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Interview with Davide Mezzasalma |
Home > Designer Interviews > Davide Mezzasalma |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Davide Mezzasalma (DM) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Davide Mezzasalma 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?
DM: My experience in the design world started from the automotive. After the 5 years of art high school in Rome (IT) I studied transportation design in Coventry University (UK) and I got my degree done in Turin (IT) in 2004. My first working experience as car designer was in the FIAT design center, where I had the great experience of working on a production project through all the stages. After this I had the feeling I wanted to explore more, so I switched to the Yacht design field. The more I got involved with design, the more I was fascinated by the craft process, this lead me to get close to furniture and interiors. Since I was a kid I always spent a lot of time drawing and over the years the desire to be able to represent what ever I see or think was more and more consistent. After my art studies the way wasn't completely clear, but I can see now how important for me was and of course still is to combine forms with function. I can say that my choice wasn't completely conscious but driven by an instinctive impulse to express my creativity in a functional and useful way.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
DM: I'm right now in the middle of a company start up, which is pretty exciting, but requires an immense amount of energies. I've being freelancing for about 10 years after my last experience as employed, recently I felt the need to get into a new stage and work in a more structured environment. This is why I founded “Iron Hive”, a furniture brand which takes the name from my successful modular shelving system. The aim of Iron Hive is to be the vessel and bring to the market an always growing high end furniture collection from my designs.
FS: What is "design" for you?
DM: Design is every form of expression that matches formal research with a function. Without getting into a judgmental approach of good or bad, we could say that design is everywhere around us.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
DM: Is completely clear now that I want to design furniture, my passion for handcrafts and the possibility to realize in first person prototypes gives me immense pleasure.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
DM: The first time I designed for a company I was part of the team in the FIAT commercial vehicle department. At that time I was developing the new “Fiorino“. It has been an important experience to be part of this production project through all his stages.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
DM: In the years I experienced working with wood, metals and concrete. What I mostly enjoy is the combination of warm and cold materials, where the contrast enhances their strongest characteristics. To chose one in particular I would definitely put wood in top of the list as it is a living material, environmental friendly and can really make you feel comfortable. On the other hand I think that every project has his own material requirement in terms of structural, aesthetic and practical properties.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
DM: If I think of my most creative moments, they are always characterized by calm and relaxed situations. Late hours, when the world goes to sleep or holidays when I can really feel free from any pressure and the creation comes in a spontaneous form.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
DM: Normally in every stage there is a different focus, at first the idea has to communicate his strength which can be technical or aesthetic. In both cases the development phase has to feed the weak aspects to achieve a good design. There's always a problem solving moment in every project, at this stage I especially enjoy when a technical solution gives a new style pattern or functional character that makes the all work upgrade to a better level.
FS: What makes a design successful?
DM: Considering that taste is personal and changes for everybody, the key to make a good design a success is the way it gets communicated. A good marketing strategy can be in some cases more powerful than the design itself.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
DM: Very important topics are the limitation of waste and the use of low environmental impact materials, we should all take particular care of this as starting point of every new design.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
DM: Design in all his forms will evolve following technologies improvements and society needs. In this time of strong sensitization on environment and climatic change I believe that all the unnecessary should be cut away to focus on the pure essence of a product. I believe that synthesis is a keyword in the future of design.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
DM: My last exhibition was in Milan during the Design Week. I was taking part of one of the events of the Fuorisalone in the Lambrate Design District. The next planned exhibition is in London this September, from the 19th to 22nd I will be attending at the London Design Fair.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
DM: I've always been fascinated from the analysis of natural elements and structures. For many years I was enjoying representing plants, stone and landscapes. I have the feeling all this memories are always available to be combined with my architectural – geometrical approach. This creates some sort of personal reinterpretation of forms. The stylization of organic shapes into geometries are mostly the first steps to explore my new concepts.
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?
DM: I live in Berlin, since many years now. It is sure that the culture, traditions and nature surrounding you have an effect on the way you express yourself. Is interesting to observe how personal evolution effects the way of approaching to design. The life experiences in countries in which you aren't born are pushing you to discover new ways and reconsider your own mental limits. I personally find the mix of my Italian roots with the German influence a balancing cocktail.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
DM: Everything can start whit an intuition, so the first approach is to draw in an instinctive way to fix the idea. When the concept finds his character this is the guide line to start building a 3D model. In this phase I refine the design and find the needed technical solutions. When everything seems to work good I like to start with the prototyping to have a first full scale perception. The development of prototypes allows to find the real essence of the design and sometimes through a metamorphosis the process comes to the end piece.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
DM: I would recommend to follow the instinct to find the right sector and develop a own personal language. Nobody can find himself looking around, even if is fundamental been aware and well informed of what is happening in the design world, the real challenge is to find deep inside your own way. I strongly believe this is the key to be unique. Also, questioning yourself allows you to keep growing.
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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