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Interview with Rumeysa Aris |
Home > Designer Interviews > Rumeysa Aris |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Rumeysa Aris (RA) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Rumeysa Aris 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?
RA: It was my childhood dream to become designer. I always enjoyed the textiles, objects, decoration and architecture. My passions evolved from fashion to architecture and to yacht design while I was growing up and I am very happy how I ended up in yacht design which seems like an amalgamation of all my previous interests.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
RA: Azurite is a brand new yacht design company located in Sydney, Australia. It is a very interesting and exciting process as I build it up. Azurite design focuses on high-end designs - the Iconic SX80 is my first design under the company. We will specialise in yacht design and at some point move into high-end interior design for households, corporate spaces and aircrafts.
FS: What is "design" for you?
RA: Fundamentally, for me, design is a creative solution for a need while providing joy in that experience.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
RA: Yachts in all shapes and sizes, functions and feels. Some think that yacht design is limited but I feel there are endless possibilities and the innovation will never cease; especially as we move toward the end of 2020 with some needs changing. I continue to push myself to surprise and delight in my design. That being said, I also have new, futuristic and high tech ideas that I wish to explore at some point as well.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
RA: There are many yacht designs and more specific design elements that constantly inspire me. However, for my favourite design, I think you cannot go past the designs of nature, specifically the Great Barrier Reef. It is an incredible living organism. I had such an amazing time captivated by the construction of the reefs, the colours, the shapes, textures, the traffic flow of fishes. Life under the water was like a dream city of my utopia.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
RA: It was a 34 meter explorer yacht project for Ava Yachts which involved the design challenge of creating a superstructure onto a designed hull.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
RA: My favourite material is marble, my favourite platform is design exhibitions and shows, my favourite technology is 3D printing.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
RA: After I come back from a holiday or a hiking. Mountains and cities inspire me. New cultures, new people, new places, new ways of thinking about design, are always perfect fuel to give me a boost of supercharged creativity.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
RA: Aesthetic. I think it is very important for my designs look in nice proportion under aesthetic values. Second to or perhaps tied to that, is the need for functional as well. Balance is significant.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
RA: The early stages of a design is very precious for me. It takes me to several dreamlands that I want to travel around. Creativity brings me different kind of joy and happiness that I have never found and experienced in something else before.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
RA: That is an interesting feeling. It feels like I am almost in a movie. All the time that I spent on the design, all of struggles and problems inherent in the process, make the end so significant and special. My happiness is also tied to my client's happiness and I gain more joy when they have their dream realised too.
FS: What makes a design successful?
RA: A design is successful if it satisfies the need, if it has aesthetic value, if it is highly functional, if it is safe and healthy for the users, and finally if it is unique.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
RA: If it is functional, aesthetic, environment friendly, cost-effective, unique, has the client in mind and if it is innovative.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
RA: We are all responsible to the society about how we take care of our environment while we are creating and producing a product. A designer should use or strongly consider recycled materials and renewable energy. Also we should consider the sources used in the production process such as electricity, water, time and carbon footprint of the design itself. A designer should serve the needs of the community, reflecting their culture, and create inspirational and inclusive designs.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
RA: I think people are looking for new designs with multiple functions and innovative. Also being environmental friendly is key, we cannot move forward without accomodating more needs of the environment and people. In the future hopefully the human race will care more about protecting our planet.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
RA: The last exhibition I attended was the Sydney Boat Show. The last exhibition where I displayed my latest designs was the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2019. Nowadays due to coronavirus we can not make new plans, for now I am on virtual exhibitions discovering what's new.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
RA: Music, landscapes, architecture, sometimes a piece of artwork or a furniture inspire me and help me to create my path for my next design. I also have an active imagination and always find myself creating generally.
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?
RA: I don't want to put a boundary to my design style but I can describe it as modern, bold and vibrant in interiors. When it comes to exterior of yachts I am minimal and trying to create a clean, modern, universally-appealing look. It is then necessary to compliment this with the interiors while ensuring there are constants and it fits. My approach to design is to incorporate all the needs of the yacht architecture, engineering, the clients needs, the budget, and the design. I like the design to reflect the personality of the owner, be forward thinking, and to stand out in it's class.
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?
RA: I moved in to Australia 2 years ago. Yes! Architecture is one of my inspirations and here in Australia I love spending time around suburbs and discovering new building, art and 1800's sandstone buildings. There is not a lot to see like Europe when comparing to cultural heritage here in Australia. But I still enjoy discovering suburbs, new developments and seeing how interesting buildings are evolving over the years.
FS: How do you work with companies?
