Güneş Duman Gürbüz

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Güneş Duman Gürbüz ("GDG") 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?

GDG : When I was 5 years old, I was interested in drawing and at that time I discovered that I had a talent for drawing. Over time, I decided to study fine arts with the enthusiasm of being interested in art. My goal was to be a good designer. Since the first day I stepped into my design life, which has always been a part of my childhood dreams, I have always tried to make progress as a designer. I decided to progress on this path, including my high school and university life, in order to professionalise in this field. My biggest motivation that pushes me to become a designer is the structures, objects and their reflections in nature that I notice in my interaction area.

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

GDG : Designing is the most unique talent in the world. While designing, there are times when I think that I can create something and give direction to something, and this is a very enjoyable and emotional situation at the same time.

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

GDG : I chose it because there is such a thing as feeling that you are born a designer and you feel it vaguely as a child. I was a person who fell in love with the sunlight coming in through the windows and illuminating the furniture. When I was 5 years old, I was a child who was aware of the existence of a colorful life and I had stairs that I built in my imagination. Most of the time it was a ladder made of snow, sometimes of stones. This is the story of a person who was imagined as a doctor becoming an interior designer ...

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

GDG : In general, stage design, dental clinics and libraries are my favourite places to design. Being in the same environment with music while designing the stage makes me happy. Libraries, with their quiet and soft air, give me the warmth I feel on the first day of school and remind me of a peaceful coffee hour.

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

GDG : As a designer, I think the designer's perspective on the world is important. I think the designer should communicate with a universal language. The person should be able to establish a relationship with his/her environment through his/her design. I think it is important to have a wide imagination and way of thinking. The most important thing is the ability to convey what he/she thinks.

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

GDG : A good designer looks, imagines and does, but a great designer sees, hears, imagines and does.

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

GDG : A good design is a thoughtful design. It is a work that has been thought out in every detail, with all the details in the design. In my opinion, a good design is an exemplary design in every aspect and should be invested in. If we open a little more; Good design motivates people in terms of functionality and design integrity. It has an aesthetic point of view. It is natural and free.

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

GDG : My biggest dream project is a library. I want to realize it with its own unique design and as a whole with nature. I want it to be a timeless design.

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

GDG : A minimalist approach as a design style always defines me. It is important to be simple and functional. This is my secret behind my works.

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

GDG : Mimar Sinan is in the first place. Second and third would be Renzo Piano and Zaha Hadid, and lastly Kengo Kuma.

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

GDG : I would become an art historian and introduce people to the buildings around the world and delve into their history.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

GDG : Staircase. Yes, the endless staircase of my dream took me to the person I wanted to be. Every year I climb one more rung and I keep climbing, to become a better designer and to inspire people.

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

GDG : Before I became a master of design, I went through painful processes. I didn't have enough tools, equipment and environment to be able to design. I didn't have the necessary equipment to realize my point of view, it was in short supply. It can be quite tiring to meet people and tell them about your design world. It is sometimes impossible for them to see things from your perspective, but over time I found the spaces where my design perspective could find a place in the universe. Countless designs, countless productions... It is one of the greatest blessings of design to be together with people who have the right perspective with a free and original point of view, and to be able to communicate with them.

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

GDG : People know that design is a blessing in every aspect of life and contributes positively to the way society lives. They expect us to make the world more comfortable and meaningful with our beautiful perspective.

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

GDG : First, I identify an area where my soul wants to go. I observe details that will contribute to my design in that area. Since I generally like to be one with nature in my designs, I examine the behaviors of people when they are in nature and make them more concrete by making sketches.

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

GDG : Of course, many books I have read have had an influence, but the book with the most influence is Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino). I have read many books in my life, including fairy tales. La Fontaine is the fairy tale book I still read. At the same time, Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint- Exupery) is also among the books that have influenced me. A theater play that I both liked and had the chance to play: A Midsummer Night's Dream (William Shakespeare) is also theater play that have influenced me. There are many works I have read and of course each of them has contributed at different times.

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

GDG : I think that a thousand years from now, everything that takes shape in our heads will be visible to everybody because we will see a mechanized world. We will be living somewhere inside the screen that we look at from a distance. We will be more open to development and even more amenable to development. We will definitely be different both mentally and physically. A very different and changed life will be waiting for human beings.