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Interview with Frederic Addey-Mensah |
Home > Designer Interviews > Frederic Addey-Mensah |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Frederic Addey-Mensah (FA) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Frederic Addey-Mensah 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?
FA: My background is into industrial design, i became a designer for my will of making things look better for people as well as my attraction to aesthetics, I wanted to become a designer since always.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FA: Whisperism is an idea and a movement that turns out to be a brand and a design agency in an organic way.
FS: What is "design" for you?
FA: Expression
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FA: Residential, public spaces.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FA: I can't even remember, we've all been stroke by brilliant discovery lately... A finger print recognizable wallet done with carbon fiber from Dunhill is what comes in my mind right now.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FA: A structure for a factory, not really glamorous...
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
FA: Carbon fiber, Where i live, ball pencil
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
FA: Surrounded by creative people
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FA: Concept in volume and then details for the customers, i hate looking at people looking at defects that i could have avoid.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FA: Sharing my actual feelings, Emptiness.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FA: Joy, sadness, giving up a part of yourself
FS: What makes a design successful?
FA: Respect of, the dead line, requirements, astonishment, function, differentiation
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FA: Requirements, material, details, but it's all about the dead line. ''Time'' decide of the design of the time, for a lot of obvious matters.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FA: Makes people's life easier, smarter, and not harm the surrounding.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FA: Things have changed greatly into the branding side,the brands don't lead the people anymore but the people do and brands follow. Depending on the area, but the middle-end is already there.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FA: This August at Ray-Studio in Shanghai, i'll be waiting to accumulate a lot more new projects
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FA: ''Negation''
FS: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
FA: Hard to say, it all depends on budget and places attributes, but bold and industrial would be the first words
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?
FA: I live in Shanghai, no cultural heritage affects me from country's heritage (france), patience is a vertue in China, but then things goes too fast.
FS: How do you work with companies?
FA: The way i feel like
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FA: Will, passion, sacrifices
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FA: Depending on the design, but the ideas have to come naturally
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
FA: My wallet, a vase, ear ring,
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
FA: Grabbing my scooter and get to the studio while my partner is already shooting models, checking him and going on my desk and looking at the white board or on the bin bag up there to check my emails on my own.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FA: Be passionate about details, and senses, try to deliver a message to anything you do, be ready to give publicly something that has been part of your life and dreams and thoughts for 6 months, one year or two and realizing that it's not yours anymore when delivered. (somehow)
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FA: We artists We are not artists
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FA: Give your soul
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
FA: Spatial view, Drawings
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
FA: Pen paper sheets Website references Photoshop and CAD
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FA: I don't manage it, it's part of my daily life.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FA: Depending on the projects
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FA: Price and time
FS: What was your most important job experience?
FA: A pitch for a resort development in south China, aiming the developer team
FS: Who are some of your clients?
FA: Magazine editors, Clubs directors, restaurant owners.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FA: Public spaces, because it is open simply.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FA: Other countries, down south.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FA: i develop options myself and share with the team for the final development
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FA: Our last video identity, it shows who we are as a movement.
FS: How can people contact you?
FA: email, phone
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
FA: To be and not to have
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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