often while I drink coffee to the bar, I get ideas or reflections on my works, and therefore I start taking notes on napkins. And sometimes I look everywhere while I think, and people who look at me think that I have something to say to them. Over the years I have accumulated quarrels, smiles and dating for this.

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

GS : The desire to become a recognized brand, I would like people to think of relying on me to always have something exceptional.

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

GS : I don't know, but I have always shown great creativity and a strong personality. Even when I was playing with Lego, I always tried to customize the various elements, defending my idea with anyone.

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

GS : Maybe in a thousand years we will be just a database of information, our emotions, sensations and needs will be an archive of information analyzed and regulated by technology.

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

GS : I love to dream big, but dreams can only be realized through people's appreciation. I hope I can be appreciated by people, because this is the right fuel for a designer.