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Interview with Ana Ramirez |
Home > Designer Interviews > Ana Ramirez |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ana Ramirez (AR) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Ana Ramirez 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?
AR: Since I was little I liked painting and drawing, and if you add that my parents took me to the museum in my city almost every weekend it was a sure path that I ended up doing Fine Arts. My passion for design comes because I am analytical as well as creative, and that analysis led me to create products for others that were useful and usable.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
AR: My studio creates designs for small and large companies. Above all what matters is that the product is created for the user and sometimes it is not only the development of the product but everything that surrounds it, how to promote it, how to treat the customer, what the internal processes of the company are like, etc. On many occasions we use gamification methodologies for processes or interface development.
FS: What is "design" for you?
AR: Design is about making life easier for people and making them feel better. Make designs that help us in our day to day.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AR: The truth is I have no preferences, I like the UCD, the UI, the graphics as is, the typographical use. I think it is good to go through all of them although sometimes you focus more on some than others depending on the project.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AR: I love the functional and minimalist design, but together with the technological research and graphic resources, developing the visual language of brands and products to make the user blend with them and feel comfortable. In this line I like Dieter Rams or Paula Scher and I pay a lot of attention to the architect Zaha Hadid, as she investigates with materials, innovation, form and functionality.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AR: The first thing I designed for a company was when I was a student, it was a brand image for a shoe store chain in my city
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AR: Like all designers, I use several platforms, but my favorite is pencil and paper. I always generate ideas like this. Digitally today there are a variety of softwares and depending on what you need to work with one or the other.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
AR: The sun encourages me to create, to see the blue sky, but creativity cannot wait for a sunny day to come out, creative processes must be followed so that project paths emerge and from there work on them
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AR: At every moment of development I focus on the process I am working on, for example in the research part of finding needs, seeing what the competition does, etc. Later in the design process itself and especially always with the user in mind.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AR: Designing is like a roller coaster when you see that something is missing or does not work, you are low but if you have the ability to find solutions and also enjoy it, the feeling of a job well done is the most rewarding.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AR: It is very gratifying to see your design on products. But it is even more so when you see that the user uses it without problems and their needs are covered with the product.
FS: What makes a design successful?
AR: A design I think is successful when it meets the objectives that were created and adopted by the user.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AR: Design must be functional is the first thing I value, then I see how the problem has been solved. Good design must be timeless regardless of trends.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AR: I think that keeping in mind the cycle of a product so that it can later be reused or recycled is essential today. We must think about the environment, the use of the lowest costs in the development of the product, as well as that the materials are not polluting and if they come from recycling it would be ideal. As well as in our processes, they do not entail an unnecessary expenditure of energy.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AR: My source of inspiration can be many things, above all it is what you live or like, in my case the architecture, the decoration, the comics, the Japanese culture ... everything influences although we think that we can document ourselves for a particular project , our experiences and hobbies are there.
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?
AR: I live in Bilbao, Basque Country- Spain. Although I look at the design of the whole world because of the fact that the culture that surrounds you and you live influences. In the Basque Country it is more austere from there it may be that I like minimalism and with its own personality that makes it reflect on the way of working, it is a very rich culture.
FS: How do you work with companies?
AR: My relationship with clients tends to come from the fact that they understand that I am going to help them get what they want, and from there we started working together.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
AR: Generally speaking, I start by documenting and getting to know the end user, then I begin to sketch and test ideas that I test with the client and users, from there I move on to the aesthetic design of the final product. This is also tested and if necessary, minimal changes are made, it is an iterative process.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AR: Above all it is decorative, it is the tulip table, the transparent Louis XVI chairs, the classic Braun juicer (Dieter Rams), the minimalist design of the furniture and a multiple rotring pen
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
AR: After getting up and having breakfast I do some gymnastics. I prepare myself and start to look at emails first and then get fully into the work process without interruptions. Before lunch I check the mail and after lunch I follow the design process. In the afternoon I like to go swimming for exercise and then I accompany my son to the music conservatory. There I can relax listening to a concert or talking to a friend.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AR: I think that everyone has to find their way to solve problems, design is about that, but new designers would have to read more, observe and sometimes forget about technology for a moment to see the essence of things.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
AR: Be empathetic with the user and think that the design has a goal
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
AR: The most important part of all the knowledge in having empathy with the user to be able to design in order to make life easier for people.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AR: I usually limit the phases according to the development of the project, but it is not something fixed, you can always retrace your steps if you see that something does not work, that is what Lean Ux is about, something iterative. But if it is true that you have to set times so as not to lengthen the projects, I tend to be non-conformist and this helps me since I always see improvements to implement in the designs.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AR: Any person who believes knows that we can be with a project as much as we want, because there will always be things that we think we can improve, add or change. In the projects I have delivery dates that are the ones that will mark the limit of the project and it is where I will have to present a design product according to all the briefing that has been created and the client's objectives.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AR: What can I do to create something that helps the user and makes life easier?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
AR: I worked for several years in an advergaming and serious games simulation and development company. There I was able to work for large companies and deal with a large client. Above all, I learned about design management.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AR: My future plans involve working in a company that provides services to technological developments in healthcare, banking, industry 4.0, and working with the new AI technology and its adaptation to user and interface design.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AR: Usually develop projects autonomously but for certain projects I collaborate with other designers or programmers
FS: How can people contact you?
AR: Through my website https://littleredstudio.es or my LinkedIn profile https://www.linkedin.com/in/ana-ramirez-70528443/
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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