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Interview with Kazoo Design |
Home > Designer Interviews > Kazoo Design |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Kazoo Design (KD) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Kazoo Design 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?
KD: Κostas: My involvement in any form of art probably started in my childhood years while I was studying piano and later on classical/electric guitar. I have always been into music, photography and movies. In regards to music and photography, I really enjoyed experimenting with making them myself from a relatively young age. Design and architecture have always been something that I have admired greatly, but since they weren’t something I studied in university they remained a mere passion. A series of events most likely led me to become a designer. I studied forestry at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and at some point participated in some seminars (outside the university) that introduced me to the digital 3D space. My tutor was Christos Vasdekis and is one of the most inspiring tutor/professors I have ever come across in my lifetime. I was amazed by the whole concept of being able to create a three dimensional object and edit it at my will. This urged me to improve my skills by spending endless hours practising it at home. With my colleague Thomas with whom we had attended the seminars together we did our thesis on making a digital 3d guide of our university’s facilities. From there, I went on to work for a company that specialized in making architectural visualizations, later on studied 3d animation and visual effects in Vancouver, worked in a post-production studio in London and eventually moved to Istanbul where I worked on VFX projects and and currently apply my skills as a designer. Zeynep: I have decided to study something related to Art after graduating high school. I didn’t know which form of art I liked or would be good at so I started my Foundation Art studies in Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, USA. Later I picked up Graphic Design as my major and completed my studies in Middlesex University, UK. While studying Graphic Design at College, I discovered 3D Modeling and Animation. After working for some advertising agencies in İstanbul, Turkey and realizing that I could further develop my technical skills in 3D, I decided to attend 3D computer Animation in Vancouver, at Vancouver Film School where I also met my future partner in life and co partner at work. So, I cannot say that I always wanted to be a homeware designer per se but I always loved Art and Design combined and pushed on my technical skills to later be able to have a vast imagination and be able to create and make the designs without any technical restrictions.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
KD: We (husband and wife Kostas and Zeynep Paradeisopoulos) created Kazoo in 2020 as a way out from the visual effects sector that was becoming more and more exhausting with lesser budgets and shorter deadlines. At the same time we were expecting our first child and couldn’t imagine that this was how our life would be with a new baby. The initial thought behind it was that we could do something that we’re skilled at and at the same time dictate the terms for the creation of any object we decide to design/produce. It was definitely a wild move to make but we are happy with how it’s going up to now.
FS: What is "design" for you?
KD: Design is a form of expression and communication that solves problems and enhances peoples’ lives.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
KD: We enjoy creating projects that challenge us to think outside the box and employ different design strategies compared to our past design works.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
KD: We like all the things we have designed equally. Maybe we have a special connection with our “wall nut” since it’s one of the first things we designed/made. It’s one cotyledon (half a walnut seed), made to hang from a wall. We saw a resemblance between the walnut and the human brain, so we decided to give it a pink hue in order to make the connection even more apparent. It has become one of our pop art design objects that we still relish.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
KD: The first thing we designed for our company was the 428 candleholder and the Wall Nut.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
KD: We are using Jesmonite in our latest products and we are very happy with it. Definitely the 3D printer is our favourite form of technology since without its’ existence we most likely we would have never gotten into creating a homeware design brand.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
KD: We actually like blocking out ideas separately in solitude while listening to music, most likely on the computer. We like the night time better for designing, when the chaos of the day’s tasks are finalized and there is more space and time to be spent creatively without distractions.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
KD: Form and texture are our primary focus, but we always keep function in mind.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
KD: Kostas: I feel at peace. Feelings of excitement come in when solving challenges that at first glance may have seemed unsolvable. Zeynep: I feel that designing is mostly fun. I do have many ups and downs since there are many challenges but when the design is finally made, I feel happy.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
KD: We feel very lucky to be able to do this as a job.
FS: What makes a design successful?
KD: The goal is to captivate the audience while simultaneously sending the intended message across.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
KD: Thought process that went into it in the first place
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
KD: We know for a fact that we are using resources either by consuming electricity when our computer is on while we’re designing, or when we’re melting filaments while printing prototypes, or when we make molds in order to cast copies and finally we use whatever material we are using for the casts. I think our responsibility is to do our best in order to ensure that the final product is something that people would ideally like to own for a lifetime and not something that will end up getting dumped in a landfill in the very near future.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
KD: The design field is evolving very well especially with the use of new technologies like CNCs and 3D printers. The future of design is looking very bright. We just want to believe new designs won’t rely on AI for their creation.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
KD: We have not held an exhibition in any gallery. Our objects have been exhibited in the shops we have had been working with throughout the years.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
KD: Kostas: By observing the real world but it mostly comes when I least expect it. That’s why I always to to block out an idea when it comes to me in order to not forget it. I also try to feed my creativity by listening to music and watching movies and going for walks around the city we live in. Zeynep: First I come up with a question like whether an everyday object be designed differently or something that has been done a specific way can be improved with the latest technological availabilities. Later I try to merge concepts and draw some ideas on my ipad and we discuss whether our design ideas can be produced and what path we could follow to make it happen. I get a lot of inspiration from my husband and like sharing my ideas with him since we both use 3D as our base, and therefore we share a common communication language. So I feel privileged in our studio that we can take a simple idea and turn it into a standing object. My main sources of inspiration is nature.
