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Product & Industrial Leaders
BY
Jacquie Ang
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Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Yves Behar
Yves Behar >> Absolutely, design is a cultural force, and one that can influence greatly both industry and people....for example, the role of sustainability is crucial in the coming years, but design is the glue.
TAXI >> Do share with TAXI: What are the must-haves in your toolbox when you approach a project?
Yves Behar >> I start with ideas?so ideas about the world, and humanistic solutions for our modern life is my best tool to start.
TAXI >> Innovation and emotion: Do you think they go hand-in-hand together? As a widely acclaimed industrial designer whose work is a beautiful hybrid of innovation and emotion, can it work with one without the other?
Yves Behar >> Beauty and emotion is just as much about innovation than technology for example. And as we all know, the most satisfying experiences are the emotional ones...so emotion has a function too: to engage us.
TAXI >> In an increasingly technology-driven design industry, how, in your personal opinion, can designers avoid the pitfalls of science and still harness its powers?
Yves Behar >> Designers are not scientists or technologists, at the same time materials science and computer science innovations is often what leads to design breakthroughs. We will make mistakes, but we should be able to correct them quickly because hopefully the connection and feedback between designer and people is a direct loop.
TAXI >> Brand Wizard. The Brand Man. A Master of Design. What are your thoughts on such glamorous tags? How would you choose to tag yourself?
Yves Behar >> What I pursue is the fusing of storytelling and form...I leave the tags to journalists who like to come up with them...
TAXI >> Nike?s vice-president and global creative director of footwear design, John R. Hoke III, called you a fantastic design force. If so, what in turn influences you?
Yves Behar >> Planes, cars, office, beach, etc, Inspiration happens everywhere, and anytime. Mostly what inspires me is the idiosyncrasy of human modern life.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Yves Behar >> INTEGRATION
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Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Scott Lehman
Scott Lehman >> Designers by nature are, and have always been, great problem solvers. The most successful designers are those who are able to create great solutions and communicate why their solution is the best for a client. You?ll never have great clients all the time, but, with the right integration and shared understanding of the constraints of a problem you can achieve a lot.
TAXI >> You have worked with countless products and brands across a wide range of industries, from healthcare to consumer electronics. How difficult is it to switch gears each time you start on a creative project?
Scott Lehman >> The starting point for every project is always to understand the motivations and needs of the people who will purchase and use our products. We have more than 450 design professionals in twelve studios around the world. Within Philips Design, each domain (industry) has a core creative team assigned to it whose mission is to be expert within the area. When starting new initiatives we are able to call upon a variety of experts across our global studios to lay the best foundation for any project within any domain and keep things on the edge and fresh. This brings to our projects a point of view that is both broad and deep that has a great track record of delivering compelling new value to our clients.
TAXI >> Some critics have been pretty vocal about the constant use of the term "innovation" as a poor euphemism for design, and the negative stereotyping that the design industry frequently encounters. In your opinion, what is the relationship between innovation and design?
Scott Lehman >> Most people expect design to be innovative, which is analogous to saying ?create something new?. Design is much more than that. Design is all about understanding. Understanding the needs, values, desires, culture of people. Understanding technology, business, retail and trends. Designers that truly understand a problem and are able to communicate that understanding are able to create something special.
TAXI >> What do you think is the greatest obstacle in the progress of Design?
Scott Lehman >> Designers that don?t accept that there will always be obstacles and learn to navigate them.
TAXI >> In the course of your client interaction, how have you managed to reconcile your ideas with your clients' expectations, especially in the situation where their ideals and objectives differ greatly from yours?
Scott Lehman >> We design to the values of a client?s Brand. Our objective is to capture the imagination of a Brand?s customers while maintaining those unique values. Success is achieved when this is authentic and believable to their customers.
TAXI >> What WORD do you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Scott Lehman >> Authenticity
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Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Alexander Von Vegesack
TAXI >> Frank Gehry is the architect behind the Museum and most certainly, the building?s design is a statement in itself. What would you say is that statement?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Gehry?s creative articulation of space and its optimal conditions for the presentation of three-dimensional objects continuously stimulates us to match the building?s qualities.
