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Interview with Matthew Harkins |
Home > Designer Interviews > Matthew Harkins |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Matthew Harkins (MH) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Matthew Harkins 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?
MH: I have a BA Degree in Visual Arts from The University of California, San Diego. I graduated with Cum Laude Honors. I have always been a creative person and worked with my hands my whole life. A career in building surfboards allowed me to incorporate craft into my work. Working in global fashion production allowed me to travel and develop my skills as a photographer. I have 7 years of watchmaking experience and have sold 10's of 1000's of watches, sunglasses and other fashion products I have designed.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MH: This brand is the results of 25 years of hard work in design, content productions, entrepreneurship and love of conservation and sustainability. Our goal is to show the world that sustainable design can do good for cultures, economies and the environment without sacrificing quality and craft of manufacture.
FS: What is "design" for you?
MH: Design is solving problems that need to be solved. It is deliberate, passionate, sacred and useful. Design is a blend of creative and technical process that results in a tangible solution to a posed or mandated problem. It must start with an idea that goes through a specific process of refinement and end with a result to be anything more than "lucky."
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MH: Watches, Surfboards, Eyewear, Decor & Furniture.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MH: The watch that I am submitting for this competition is my favorite design. It is the most unique challenge to sustainability in a luxury watch that is on the market. I was able to do it by blending so many disciplines I have mastered over the years. It could not have come from the watch industry...a challenge like this always comes from outside.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MH: T Shirts, for my friends skateboard companies.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MH: Steel, bronze and composites.Both hand cut and machine (Cnc) cut are equally amazing to me and I use them both.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
MH: After surfing. Actually I have so many ideas while I am surfing and when I am done, they just all flow out into my projects. Also...sometime I have amazing ideas while on the toilet.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MH: Concept and research. At this point there is just so much of everything. Without a good and thorough research phase you are very likely to consciously or subconsciously replicate something that is already done and that is not good for anyone in the process. Preparation of design files for manufacture is key to most accurately bring your design to life and not waste any one's time who is working for you.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MH: Serious. Very, very serious. I feel like i am a doctor doing a life or death surgery. Its very intense and I feel strong pressure to succeed given the time and expense that go into product design and manufacturing.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MH: Relief. It is really so stressful to bring a design to market. I try to never take it for granted that it will succeed. In fact I try to visualize all the ways it might fail and then neutralize those issues as well as I can.
FS: What makes a design successful?
MH: Research, relevance, understanding your market, your customer and what is in your competition. Having unique perspectives and disciplines and being willing to push hard to everyone in your way that will tell you it can't be done.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MH: I consider the objective first and foremost. Is this design answering its mandate and design specifications? Does it meet the target cost and margins? Is it unique or is it safe and predictable...focus group feedback. If most people don't "get it" - it has a high likelihood of becoming very successful under the right process.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MH: Apply your perspective to solve problems. Specifically for me, its finding ways to use secondary materials that keep waste or used products out of the environment and out of landfills. It's a priority to push manufacturers to clean up every step in the process by phasing out plastics and non biodegradable materials and to use processes that are more efficient, with less waste and less pollution. The result should be a story you can tell about "how it is made" that gives you no reason to leave out any "dirty" detail.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MH: Sustainability is the #1 issue in manufacturing. Cleaning up our processes has to start with design. The future of design is cleaner, more sustainable, more precise and produces less of things but at a higher standard of execution than what we now consider rapid prototyping. The future will allow designers to directly produce and not mass produce. This will change the whole manufacturing landscape and force everyone in the supply chain to earn their place while not polluting the world or exploiting people.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MH: We just launched this product in November 2020 during the pandemic. In this context there are no exhibitions other than launching into the social space...that was really a hard transition to make.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MH: My love for surfing, the ocean, culture and travel. I am inspired by all I see, taste and feel when I am out of my element and seeing new places around the world.
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?
MH: Retro, modern, very utilitarian, story telling, mixed media & materials. My experience in both content creation and product design has given me a very broad range of talents that I use as needed to solve the problems I am trying to solve.
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?
MH: I live in San Diego California, a coastal city in the southwest of the USA. We are 40 minutes to Mexico and have some of the best sunsets you can ever imagine. This is a multicultural area with many different people you can meet and in general, it is a very accepting climate to culture and people. I am inspired every day by the beauty of this land. The downside is, it is very crowded and expensive and I don't quite have all the space I would like to do the work the way I want to.
