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Interview with Tiravy Guillaume |
Home > Designer Interviews > Tiravy Guillaume |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Tiravy Guillaume (TG) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Tiravy Guillaume by clicking here.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
TG: The company tiravy.studio, registered in Geneva, Switzerland, focuses on objects and space - products and architecture. Graphic design and communication work are carried out through the registered trademark WA, work that can be viewed at wa.media. I wanted to separate these fields because with tiravy.studio, I bring a signature, a touch that is uniquely mine. This explains why the company's name includes my family name. On the other hand, WA is the abbreviation of "We Arrange". I use the pronoun "we" deliberately since it strongly involves the client I collaborate with. When I work on the communication for businesses, organizations, or others, I adhere as closely as possible to their identity, and there is nothing personal in what I do. These are two completely different approaches, hence two completely different entities.
FS: What is "design" for you?
TG: It is the practice of drawing with purpose. "Design", "dessin" (drawing), and "dessein" (intention) share the same etymological root: the Latin verb "designo" which means both "to draw", "to mark", "to trace", "to designate", "to indicate", "to project", "to anticipate". Paradoxically, despite its explicit Latin root, this word is most aptly used in Germanic languages. Before becoming a field of its own, design encompasses a very broad practice that extends to engineering design. Therefore, initially, there is no direct relationship with any aesthetic pursuit.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
TG: What I love most to draw is what I have not yet drawn. That is where the field of possibilities is the widest. I can bring a fresh perspective to what I do. The most surprising solutions are sometimes the most ingenuous.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
TG: My favourite design is yet to come. I am never satisfied with what has been done. This is probably a typical trait of my profession. If, as designers, we were content with what surrounds us, with what makes up our artificial environment, then why would we want to redesign it? Without this constant discontent, I probably couldn't do my job.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
TG: I was 4 or 5 years old. I drew all day long. This impressed my classmates and even my teacher. She asked me to draw the school. I did it right away. She took the drawing and sent it to the graphic designer who was designing the school's brochure. I unknowingly signed my first illustration. When I saw my drawing reproduced, I was devastated. I was terribly ashamed of it. I remember begging my teacher to let me redo the drawing. Today, I am obviously very happy about it and I am grateful to her.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
TG: I don't think I have a preference. This is probably both my greatest strength and my greatest weakness. What I love above all is learning. The projects I am most passionate about are those that immerse me in a completely unfamiliar field. I often manage to find different solutions because I draw my inspiration from elsewhere. As a result, however, I am not a specialist in anything, which makes it much more difficult to sell my work.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
TG: It is with a pencil in front of a blank page that I feel the most creative. This setup gives me the same sensations as being wrapped in a blanket in the fetal position. I snuggle into my first refuge, the one from my childhood, as if returning to the past. It is also the moment when I dream, idealize, and project, as if transported into the future. It is an aporetic phase of pure discovery where I no longer feel the passage of time. Creation involves creating something from nothing, often disconnected from reality. This intoxication is mostly unproductive, and the little that remains is prospective, thus unusable in its current state. Where I feel the most relevant and am told I am the most creative is when I find solutions. However, in these moments, I am more inventive than creative.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
TG: My design activity tends to embrace the complexity of our world and our relationship with it. This means trying to resolve a multitude of constraints and parameters. To choose is to give up, so focusing my design work on one particular aspect would mean making concessions. It is easier but also less intellectually honest. I believe that if I must pay attention to one thing, one more than the others, it would be to ensure that I do not favor one aspect over another.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
TG: The exercise of my profession is multifaceted, just like the emotions it evokes in me. I feel shyness when prospecting clients; shame during contractualization; curiosity at the start of a project; excitement in the search for solutions; dismay during iterations; stage fright during presentations; disorientation during financial feasibility studies; frustration during submissions/awards; relief when everything aligns perfectly; immense pride when the client says "wow" upon delivery; and a lot of uncertainty throughout all these stages.
FS: What makes a design successful?