TAXI >> It was a talking point when the building made its debut in 1989. How do you keep it buzzing and relevant in today?s world of design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> We are trying to run a rich but balanced program of exhibitions which explain historical and contemporary developments in an attractive and popular way, even though some of our subjects seem complicated or specialized. Atmospheric installations and interactive programs as well as accompanying workshops and conferences are helping us in our attempt to create unique experiences.
TAXI >> What is the most influential material in furniture design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> The most influential materials have been artificial components like plastics which allow a seemingly endless variations of free shape forming, colouring and textures.
TAXI >> How can art and function co-exist in the world of furniture design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Since many years, both disciplines are keeping a stimulating dialogue but art - per definition - is something different than design.
TAXI >>Commercialism is holding design hostage. What do you think of this statement?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Without a commercial system good design could hardly exist ? good design needs brilliant ideas as well as professional fabrication and no one would invest a lot of money if these efforts were not worth it.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Cultural Fairness ? a term that applies to rights, conditions of production, environment, and pricing.
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Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
Steven Heller, Chip Kidd & Stefan Sagmeister
Sara Little Turnbull & Darrel Rhea
Adelia Borges & Linda Fu
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.
Interview with Yves Behar
 | TAXI >>Hello Yves. You have revived and redefined established brands such as Birkenstock. How can revitalization take place without compromising the core values consumers are so familiar with?
Yves Behar >> Design is more than the vehicle by which brands express themselves and connect with their customers. At its best, design is a reflection of the human eco-system. So first and foremost the refining or evolution of brands and design has to be done so that it is both relevant to the consumer and to the brands. TAXI >> Your extensive and diverse list of reinventions for everyday living includes the wind-, water- and oil-resistant windbreaker for Lutz & Patmos Fall 2001 collection, the laptop for Toshiba (dubbed the Red Transformer), the Leaf LED personal task light for Herman Miller, haircare bottles for Philou, the MINI_motionwatch and the MINI_motion 2-part driving shoe? do you think design has the power to shape the culture we live in? |
Yves Behar >> Absolutely, design is a cultural force, and one that can influence greatly both industry and people....for example, the role of sustainability is crucial in the coming years, but design is the glue.
TAXI >> Do share with TAXI: What are the must-haves in your toolbox when you approach a project?
Yves Behar >> I start with ideas?so ideas about the world, and humanistic solutions for our modern life is my best tool to start.
TAXI >> Innovation and emotion: Do you think they go hand-in-hand together? As a widely acclaimed industrial designer whose work is a beautiful hybrid of innovation and emotion, can it work with one without the other?
Yves Behar >> Beauty and emotion is just as much about innovation than technology for example. And as we all know, the most satisfying experiences are the emotional ones...so emotion has a function too: to engage us.
TAXI >> In an increasingly technology-driven design industry, how, in your personal opinion, can designers avoid the pitfalls of science and still harness its powers?
Yves Behar >> Designers are not scientists or technologists, at the same time materials science and computer science innovations is often what leads to design breakthroughs. We will make mistakes, but we should be able to correct them quickly because hopefully the connection and feedback between designer and people is a direct loop.
TAXI >> Brand Wizard. The Brand Man. A Master of Design. What are your thoughts on such glamorous tags? How would you choose to tag yourself?
Yves Behar >> What I pursue is the fusing of storytelling and form...I leave the tags to journalists who like to come up with them...
TAXI >> Nike?s vice-president and global creative director of footwear design, John R. Hoke III, called you a fantastic design force. If so, what in turn influences you?
Yves Behar >> Planes, cars, office, beach, etc, Inspiration happens everywhere, and anytime. Mostly what inspires me is the idiosyncrasy of human modern life.
TAXI >> What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Yves Behar >> INTEGRATION
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Scott Lehman
 | TAXI >> Congratulations on being awarded the IDEA award last September. What sort of impact does that have on your current projects?
Scott Lehman >> It's always a sense of pride to win an IDEA award. The IDEA delivers significant recognition within the design and business community which is great for our designer teams as well as for the client and their products. Besides a design award, the best recognition you can have is how well the market judges our work. This means that not only the design is right, but the entire product and marketing creation team successfully creates, launch and communicate a new product. TAXI >> A Businessweek.com article praised Philips' seamless integration of design into everyday living. You personally also seem quite positive about the role of design in today's society. How do you keep yourself positive when you encounter clients (which I'm sure you do) that do not have any experiences but plenty of opinions on what good design is? |
Scott Lehman >> Designers by nature are, and have always been, great problem solvers. The most successful designers are those who are able to create great solutions and communicate why their solution is the best for a client. You?ll never have great clients all the time, but, with the right integration and shared understanding of the constraints of a problem you can achieve a lot.
