Designer Interview

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Interview with Clive Walters at Monday 14th of April 2014

FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
CW: I'm currently working for The Senator Group We are the largest manufacturer of Office Furniture in the UK and the leading investor in R&D and Design.

We are also the leading exponent of supply partnerships between manufacturer and corporate and government organisations.

Our passion is to provide innovative workspace solutions whilst working in partnership with you


FS: What is "design" for you?
CW: Design for me is about having a creative vision

FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
CW: I try to apply a creative approach to everything I do, but ultimately my passion lies within Interior Design and thats where my future lies.

FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
CW: The first product I designed was 'Vision Screens'

FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
CW: I would say I'm a masculine designer and work best with industrial materials including glass, metal, plastic and most recently Swiss CDF. Swiss CDF was the material used to create both the hive and the vision screens. Currently we use 3d visual and rendering software which enable use to see the finished product before it goes into production. This definately make the design process a lot more interesting.

FS: When do you feel the most creative?
CW: Generally speaking I find it extremley hard not being creative at all times, for me it's not just a passion I have but a way of life.

FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
CW: I definately focus largely on the visual impact the product will have during the designing process.

FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
CW: I'm extremley passionate when designing and always aim for perfect, this can make the designing process very stressful for me. But the reward lies in the finished product and make the

FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
CW: Definately pride and excitement combined with relief for realising the finished product

FS: What makes a design successful?
CW: If it achieves the objectives which were initially set out

FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
CW: I focus mainly on visual impact so this would be my first consideration.
But equally a design should meet the original brief to be a sucessful design.

FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
CW: Currently the company I work for exhibit in many furniture exhibitions around the world.

FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
CW: Always stay true to you and your design asthetic as this is what will set you apart from others.

FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
CW: All designers must carry one key skill and thats the ability to be creative a designer must be able to apply innovation and creativity to whatever he does.

FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
CW: It all depends on the proctuct being designed and how urgent it is.
I have designed objects that took months of work and others which have taken years.
Everything has a time scale and these tend to be set right at the early stages of the design.

FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
CW: What is that? :) Strange answer I know, but many peoples thought process are different to that of a creative person and therefore they can't see beyond a certain point.
So during intial creative process I do get asked that question a lot.

FS: What was your most important job experience?
CW: It is very hard to pick an individual moment and I am thankful for ever job experience so far as they have all aided me in getting to this stage in my career.

FS: Who are some of your clients?
CW: Since working at The Senator Group our clients have included: Royal Mail, I.T.V, Honda and many more ranging from schools, academies and universities

FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
CW: My passion lies in Interior Design and this is what type of design work I enjoy doing most.
It excites me creating a space which people interact in.

FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
CW: My future plans are to find a position within a Design House/ Architects Practice where I can truely realise my full potentional and have a sucessful career within design.

FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
CW: It can vary from project to project but utimately everyone plays the part in the process from design to manufacture.

FS: How can people contact you?
CW: My email adress is clivewalters66@hotmail.com and contact number 07729462008

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

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