Designer Interview

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Interview with Gholamali Balouch at Tuesday 17th of May 2011

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?
GB: I'm just a curious who try to find the answers and bring possibilities,and I think this is what a designer is responsible for.

FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
GB: I'm a freelancer.

FS: What is "design" for you?
GB: Design is art of thinking and creating in a new way.

FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
GB: Every project is a challenge and resolving a problem is the most satisfying achievement.I like to be part of something beautiful,no matter if it's called design or something else.

FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
GB: The "juicy salif" by starck is my idol,for me it's the best presenting icon of design more than any other object.

FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
GB: I guess it was a logo for a medical center,when i was 17.

FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
GB: Rapid prototyping and virtual modeling are very interesting technological aspects in design and manufacturing.

FS: When do you feel the most creative?
GB: Whenever I have the simple,innovative and different answer for a problem.

FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
GB: Aesthetic,functionality and feasibility are my fundamental approach to a design.

FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
GB: It's like serenity and self satisfied.

FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
GB: Feeling like giving birth to something and being responsible for what I have created.

FS: What makes a design successful?
GB: Its uniqueness and the way it communicates and responds to a specific demand.

FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
GB: For me the right logic behind a design is the fundamental aspect but also a very small bad detail can easily ruins the whole thing.

FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
GB: Designer is like the scales,always has to weighing the achievements and the prices to be paid,keeping this narrow balance shall protect and reserve the environmental and social resources.

FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
GB: Design in future could be very democratic and flexible and widely expanded in everywhere.

FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
GB: It was a lighting exhibition when i was student and for the next one I have not decided yet.

FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
GB: Inspirations come from my consciousness and sometimes from my collective visual memory or sometimes just by accident.

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?
GB: I do not believe in style or classifications,all I try to do is to push the boundaries and to break free.

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?
GB: As a foreigner who lives in Italy,having the different backgrounds can help me to have different points of view and makes me feel more experienced.

FS: How do you work with companies?
GB: Trough commissions or contracts.

FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
GB: Design contests can be very interesting for both sides,companies will receive many solutions and designers can promote themselves.

FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
GB: First of all understanding the problem then research and collecting informations to shape an idea that can brings the correct solution.

FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
GB: I have collected some famous designers small objects mostly from Alessi that inspire me sometimes.

FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
GB: It's an ordinary day as much as any one else's.

FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
GB: My motto is "think different"

FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
GB: Designer has a very busy and collective mind and this can avoid to feel free,but the positive part is the flexibility and creativity of designer.

FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
GB: The golden rule is :" there is no rule"

FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
GB: Understanding the problem,creative thinking and communicative skills.

FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
GB: The tools are not important too much,the way we use them is more important.every ordinary thing could become an extraordinary tool and a very expensive machine can be useless.

FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
GB: Just not to leave everything for the last minutes and set up some mile stones always saved me.

FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
GB: It could be from minutes to years,depends on complicity and tasks to be done.

FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
GB: "what is this?" or "how you made it?"

FS: What was your most important job experience?
GB: Every experience is important,I have always tried to learn.

FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
GB: Fashion and jewelery and small utility objects design are more exiting for me.

FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
GB: Next is coming without noticing me!

FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
GB: Sometimes it's a work group,but solo projects are most satisfying because I have more control and freedom.

FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
GB: no

FS: How can people contact you?
GB: via my face book page or email:ga_baluch@yahoo.com

FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
GB: no

FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.

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