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?
KD: We don’t think of designing based on a certain style and we never try to follow trends. We rather like experimenting with as many styles as possible and not restric our designs to styles. Our main objective is to keep evolving as designers.
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?
KD: Kostas: I come from Athens, Greece but for the last decade I have been living in Istanbul, Turkey. I think my cultural heritage has always been a reason to try to excel in what I’m doing since there are many artists who come from my country that I strongly admire. Zeynep: I was born in Istanbul, Turkey but I try not to restrict my imagination to my cultural background. I believe that İstanbul specifially is a city mixed with many different cultures and this is what I like the most about living here, that I get to experience different flavors of societies and mixture of East and West but also this cultural diversity sometimes brings challenges in navigating communication barriers.
FS: How do you work with companies?
KD: We are currently designing for our own brand, but are open to collaborations with other companies in the near future.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
KD: We recommend that companies entrust designers with the creative freedom to execute their vision, as this can lead to more innovative and effective designs. Additionally, a shared understanding of the project's goals and incentives can foster collaboration and streamline the design process
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
KD: Kostas: Throughout the years I’ve had to use many 3D packages for the various jobs I have participated in. As a result I feel very confident using them and rarely grab a pen or pencil in order to sketch out a design. Zeynep: I do scribbles of ideas on the Procreate on my ipad but later model the design and collaborate closely with my husband on the 3D model to refine the design and make any necessary adjustments before moving forward.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
KD: 1. Around the Clock by Gaetano Pesce 2. Eames LCW by Charles and Ray Eames 3. Uten.Silo Wall Organizer by Dorothee Becker 4. SUM shelves by Peter Marigold 5. HAY CPH30 designed by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
KD: Throughout the day we will be involved in one or more of the following tasks: - designing a prototype of a new object - designing the mold for a new object or revising a mold of an older object - setting up 3d prints for prototypes/molds - post-processing prototypes - casting copies - cleaning-up casted copies - painting/varnishing casted copies - making a plan for what object we will be designing next
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
KD: We would recommend that they design as much as possible.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
KD: Design, like any other form of art is food for the soul. We know that it may not be the safest bet in order to pick it as a profession since there is no guarantee for success but that still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try if we feel attracted by it. On the positive side it inspires us to move forward as a humanity, become better people and solve problems. On the negative side it is a very competitive job like most creative professions and will most likely require way more working hours compared to many other jobs.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
KD: Don’t copy. We most likely copy unconsciously the things that have inspired us throughout our lives, so there’s no need to do it consciously also. Dive deep into your soul and let your true self shine through.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
KD: An eye for analysing form but also the skills to be able to translate that idea in their head onto a canvas.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
KD: Softimage, Zbrush, Affinity Designer and Procreate are what we use most of time to design with. 2 computers , 3 FDM printers and 1 SLA printer are what we use for printing prototypes and molds.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
KD: We not only conceptualize the product’s design but also engineer the manufacturing process, investing countless of hours in resolving potential issues at the computer to ensure a seamless pipe-line later on. This proactive approach enables us to streamline the production line and manage our time with efficiency.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
KD: It really depends on the project. For simpler forms it might take us around a week. For more intricate ones probably a few weeks.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
KD: If we used our own noses as a reference for the bookend noses we designed.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
KD: Kostas: I have been lucky to have worked in a few types of jobs in 3 different countries. From every single one I have definitely learnt many important lessons. At the same time I have had the opportunity to work alone as well as part of a broader team. Every job had something to teach me and I don’t know if I can narrow it down to just one thing. If I had to answer I’d say finishing a project is the most important one. Zeynep: My most important work experience has been at our own studio, where I’ve had to develop strong time management skills and self-motivation to drive my own productivity without any external guidance.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
KD: In the past our clients were architectural firms, visual effects and post-production studios, advertising agencies and individuals. Currently, our clients are the people who buy our products.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
KD: Kostas: I am lately enjoying design using profile curves. In the past and when working as a modeller I used to do a lot of polygonal modelling. Since we shifted to designing objects, the majority of design workflow is done with curves. Zeynep: I enjoy our designs that came out from the concept of making everyday objects and elevating them to a bigger scale: like our Thimble Pot or the Wall Nut. We not only got to create some pop art but also brought some color and joy into other people’s homes.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
KD: We got into designing furniture for our own home and commissioned those pieces to local craftsmen/woodsmiths. We were very happy with the results and are considering to try our luck in furniture in the future amongst more homeware objects.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
KD: We work as a team.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
KD: We have a few works in progress. We’ll only say for now that we’re working on large pendant lamps.
FS: How can people contact you?
KD: Ideally by email.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
KD: We got into producing many of our items due to the difficulty in finding other producers that could deliver commissioned work on time and without quality issues. It would be great if there was a portal where designers and manufacturers could connect and collaborate on projects.
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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