TAXI >> You have worked with countless products and brands across a wide range of industries, from healthcare to consumer electronics. How difficult is it to switch gears each time you start on a creative project?
Scott Lehman >> The starting point for every project is always to understand the motivations and needs of the people who will purchase and use our products. We have more than 450 design professionals in twelve studios around the world. Within Philips Design, each domain (industry) has a core creative team assigned to it whose mission is to be expert within the area. When starting new initiatives we are able to call upon a variety of experts across our global studios to lay the best foundation for any project within any domain and keep things on the edge and fresh. This brings to our projects a point of view that is both broad and deep that has a great track record of delivering compelling new value to our clients.
TAXI >> Some critics have been pretty vocal about the constant use of the term "innovation" as a poor euphemism for design, and the negative stereotyping that the design industry frequently encounters. In your opinion, what is the relationship between innovation and design?
Scott Lehman >> Most people expect design to be innovative, which is analogous to saying ?create something new?. Design is much more than that. Design is all about understanding. Understanding the needs, values, desires, culture of people. Understanding technology, business, retail and trends. Designers that truly understand a problem and are able to communicate that understanding are able to create something special.
TAXI >> What do you think is the greatest obstacle in the progress of Design?
Scott Lehman >> Designers that don?t accept that there will always be obstacles and learn to navigate them.
TAXI >> In the course of your client interaction, how have you managed to reconcile your ideas with your clients' expectations, especially in the situation where their ideals and objectives differ greatly from yours?
Scott Lehman >> We design to the values of a client?s Brand. Our objective is to capture the imagination of a Brand?s customers while maintaining those unique values. Success is achieved when this is authentic and believable to their customers.
TAXI >> What WORD do you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Scott Lehman >> Authenticity
..........................................................................................................
Exclusive Highlight on TAXI Design Network
Interview with Alexander Von Vegesack
 | TAXI >> The Vitra Design Museum maintains one of the largest collections of modern furniture design in the world. What is the criterion that furniture works have to meet, to make the cut?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> They have to be innovative regarding material, technology, function and should be appealing in their overall appearance. TAXI >> What kind of role do you think museums play today? Alexander Von Vegesack >> Besides schools and universities, publications, TV and radio the museum is the only platform offering with rare or authentic artefacts an original experience, allowing the public to develop their own taste and knowledge. |
TAXI >> Frank Gehry is the architect behind the Museum and most certainly, the building?s design is a statement in itself. What would you say is that statement?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Gehry?s creative articulation of space and its optimal conditions for the presentation of three-dimensional objects continuously stimulates us to match the building?s qualities.
TAXI >> It was a talking point when the building made its debut in 1989. How do you keep it buzzing and relevant in today?s world of design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> We are trying to run a rich but balanced program of exhibitions which explain historical and contemporary developments in an attractive and popular way, even though some of our subjects seem complicated or specialized. Atmospheric installations and interactive programs as well as accompanying workshops and conferences are helping us in our attempt to create unique experiences.
TAXI >> What is the most influential material in furniture design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> The most influential materials have been artificial components like plastics which allow a seemingly endless variations of free shape forming, colouring and textures.
TAXI >> How can art and function co-exist in the world of furniture design?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Since many years, both disciplines are keeping a stimulating dialogue but art - per definition - is something different than design.
TAXI >>Commercialism is holding design hostage. What do you think of this statement?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Without a commercial system good design could hardly exist ? good design needs brilliant ideas as well as professional fabrication and no one would invest a lot of money if these efforts were not worth it.
TAXI >>What is the WORD, which you think would reside and reverberate in the design world for the next 10 years?
Alexander Von Vegesack >> Cultural Fairness ? a term that applies to rights, conditions of production, environment, and pricing.
..........................................................................................................
Read OTHER INTERVIEWS on DESIGN LEADERS
..........................................................................................................
© 2003 - 2007 by TAXI Design Network. All rights reserved.