Original interview in English with Suzanna Legrenzi as background for the article in Style magazine. April 2020.

Do me a favor, introduce yourself. Tell us something about you.

I was recently described as an old school designer. At first I was slightly offended by this but perhaps it’s right as I was educated at the end of the analogue age with a very hands on, making approach. Above all, at the time nobody new what an industrial designer was, it was an anonymous profession. As young designers we wanted people to know us and about the beauty of design. In a way, 20 years later we had our wish, design has become mainstream. Now I’m not so sure it was such a good thing to wish for.

How did you come to design, what route did you take to get there?

As a school boy I was dyslexic so struggled academically. I naturally gravitated towards art and design subjects that I seemed to have an ability for and in some ways I feel like I ended up doing the only thing I could. In reality, I toyed with jewellery design, art and photography and eventually settled on industrial design at art school and  ended up graduating from the Royal College of Art in 1990.

What are the rules of your design?

Essentially my approach to design is lead by function, manufacturing, material and emotion. That may sound like a contradiction but in my view a well designed functional object also has an opportunity to communicate with less tangible associations, humour and some kind of meaning. I consider this opportunity the real joy of design.

How do you think your approach to design has changed over the course of your career?

As one might expect, early on in my career I was concerned with proving myself as a designer. I approached any design opportunity very seriously with a certain naivety. In doing so I realised the importance of the context of a project, who the project was for, with each project presenting a new opportunity. Over the years there have been some successes but also many disappointments and failures. I suppose the biggest benefit to now being a more experienced designer is that I tend to work more quickly and more in my head. I am now also less bothered about what people think of my work. In some ways I am more liberated.

Which of your projects do you like the most?

The one I am working on now.

Who is the most special of designers? The one you would have liked to be?

I consider myself lucky to have had some success, even if only because I have managed to earn a living in this profession. I have and am still working hard at being myself so I would truly not have liked to have been anyone else.

Who do you think are the most interesting designers at the moment? The ones you follow most closely.

Throughout my career I have always been involved in design education. Working closely with students is sometimes frustrating but usually a pleasure. They are a kind of mirror of today’s world. This next generation of designers is the most interesting.

Give me a brief definition of design.

Design is the process by which the man made world is created.

What do we need?

We need things that positively impact our everyday culture.

And what don’t we need?

We don’t need things that don’t improve, in some way, on what has been before.

What ambitions do you have?

My ambition is to be able to continue to do what I do for as long as possible.

Article based on this interview with Sebastian Bergne.
Written by Suzanna Legrenzi

Publishes in Style magazine, Corriere Della Serra,
May issue, 2020.