JUAN OSPINA
LEGENDARY INTERVIEW
Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Juan Ospina ("JO") 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?
JO : My mom studied graphic design, she taught me all she knew since I was a little child, grew up loving to make prototypes and models and translating to physical everythingIi imagined as I grew. Went to youth with a mission and volunteered building homes to people in need. Started to study industrial engineer, then changed to industrial designon second semester; I got desperate of not doing anything physical regarding works/projects. got my bachelor degree and won a german design award with my thesis, worked as a creative for a famous local brand. Got independant and started to help bachelors thesis with their concept achieving amongst other processes. Won an A' design award, im currently aiming for more until I win every single competition and design just winning concepts.
DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
JO : Help others, and tell a deep story behind every concept
DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
JO : I chose, I was born to be one
DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
JO : I do physical designs, I love doing non electric physical products, they make me feel like a genius
DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
JO : Have goals in life and move daily to chieve them, dont let themselves say "it's not possible"
DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
JO : a Good designer achieves what asked for, a great designer asks himself whats need to be achieved
DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
JO : It has to tell a deep explicit story
DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
JO : It's hard to replicate because it goes deeper than aesthetics, it's about meaning
DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
JO : People in need/ people who wanna achieve the "impossible"
DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
JO : work for a huge brand, create a design district/lab to help others create and sell their products
DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
JO : I involve my family in the process, it's about narrative not work
DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
JO : karim Rashid
DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
JO : don't have
DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
JO : My last A design winner project, it's simple yet greatly meaningful
DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
JO : auto destroy your work until you can't destroy it that easy
DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
JO : I would have been a Volunteer full time at YWAM
DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?
JO : A remembrance of life though objects
DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
JO : My parents, and my wife
DL: What helped you to become a great designer?
JO : Having a team behind me
DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
JO : ignorance, then I read and did research and became a geek on the subject I loved, from then on it was easier
DL: How do you think designers should present their work?
JO : As they know why they make it, not trying to convince anyone but being convinced on their meaning
DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
JO : I'm working in a project to win the Red dot design awards, I wanna win a desing competition for each design I own
DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
JO : To sell my concepts and share my emotions and stories with everyone that finds them valuable
DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
JO : To jawdrop on any aspect involved
DL: How does design help create a better society?
JO : Taking down the "not possibles" one by one until we can achieve anyhting
DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
JO : I'm doing some great projects with Robin Greene design studio
DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
JO : The latest, I had the idea pretty fast, a great concept and a quick win. It made me know I'm becoming better every single day.
DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
JO : For manufacture tech to become cheaper, innovation regarding manufacture time and methods and finding design sponsors who love design
DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?
JO : re designing everything and saving the planet from pollution.
DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?
JO : Depends on the design
DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?
JO : The meaning I wanna achieve through that design
DL: What is your life motto as a designer?
JO : It's always possible, we just haven't find how yet
DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
JO : design sett the trends for sure
DL: What is the role of technology when you design?
JO : Making manufature the most efficient regarding time and cost effectiveness
DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?
JO : Soliworks, visualize, Cura
DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
JO : Depends on each design's concept
DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?
JO : What do I see behind the visible
DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
JO : What was going on on this designer's head
DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
JO : I love co-designing, my ideal partner is someone who wannts to create more than compete
DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
JO : My design friends, they know me really well enough to be hard on me until I achieve what they know I can
DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
JO : every single one
DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
JO : Working on them everyday, thinking the background behind every single design i get to see
DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
JO : Karim Rashid, Lamborghini's CEO, Ferrari's CEO, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Raymond Loewy
DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
JO : It is, but harder than fame is design ignorance. It's hard to be no one in your country and a design standard outside.
DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
JO : I love Black, Violet. I love Italy, Denmark, Finland, UK. I love any season. I can't say anything regarding thing nor brand.
DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
JO : Once I was an assistant professor on prototypes and models at university while I was studying. I went to some of the students and said "you're wasting material" I didn't even know them yet nor hadn't say hello or anything... They hated me for 3 weeks, then became close friends and now they know I was right.
DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
JO : I see my family and I think of all the great future I wanna give to them, then I work my a** off for them
DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?
JO : No, I was depressive and suicidal, I hated myself and I didn't think I could achieve anything big back then. Then my life changed and so did my fate
DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
JO : People will go to ridiculousness trying to defend any human idea, then they'll be like "noup, let's start over"
DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
JO : I wanna help everyone grow up economically and finding a purpose in life, if you need more than design from me, like mental health help, counseling, a prayer etc anything just dm me
