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Interview with Touraj Saberivand |
Home > Designer Interviews > Touraj Saberivand |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Touraj Saberivand (TS) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Touraj Saberivand 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?
TS: I never knew I was going to be a designer, in fact, back when I started, I didn't know anything about design at all. I think most of the time we become what we are by accident rather than by following a certain agenda. I started with designing social political posters and as I said I was led to logo designing by accident. And it's been a few years since I have been involved in that.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TS: Designvand is not a crowded studio. It has black shades, instrumental music and the scent of coffee. Our studio is solely focused on logo design.
FS: What is "design" for you?
TS: I believe design is 90 percent problem solving and 10 percent aesthetic qualities and it is not art for sure.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TS: Well mostly I prefer to design logos but as a designer I sometimes like to design items such as traffic signs and road stripes.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TS: The most favorite design I have done is for my client "VAV" studio. Because it not only is a Persian character but also it looks like a room with an opened door. "VAV" is a creative studio with the aim to open new doors.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
TS: It was a 5x8 cm ad!
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TS: Intellectual materials, paper and pen, and in the digital category I like vector applications.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
TS: I feel the most creative in the mornings and while waiting at traffic lights.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
TS: I think about how people would describe that work years later.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TS: I have a combination of feelings, like a naughty child, an engineer who wants to build a road, a cultured politician who tends to lead people's minds in a certain way, and a mixture of all that.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
TS: I feel concerned that whether I have found the right solution or not. Normally after a few years I reevaluate the works and I redesign them in some cases.
FS: What makes a design successful?
TS: I think what makes a design successful is the positive feedback from the society to the result of the work.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TS: I wonder if the design belongs to the time it is designed, or is it far back or far beyond. I think a good design should either belong to its own time or be far beyond that.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TS: Well I think a designer should not create anything extra and unneeded for the environment and as for the society I believe it should help it take the next step.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
TS: It seems to me that the design field is becoming more human centered each day and leading towards minimalism. I think each country with different cultures and characters are going to define minimalism with their own tone and language. So does my country Iran.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
TS: The last exhibition I participated was a group exhibition in United Nations Headquarters in Geneva. I guess the next exhibition could be in Belgium.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
TS: Well honestly I'm not that much into finding creative ways or fireworks but I believe that designs do start from the problem.
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?
TS: I tend to eliminate extra elements and the remaining elements either have an idea or have a thought behind it or has an effect.
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?
TS: I live in Iran. A country with decades of diverse visual identities; many of which have decreased in quality and I am trying to resuscitate that effect with my works.
FS: How do you work with companies?
TS: I make friendly relations with the companies. It is much smoother than working with designers!
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
TS: I think they should work with designers whom they approve have seen their past works. They should also discuss their issues with them rather than guiding them to what they already know how to do.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
TS: As a logo designer I believe that the design process is a never ending process. It has to be redesined over and over. You must keep studying the client's business and company, to see if their audience change, and the logo should change as well according to that.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
TS: A folding table hanged to a wall. 21 frames with white papers in them. A lamp made of newspaper.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
TS: None of my days is like the other so I cannot describe one.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
TS: I think they should not listen to previous designers because they will turn into them if they do, and as a result the design world will never go forward.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
TS: A negative side is that you have to answer a lot of repetitious questions and the positive side is that you face a new project everyday which is an exciting experience.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TS: I believe that any extra element should be omitted.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
TS: To be able to review their designs as a non-designer and judge it.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
TS: People and clients are my source of inspiration. I use the common graphic applications.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
TS: When you are a minimalist, designing does not take that much time.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TS: When you are a minimalist, designing does not take that much time.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
TS: They want to know how I came up with the idea and most of the time I don't have an answer to that.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
TS: Working with Mr. Rob Janoff as one of the world's greatest designers. I always wonder how he could be such a humble person and also a great designer as well. How you could work with such energy in your 60s and be such a source of motivation and inspiration.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
TS: We are currently working with Sarmayeh Bank and Sina Insurance. Rightel and Mofid securities were two of our other clients.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
TS: In addition to logo design I am quite interested in book design and interior design because I am an audience of them.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
TS: The next step which might take decades to fulfill is to find out how we could be minimalist Iranians.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
TS: Some projects are completed with a team and in other projects I design on my own.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
TS: We are redesigning an insurance company's logo and visual identity in Iran under the supervision of Rob Janoff.
FS: How can people contact you?
TS: people can reach me through the contact information on my website at: www.designvand.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
TS: No I don't have anything to add to that.
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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