TG: A design can be excellent, seemingly perfectly meeting all needs, but in reality, once implemented, it may turn out to be flawed. A small error can tip the balance. There are defects that are difficult to anticipate. If this happens with an object, the production doesn't sell and eventually gets destroyed, so we don't hear about it. It's very different with architecture. We won't destroy the building but modify it because, firstly, it's possible, and secondly, the financial stakes are much higher. In London, a building was melting the cars parked beneath it. In Rennes, the whistling produced by the cladding of a building was driving the neighbors crazy. As an architect, I know dozens of less spectacular but similar stories. It's my nightmare. I always try to imagine the worst-case scenario possible. But there are also, fortunately, happy accidents. It's often the specifications, combined with the adequacy of the means compared to the ambitions, that determine the success of a design.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
TG: Fortunately, there isn't just one marker of success. The first, the most obvious, is a happy client. The client is always right, so if I satisfy them, I've fulfilled my contract. If the client isn't the most expressive but my work resonates with the public, that's a win too. Commercial success remains the easiest metric to attain. If consumers buy, it means the product is good. We primarily work to satisfy humans, so I judge the success of my work by how it is received by my peers. Other markers are more unexpected. If an object elicits contradictory reactions, in a way, that's a win too. It means the design touches on a form of radicalism and disrupts the established order. The divide can be beneficial; there's nothing worse than being indifferent. This was the case, for example, with the design of the 50cl Maquèra bottle from 2023. The bottle was commercially successful, but the asymmetrical label was either loved or hated.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
TG: An elephant is eaten one bite at a time, and I do my part. I see my career as I see my life, more as a marathon than a sprint. Whenever I can, I will always choose sustainability; I will always prefer efficiency over effectiveness. That's why I will never work for the tobacco industry, for example. However, I am realistic about the impact of my work in the face of current challenges and do not claim to want to save the world. Our societal responsibility as designers is relative. We don't wake up in the middle of the night to save lives like an emergency surgeon. As for our environmental responsibility, it is proportional to our power, so also very relative. The final decisions belong to publishers, developers, and clients. It's a good sign to see the profession addressing the ethical crisis our civilization has faced in recent decades. But by asking these kinds of questions, we sometimes try to wear a coat that's too big for us.
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?
TG: Switzerland is a country where a culture of excellence prevails. Our standards are among the highest in the world, as are our salaries and quality of life. The country is very concerned about its reputation, a concern materialized by the concept of Swissness. There is a social pressure here that pushes everyone to elevate the quality of service provided. Geneva is an international city but relatively small. Therefore, I have direct access to the rest of the world through transportation links, but also direct access to nature. I live between the beaches around the lake in summer and the mountains in winter, all while encountering cultures from around the world. The richness of this environment shapes the open-mindedness I need to move from one project to another.
FS: How do you work with companies?
TG: The client often holds the adequate answer to solve the difficulties they encounter. My role is to gather as much information as possible, organize these insights, and finally, to problematize the situation. If the problem is well articulated, then it points towards a solution. It is this mechanism that gave rise to the discipline of Design Thinking.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
TG: I believe a designer is akin to a doctor or a lawyer; nothing should be kept from them. I advise companies to embrace openness, communicating freely. Select the designer who is eager to understand every aspect of your needs, even if it seems intrusive. This designer will not only meet your expectations closely but also possess a thorough mastery of your product's manufacturing process from inception to completion.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
TG: It's a cliché, but I find myself in front of my computer very often. One of my biggest regrets is not having had a personal computer during my childhood. Beyond the capabilities afforded by the device, it's also, thanks to the internet, a window to the world. The access to information we have is unprecedented, and I try to take full advantage of it. The other object I spend the most time with is my bed. It's the largest piece in a house, so I believe it's only fitting to customize it, considering the space it occupies and its user, like a piece of architecture. I designed and built my bed myself. It's minimalist but perfectly meets all my needs and those of my partner. Another object that takes up a lot of space is my bike. It's the best mode of transportation for my area. Humans have produced incredible objects that allow us to merge with the features of nature. I love all sports that involve riding, flying, or surfing. Cycling is one of them. Next comes the rest of my bike collection. I know them inside out as I've practically assembled each one from scratch. My favorite is a 1977 PY10 gold. Perhaps one day I'll switch to automobiles. My other favorite objects are my pieces of art: books, paintings, sculptures.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
TG: Everything is to be done. The only right way to do it is to do it. Nothing is ever truly done.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
TG: The mandatory faculty for any designer is curiosity. Having an insatiable thirst for learning is essential, even if it means developing obsessions. For graphic design, object design, and architectural design, drawing is fundamental. Empathy is arguably the most underestimated yet essential faculty for understanding the challenges a client faces and thus better addressing them. A good ability to adapt allows one to cope with the inherent uncertainties of any large-scale project. Lastly, sociability is necessary for any human endeavor. It's a rare quality among introverted personalities, which is often the case for designers.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
TG: I have worked on a flyer that had to be completed in less than a week, including printing. I also have participated in the reconversion of a mall located in a Swiss city center. This particular project began over a decade ago and, remarkably, is still ongoing, yet to reach completion.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
TG: As an architect, I ascended through every level to ultimately become the head of the department. However, I consider my most significant professional experience to always lie ahead. I remain firmly oriented towards the future.
FS: How can people contact you?
TG: For inquiries, please feel free to reach out to me at office@wa.media or contact@tiravy.studio.
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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