FS: How do you work with companies?
MH: Most of my work now is with start ups that I am a partner in. I also do some consulting and freelance design. In the past I worked my way up from the bottom to Vice President of Design for several companies and lived the corporate life but it was not for me. I prefer small teams of highly talented people.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MH: The most important thing is to know what you want and what you want it to do. Without this, a design is likely to never satisfy your needs. The more you can give to the up front project brief, the more likely it is to be successful. And of course, the opposite is true. A good designer will be up front about this vs putting on a big ego show and making everyone else feel like they are not creative or useful to the process. There is no magic...it is all about process and preparations.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MH: Heavy consultation about the concept. Crunch the numbers on the target costs, margins, market realities. Major competitive research. Rough sketches...even on a napkin. Lots of them. Give the client or project a few throw away ideas and have more than one good one. Communicate alot and get buy in from all stakeholders. Flat illustrations to scale, then into 3d models where everyone can see the product before its made. Rapid prototyping, pre production samples as many as needed and then the final mass production. Don't skip any steps!
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MH: I have like 30 surfboards and I love them all. I love my cameras and lenses. My sons art as he has grown into a great and talented craftsman. My macbook pro! My watch collection. I'm actually not sure I answered this question right...hope I did.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
MH: Wake up...coffee. Make breakfast for my two kids. Clear out my emails. Clean my workspace. If I am in a design process, I check the schedule I am trying to hold. I love the sketching, illustrator work. I hate the tech packs and follow up comments. I love to review new prototypes. If I have time, go surfing. If I don't keep working! I can't enjoy time in the water if I am neglecting my must do's...Try to enjoy a dinner with the family...try to rest my mind at night...I don't sleep well my mind is always running.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MH: Slow down and lose your ego. 90% of the people who might become great designers are worthless until they are in their 30's but youth has a way of blinding us all. We want it all too soon and too much. There is just so much to learn by failing that if you don't fail enough and feel the pain you are likely to not develop in a well rounded way. Be willing to be shut down, led on, tricked, blamed, fired and hurt. These all form a more capable designer who will do great things. Respect everyone you work with, especially people who are trying to help you do something they don't understand. Don't take "no" for an answer as long as you can prove it's possible...that's not easy.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MH: No one gets you and they shouldn't. That is the nature of being creative. It is a blessing and a curse. Your job is to figure out how to make that all work. The best in the world is to see you design become successful. The worst in the world is to see it fail - especially when you know it could do great but there is a flaw in marketing or sales teams...because it will always be the fault of the designer!
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MH: Respect. Communicate. Listen. Don't replicate good design. Find a new path. Make products for the right reasons. The reason is never to make money. The money comes when the product and the design are relevant and well executed.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
MH: Research. Respect. Communication. Structure. Never be satisfied with your skills. Find ways to learn that work for you. Know when you can't do something and find a resource for it. Always have a reason for "why." Never talk down to your team or your colleagues. Your word is your bond...make them all count.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MH: Illustrator, Photoshop, pencil, pen, paint, composites, craft tools, power tools, razor blades and cameras.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MH: I work way too much. I hate to fall behind schedule so I stay on track by working long days and try not to leave my work until I am back on schedule.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MH: Watches take about two years. Could be less. Not less than one year. The design process could be about 309% of that. I would say project by project is days to months depending.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MH: How do you come up with your ideas?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
MH: Working for the Thom McElroy, co founder of Volcom (a California Lifestyle brand). His passion and mentorship launched my whole career and way of thinking about brand, creative, products and marketing.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
MH: At the moment I am only working for my brand, The Sacred Crafts.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MH: I most enjoy the development process where my designs are turning into real products.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MH: I have 3 more watches in development, a furniture collection and more sustainable building materials I am bringing to market. This is the next 4 years of my life!
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MH: I work mostly by myself unless I need something engineered, I work with some great friend in Germany who I really enjoy to help me overcome technical issues.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MH: I have a limited edition watch I am making that uses silver coins from old Spanish Shipwrecks...This is a real challenge that is still not solved! Other than that, I am working on commercializing a glass panel for construction and building / Decor markets based on the "Seaglass" terrazzo material we developed from reclaimed fishing nets.
FS: How can people contact you?
MH: My website is www.thesacredcrafts.com or send me an email to matt@thesacredcrafts.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
MH: Actually my hands hurt, this was alot of questions! Thanks!
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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