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Interview with Jonathan Beldner |
Home > Designer Interviews > Jonathan Beldner |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Jonathan Beldner (JB) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Jonathan Beldner 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?
JB: I was fortunate enough to move many times as a child. This opened my eyes to the world as my family moved overseas to Denmark. Being surrounded by such a design focused society had a profound impact on me, and as we moved back to the states I grew up watching my mother impeccably decorate our new homes. I found myself intrigued by many of the furnishings and accessories she chose. The objects and products I personally gravitated towards were often more minimalist and efficient in their design, Scandinavian in a sense. I made it my goal to study abroad in Scandinavia and learn more about design, which I did my senior year of high school. In rural Sweden I studied design at a college prep school and learned all about form development with a Nordic flair. To continue my design education, I studied Industrial Design at Purdue University.
FS: What is "design" for you?
JB: Design is creating purposeful, aesthetically pleasing objects that offer a user hesitation free operation.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
JB: I particularly enjoy designing furniture and other objects for the home. Aside from the products that go in them, I like conceptualizing houses or buildings too.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
JB: The first product I designed for a company was a hand blender.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
JB: The organic, story telling nature of wood is fascinating to me.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
JB: I feel the most creative when I am in beautiful environments and inspiring cities. Listening to music also helps immensely for me too.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
JB: I tend to focus heavily on intuitive operation, experience improving features and overall aesthetics.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
JB: I feel
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
JB: I feel accomplished and happy.
FS: What makes a design successful?
JB: Successful designs require little thought to use and are pleasing to look at.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
JB: I consider the value it has over other competitive products or existing designs, as in what makes it unique. I also look for consistency in form language and thoughtful development.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
JB: A designer needs to progress the needs of consumers and evolve to suit their and the environment's needs.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
JB: The "design field" is becoming much more technology based, we will likely see many more connected products.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
JB: My last exhibition was at Purdue University in a library gallery space. Our formal senior show in Chicago was unfortunately canceled...I would have loved the opportunity to show my work there to professionals.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
JB: A lot of my design inspiration comes from nature and architecture. Beautiful, historically significant cities are incredibly inspiring for me. Breathtaking landscapes and cool plants are amazing too. I enjoy the contrast between my two inspirational realms.
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?
JB: My design style is pared back and intentional in nature. I think I can attribute this to all the time I spent in Scandinavia during my educational and personal endeavors. I have a tendency to use very crisp, expressive lines and muted colors with purpose.
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?
JB: I live in the United States which has such a variety of cities and natural environments. I personally enjoy diverse cities with well preserved, historic architecture in mountainous or hilly areas.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
JB: Designers should be well-rounded individuals that offer a wide skill set. That being said, designers need to be capable of working with a range of others and capable of taking criticism.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
JB: I typically start by conducting research on the product at hand before diving into an ideation phase. After I have generated many different concepts, I narrow down my focus and refine the best of my initial ideas. Finally, I create my final design either physically or rendered on the computer.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
JB: My Shinola watch that's all stainless steel with a black face, olive green Swedish weekend bag, and the furniture I have created as I cannot afford designer pieces yet
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
JB: I love the creative importance of being a designer and watching concepts develop before coming to life. Tight deadlines and exacting clients make the job stressful sometimes. The pressure to create revolutionary products in a space that in reality sees slower evolution can be frustrating as well.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
JB: In my opinion, a designer's ability to think of quality new ideas is the single most important skill.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
JB: I typically sketch by hand and with a Microsoft Surface tablet. As for software, I predominately use the Adobe Suite, Solidworks and Keyshot.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
JB: I write down itemized lists of what I need to accomplish within a given time frame. Crossing off what I have completed is extremely satisfying.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
JB: A design can always be improved, so is one ever truly complete?
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
JB: Where do you get your ideas from?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
JB: Working at an appliance company has been very rewarding for me and taught me a lot about the industry.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
JB: Bruni Glass, Midea America Corporation, Fujitsu Network Communications
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
JB: I enjoy developing beautiful objects, so more aesthetic based challenges are always fun for me.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
JB: I am currently looking for permanent design opportunities as an Industrial Designer in the United States and European Union.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
JB: I often ask others for their input and opinion on my designs. Criticism is extremely important in the field of design.
FS: How can people contact you?
JB: My email is jonbeldner@outlook.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
JB: Please visit my personal design website for more of my work: https://jonbeldner.wixsite.com/home
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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