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Interview with David Alan Peters |
Home > Designer Interviews > David Alan Peters |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer David Alan Peters (DAP) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of David Alan Peters by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
DAP: I have for as long as I can remember been designing homes, furniture and related products for the home. I still have floor plans and elevations I drew when I was 11.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
DAP: Davidalan Studios is a new company I have started to design and manufacture lighting fixtures, doorbells and furniture. My light fixtures are a spin-off of my doorbell designs which came first. I realized the doorbells would make great light fixtures for yachts and high-end motor coaches. I also have a line of table lamps for residential and the hospitality industry made of wood aluminum and glass that has a refined machine age appearance.
FS: What is "design" for you?
DAP: Design for me is an expression and realization of ideas and things I admire.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
DAP: I enjoy designing furniture, lighting fixtures and homes.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
DAP: I have designed a line of table top light fixtures named Asylum Lighting. They all have a bit of an industrial machine feel to them. One in particular uses three 500 watt halogen bulbs encased in glass and aluminum cylinders with non/functional spiral wires coming off of them connected to heat sinks. It incorporates a step down transformer and dimmer so the 500 watt bulbs don't blind you and use up exorbitant amounts of energy. I used the 500 watt bulbs for the effect of the heavy filament when dimmed down to a glow. Definitely a niche market, but allot of fun to design and build.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
DAP: I have never designed products for other companies. The first piece of furniture I designed and built for a client was a built in wall unit for a condo on Marlborough St. in Boston.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
DAP: I would have to say wood because it is so versatile and beautiful and more recently machining Aluminum.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
DAP: Creativity and inspiration comes to me at all hours of the day and night.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
DAP: I like symmetry and proportions, that aspect is very important to me. Sometimes just a 32nd of an inch can make a difference in the appearance to me depending on what I am working on.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
DAP: I would say sometimes I feel very excited and happy other times content, atease and very concentrated.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
DAP: Definitely excited and a proud sense of accomplishment.
FS: What makes a design successful?
DAP: I would say if it is appealing to others it is successful.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
DAP: I would say I try to find the good qualities first.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
DAP: If I was a designer in the field of design that affects people in their everyday life such as urban planning I would concentrate on making things esthetically appealing and as friendly and approachable as possible. I think many urban areas are lacking in this. With the environment we can all do things in our work to help the environment such as building things to last for generations rather than a few years at best. Also using recyclable and local materials as much as possible within reason.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
DAP: I think the future of design is as it always has been and always will be, limitless. It's always about whatever the mind can conceive.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
DAP: Ideas come to me at all different times. Sometimes ideas come to me because of where I am and what I am looking at. Like when I walk into a well designed store I am always looking at the fixtures more so than the products they are selling and sometimes that will spark an idea. I also love looking threw design books and magazines for new ideas. Also day dreaming at my drafting table will giveme some ideas and sometimes Ideas come to me in dreams.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
DAP: I live in Florida but was raised in Massachusetts. I'm really not sure how much my countries cultural heritage affects my designing. I do know my family cultural heritage affects it. My ancestors were ship builders my grandfather was a carpenter and a timber scout on horseback and my dad was a land developer. I think my love of wood and designing homes and furniture comes from my cultural heritage.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
DAP: I like to do some sketches first, let them sit for a day or two and then come back to them and do some revising before I do more technical drawings.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
DAP: I have a great old drafting table with trestle like oak legs that was my fathers. I have some great Rose wood wall cabinets by Poul Cadovius from the 70's that used to be in my father’s office. A small round Mahogany Empire style table with brass Egyptian motifs. A carved face in a piece of root from Thailand and a contemporary family Walnut dining table from the late 50's.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
DAP: Develop a habit for setting aside some time to quiet the mind. Daily if you can.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
DAP: For me the positives are a sense of freedom and excitement to take from your mind images and thoughts and make them a physical reality. The hard part can be at times, making a living at it.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
DAP: Uniqeness and the ability to make your designs and others, a reality.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
DAP: My mind of course, my dad's old drafting table, 4H pencils, triangles, rules, French curves and other miscellaneous templates, Architectural and Design books, lots of trade magazines and the internet.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
DAP: I have designed things that took a few hours to a couple of years.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
DAP: How did you come up with that idea?
FS: Who are some of your clients?
DAP: Most of my clients have been private individuals.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
DAP: I enjoy the most when I am working on designs of my own creation because it gives me the most freedom.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
DAP: My plans are to grow my product line and business by attracting stores and distributors to my products.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
DAP: So far I have developed all my designs on my own.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
DAP: I always have design ideas for new light fixtures, furniture and doorbells. I am currently working on some large table lamps for the Hospitality industry with a refined machine age industrial look made of Glass Aluminum and Wood.
FS: How can people contact you?
DAP: People can contact me threw my website davidalanstudios.com or email me at david@davidalanstudios.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
DAP: Yes, I am looking for distributors and retailers that would be interested in my work.
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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