Olga Shchukina

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Olga Shchukina ("OS") 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?

OS : I've been studying in the Art school since I was 10 y.o. After all I have got 3 degrees in prestigious schools in Russia and Sweden. Finally I am a Master of industrial Design in Lund University and Master of Architecture in Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering.

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

OS : I am motivated by the joy of bringing value and the creative pleasure of creating beautiful and functional things.

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

OS : I believe that my nature chose for me what I should become, but one word from my mother when I was choosing a university definitely forced me.

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

OS : Most of all I like to design products that interact with people - to be moved, touched, used in any ways. I design objects for life that the consumer comes into contact with on a daily basis, I strive to create a useful type of design.

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

OS : Well, to become a design legend like me, young designers should start by perfecting the art of wearing sunglasses indoors and carrying around a sketchbook at all times. It's also important to develop a signature pose for photoshoots, preferably something enigmatic and mysterious. And of course, never underestimate the power of a good beret or a quirky pair of socks to add that extra touch of artistic flair. But in all seriousness, it takes passion, dedication, constant learning, and a willingness to push boundaries to become a designer. So, keep experimenting, stay inspired, and who knows, maybe one day you'll be the next design legend in town!

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

OS : What differ a good designer from a great designer is his ability to get to the heart of things.

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

OS : What differ a good designer from a great designer is his ability to get to the heart of things.

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

OS : By choosing good design we enter into a longer relationship with the item and thereby reduce consumption.

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

OS : By choosing good design we enter into a longer relationship with the item and thereby reduce consumption.

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

OS : If you follow the axiom that the best design is the one that is invisible, then I think my best work I can give to the INDUKU multifunctional holder.

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

OS : To become the best at anything, you need to think constantly about how I can do even better.

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

OS : I have a master’s degree in architecture, but before deciding on my life’s work, I faced the choice of becoming a designer or a pathologist. I like to systematize everything, so my activity would most likely be related to science.

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

OS : My clients. Every time they voted for my product with money, it made it possible to move forward.

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

OS : At the beginning of my career in Russia it was impossible to find a manufacturer who would be interested in collaborating with a designer. We had to equip our own experimental workshop - full-cycle production - in order to produce interior items of the level and quality that the client required.

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

OS : I see my big project and mission as uniting the creative community to support and promote talents.

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

OS : An interior harmonisation project that allows the owner to find his own special supportive space, which will give a “feeling of Home”, enhance innate talents, emphasise the external and internal uniqueness of the individual, become a true source of inspiration and energy, and also activate his potential and help in self-realisation.

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

OS : The timing depends on the scope of the design. This can take from six months to two years. But we never stop improving the product after

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

OS : Inspiration. I draw it from travel, interaction with historical heritage, other cultures

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

OS : "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm, " said Ralph Waldo Emerson

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

OS : I don't like trends: for me they are too predictable. I think they are born from the collective design mind - the designer creates it.

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

OS : Knowledge of manufacturing technologies is very important because they are both your limitation and a challenge that forces you to think outside the box

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

OS : Wow, what a smart person has made it!

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

OS : This is a person who supports my ideas, asks the right questions and complements the product with his vision.

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

OS : I am an optimist in life and I don’t need additional motivation to be a designer during the day, because at night I feel like a creator even when I dreaming.