Alex Hell

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Alex Hell ("AH") 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?

AH : I come from a background rooted in craftsmanship and storytelling. My journey started not with a formal design degree, but through building a ceramics studio — Studioneves — from the ground up, alongside Gabi Neves, a classically trained designer and my partner.

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

AH : What motivates me is the chance to reduce harm and add meaning through form. I became a designer because I couldn’t find existing solutions that aligned with my values — so I built them.

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

AH : It wasn’t planned, but it was inevitable. The questions I was asking about sustainability, waste, and aesthetics naturally led me to design.

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

AH : We design sustainable tableware and regenerative material solutions. I’d love to design entire systems: from circular kitchens to closed-loop hotel operations.

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

AH : Forget about being a legend. Stay curious, take responsibility for what you put into the world, and never stop listening.

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

AH : A good designer executes. A great designer anticipates. One builds what’s asked; the other builds what’s needed.

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

AH : When it meets a need with clarity, longevity, and minimal footprint. When it respects the user — and the planet.

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

AH : Because bad design costs more in the long run — in waste, frustration, and lost potential. Good design compounds in value.

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

AH : I’d design for low-resource schools and circular community kitchens — solutions where design could create dignity and autonomy.

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

AH : A regenerative hospitality ecosystem — where every material, from the plate to the menu, follows a circular path.

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

AH : Restraint. Knowing when to stop. Letting the material and purpose guide the form.

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

AH : Yvon Chouinard, Dieter Rams, Neri Oxman, Eileen Gray, Buckminster Fuller.

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

AH : The simplicity of Rams’ Braun pieces. The poetic logic of Oxman’s work. The humanity in Gray’s furniture.

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

AH : Bioplates. Because it solves a real problem, is scalable, and tells a story without saying a word.

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

AH : Observe more. Speak less. Prototype faster. Fail in public. These steps shaped me the most.

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

AH : I’d be working in regenerative agriculture or teaching systems thinking.

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

AH : Design is the human instinct to arrange the world with care and intention.

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

AH : Gabi Neves, my partner and cofounder. She grounded and elevated the entire journey.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

AH : Honest feedback, long walks, and remembering that design is service, not show.

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

AH : Skepticism from traditional clients, the pressure of working with fragile materials, and navigating business while staying true to values.

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

AH : With clarity, evidence, and humility. Let the work speak — and then give it a voice.

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

AH : An expansion of Bioplates into a family of products — and a circular delivery system for high-end takeout.

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

AH : To create fewer, better things that improve the systems they exist within.

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

AH : Consistency. Clarity. And designs that align values with outcomes.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

AH : By setting the default path toward dignity, equity, and sustainability.

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

AH : bathroom itens made of BIOPLATES material, aimed for hotels and other tableware products as well.

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

AH : Bioplates, because it proves that sustainability can be scalable, elegant, and practical.

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

AH : More accountability. Fewer ego-driven products. A return to design as stewardship.

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

AH : Toward regenerative materials, shared platforms, and fewer, more meaningful objects.

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

AH : From weeks to years. True design isn’t linear — it’s lived, tested, refined.

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

AH : With a real-world observation or pain point. We don’t start with “what’s cool.” We start with “what’s needed.”

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

AH : Design less. Mean more.

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

AH : Trends are waves. Design should be the coastline — stable, conscious, and built to last.

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

AH : To expand material possibilities and precision — but never replace human purpose.

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

AH : Our hands, and a sketchbook.

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

AH : They are not extras — they are silent collaborators. They guide perception, emotion, and context.

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

AH : “What systems does it support?” That’s more meaningful than “What inspired it?”

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

AH : Gratitude. And usually a sense of quiet admiration for the restraint it took to make it that simple.

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

AH : Yes. My ideal partner is someone who leads with curiosity and listens deeply — like Gabi does.

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

AH : Chefs who demand performance. Clients who challenge convention. Colleagues who prioritize purpose over perfection.

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

AH : Let my people go surfing , by Yvon Chouinard. As Little Design As Possible, by Dierter Rams

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

AH : Through trial, listening, iteration, and by treating failure as feedback, not defeat.

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

AH : Buckminster Fuller. I’d love to ask how he’d redesign the world today.

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

AH : We don’t chase fame — we chase impact. Recognition helps, but it’s not the goal.

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

AH : Color: pastel dark green. Place: Cascais. Food: Slow-roasted vegetables with fish from the market. Season: Spring. Thing: My sketchbook. Brand: Patagonia.

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

AH : Once, a chef asked if we could design plates that “make the food look more expensive.” The answer was yes.

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

AH : When a client tells us our product made their work easier or more meaningful.

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

AH : No. But I was always the one asking “why” and trying to rebuild things.

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

AH : Either we will live in balance with nature — or we won’t live at all. Design will be the difference.

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

AH : We design with care, not ego. Bioplates is not a trend — it’s our answer to what comes after plastic, after waste, and after denial.