RA: I am now working in a marine design company as the head designer in Sydney. At the same time I am trying to build my own brand, Azurite Design, and creating strong concepts which show my style.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
RA: I do not like when companies compare portfolios and experience levels only. I think meeting with designers face to face and have a conversation about art, design and life can change their mind totally. Also I think companies should try to work with different designers for them to gain different perspectives and insights. That's how they can understand which designer and which process works better for them. Also they should involve young designers in the process.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
RA: I start with getting an inspiration, discovering, saving images that give me high energy. Then I enter into the process of sketching. I can sketch up to 200 times to get a result that captures the details, energy and the magic. (Although sometimes I achieve that level after 10 sketches). After sketching I develop my design in 2D CAD first. When it makes me happy I start to develop in 3D which helps me a lot to see what would work more in real life and what doesn't. And then when form and function makes me happy, I start choosing materials and art pieces for my design, which gives me great joy. Then I jump into rendering and visualising my work which is also quite important for me. I try to achieve the look I imagine in the beginning. Sometimes I gain new insights and ideas along the way which can change some details. If I am or the client is not happy any of these stages, I am open to starting the design spiral from the beginning till we are happy of each stage.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
RA: A floor light that I designed, an essential oil aromatic diffuser with alternative mood lighting functions, a chaise longue, a large designer rug that is the centre-piece of a room, and a evergreen plant makes me happy where I live.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
RA: I like getting up early and setting my priorities first thing. Breakfast is the most important meal for me and I read some articles or and check design websites and news during breakfast. I do not have a strict schedule but I like to get a certain amount of work for before noon. After lunch I prefer checking magazines and fill myself full of motivation. During sunset I love being outside, exercising or walking. In the night time, I like spending time with my friends, reading books, free-drawing or writing or sometimes watching a movies. I enjoy sketching some ideas before I go to bed.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
RA: Being passionate and working smarter will make them shine. They should never stop educating themselves and never give up dreaming about the future that they want to build.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
RA: Being a designer makes me always pay attention to the details, intentions, form and function of many things. It pushes me to think of the possibilities of existing products and I think this is a positive. At the same time, when I am thinking about how to make things around me better it can get in the way of enjoying the moment and this one can be a negative.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
RA: You do not regret great work being done. I have to feel totally satisfied about my designs. Before I feel like I have done a great job, I do not stop thinking and working on the project till I achieve the perfect balance of functional, ergonomic and aesthetic design.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
RA: An ability to work multi-disciplinary, being a multitasker and thinking about creative solutions are the must have skills of a designer from my perspective.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
RA: It all starts with few sketches from my sketchbooks. Then I like losing myself in lots of design magazines and books. My favourite design magazine is Boat International and my favourite online design mag is Architonic. Additionally, I love creating mood boards & storyboards to give a certain type of a style to my designs and I play with the mood board during the design process as it is developing. I like to use AutoCad and Rhino for general arrangement plans and for visualising my designs. I love to use v-ray for my renderings. And for animations I prefer 3Ds Max.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
RA: It took years for me to learn how to manage my time. It is very important to prioritise tasks and allocating estimated time for each task and create a strategic plan for each project. An organisational plan can be created to follow each step of design and goals.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
RA: It depends on what kind of an object I design. Also it depends on how challenging the brief is and sometimes the creativity process can take different times. For an object I may need to spend lots of hours and examine different examples for weeks. Sometimes it is easier if I have the sparkle of the creativity and if I have a good knowledge of the object.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
RA: "How did I become a Yacht Designer?" People find it very extraordinary as an everyday job I do.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
RA: I have presented a yacht that I designed to an popular NBA basketball player, Tony Parker and his wife and friends. It was an exhausting day, the presentation took 8 hours and was very involving. I developed some design details according to their request and in a week we sold the project. I was 23 years old at the time. The project is currently under construction in Antalya, Turkey.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
RA: I don't have any customer yet with my new company I'm starting (Azurite Design), but at Spear Green Design where I also work at the moment, I design projects for clients in Sydney, China, Spain and Germany. Most of the clients are shipyards, yacht owners and Ferry company owners all around the word.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
RA: I enjoy design the most when the product teaches me a lot about new technology, new materials to use and new production techniques.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
RA: I am building my company here in Australia as a first step. But I want to be known at the international level and to work for European and American shipyards and owners soon. I think at the same time I will keep travelling and learning new things and enlighten my perspective about life and design for the future.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
RA: I develop my designs myself but I have few designer friends who are a very close friends of me. I like discussing the process with them and I care about their opinions to improve my designs for better. Sometimes we work together but 95% of the time I design my projects from beginning to end on my own.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
RA: Yes! The yacht I designed for NBA player has progressed and I keep track of the process. I enjoy seeing my design as a work-in-progress. Also I have a passenger ferry that I designed currently being built in China, and a yacht refitting progressing in the USA at the moment.
FS: How can people contact you?
RA: They can send an email to info@azurite.design and also they can follow my works from www.behance.net/rumeysaaris and at www.instagram.com/azurite.design
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
RA: No, thank you!!
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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