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Interview with Francesco Dolce |
Home > Designer Interviews > Francesco Dolce |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Francesco Dolce (FD) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Francesco Dolce 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?
FD: Born in a country where art and design is not just a profession but a part of the culture, I have always been inspired to be a designer, from a very young age. At first, my interests led me to pursue architecture at Politecnico di Milano first and then at Universidad di Belgrano. Later, being inspired from the design society around me, combined with my interests in attention to details, I moved on to designing products that are highly functional and aesthetic. This was also the time I partnered with my friend and MBA graduate, Marco Iurilli, to start a design studio that focuses on the same mission and thus Woodie Milano was realised. From then, we have been in constant efforts to create stylish charging solutions that makes people’s life easier and sleeker.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FD: Based in Milano, the city known for design and fashion, Woodie Milano is a consumer technology company whose mission is the perfect marriage of designed products with state-of-the-art technology. We are Italian souls on a mission: make charging effortless and pleasant by combining wireless charging with great designs and unique materials. We explore the world of design and materials to give the best Italian craftsmanship for well-built and durable products. We fill the gap between purposeless design and everyday use technology.
FS: What is "design" for you?
FD: Design for me is culture; it is problem solving; it is being able to make a change to how people experience the world. It is not merely creating objects that look good, but it is to fill the gap between purposeless design and everyday use technology to give the consumers the best possible experience.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FD: Since past few years I have been deeply interested in designing aesthetic charging solutions for consumers and hospitality establishments. With Luna, we are reaching a milestone of this journey while opening the doors to smart home market.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FD: Anything that is well designed, that has stood the test of time, were easily adopted by a vast majority of the population, and, as objects are so user-friendly that they disappear into daily routine is a good design and an inspiration for me. This could be anything from a the smallest, but highly functional paperclip to the widespread and highly connective Amazon products.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FD: My first commercial design was for my company, Woodie Milano. The product was the Woodie Hub: the 5-in-one power station.The Woodie Wireless Hub combines a wireless charging pad with 2 universal AC sockets, 2 USB ports and Made in Italy premium materials. The unique design lets you charge 5 devices in one without compromising on style. The wireless hub, with its premium wood, marble and aluminum frames makes it perfect for any ambient.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
FD: Materials play a great role in elevating the overall experience of the end product, hence I love using natural materials and textures that bring a taste of nature, a uniqueness, a special touch to man-made products. I use LinkedIn to reach out to professional clientele and social media like facebook and instagram to reach to happy consumers and showcase upcoming designs. I keep updating myself with latest technologies in the market and at the same time educate myself in excelling with design softwares like Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Cinema 4D, etc.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
FD: I feel the most creative everytime we start off with a new design or new project. The initial stages of brainstorming and research leads to generation of tons of ideas which excites me and drives me throughout the project.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FD: We, at Woodie Milano, believe in the human first approach. We believe in creating products that cover your everyday needs, that are useful and beautiful, that gives you emotion and a deeper feeling than just a mere plastic object.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FD: I feel most excited and curious to see how an initial idea realises into a product.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FD: I feel content and excited to see my designs in use by actual people and how my design is able to make at least a tad bit of difference in their lives.
FS: What makes a design successful?
FD: In one word- acceptance. How the end consumer uses, interacts and feels connected with the product. How it becomes a part of their life, effortlessly - that is what according to me makes any design successful.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FD: A product that is easily adopted by a vast majority of the population, and, as objects are so user-friendly that they disappear into daily routine are parameters of good design for me.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FD: As designers, we have a responsibility to work - working through the design process to achieving success ; responsibility to people - solving actual problems to ease their life ; and responsibility to future - creating solutions that are sustainable and yet up to date in terms of design and technology.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FD: Design is a fast evolving field. The importance that design and designers have today is very significant. They are active players in shaping a better future. I think we are moving fast in terms of building technologies and systems that make our lives easier and there is design involved in each step of this. Without design, without a designer, the human factor would be missing. So, I feel design has a very bright future and is an inevitable process that is related to our lives.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FD: Our last exhibition was at Milan Design Week at ExpoWanted exhibition, April 2019. We expect to participate in Maison & Objet, Paris and CES, Las Vegas with Luna Smart Lamp.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FD: My inspiration comes from the world around me, my everyday life experiences. I keep my creativity up through research and update on the trends in market. I make sure to scan through platforms like designboom, behance and Medium to stay in loop with what my contemporaries are thinking in terms of design.
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?
FD: I believe that “Less is More” , so I apply this concept while designing products. I feel that this has also been the reason why minimal products are more acceptable to people as its easy to understand and use. But, at the same time, it’s really sophisticated to attain that simplicity in design. With constant research and iterations after user testing, I try to keep my designs as simple and user friendly as possible.
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?
FD: I live in Milan currently, but I am originally from Naples, Italy. As I stated before, my culture and my habitat has always had an impact on me from a very young age. There is definitely an influence on my design thinking. I think the best part of that is the constant drive for perfection. We are Italians and we are skilled at what we do. I think this also becomes a weakness as we are in constant need for perfection and sometimes this can cost us time.
FS: How do you work with companies?
FD: We as a company are very open and proactive and thus we have always had good customer relationships. This has helped us a lot as a start-up to grow our clientele. Also, we have always had happy customers bringing in more clients as a result of quality products.We are always in front to hear out our client needs and concerns and put it first during the design process.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FD: Evaluation of a good designer doesn’t happen in a day. It is a process. I believe that every company should respect and give the designers the ample time to conduct design process as you need a strong foundation and it is very important to have a designer during every stage of the business. If the the designer is capable of solving the problem of the consumers effectively and he or she is able to communicate to and for the consumers and deliver their best with the given resources, I consider them a good designer.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FD: My design process starts with empathizing with the consumers to define the problem, followed by ideation stage where I brainstorm along with my team on possible solutions. The next step is prototyping the selected ideas to be used for user testing. Once we gather the feedback from user testings, we iterate our ideas further to best match our client needs. This goes on in a loop until we reach the most prefered solution.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
FD: A usual day begins with a cup of coffee while scrolling through daily news. At work, we begin the day with a meeting to brief on the status of each one’s work and also to have a brainstorming session on how to improve our efficiency. Then either I start off with a new project or mostly, work on an existing project to iterate it after client feedbacks. I also always find time to feed myself with design news and other interesting activities out there. Also,in between reaching out to my clients, I also try to connect with peers and contemporaries to collaborate or get an opinion on my designs or just to stay in touch.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FD: Dream big, work hard and always stay curious.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FD: Positives would be that you get to live your passion, be a part of problem solving process, stay creative and be your own boss at times. Negatives would be that you should be able to effectively coordinate and communicate or else your design won’t sell. Also, managing time and resources for maximum results is very challenging.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FD: I follow the KISS principle - Keep it Simple Silly.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
FD: I consider good communication skills, leadership, teamwork and staying up-to-date as the most necessary skills for any designer.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
FD: As softwares I use Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, Keyshot, Cinema 4D for rendering and Photoshop for post production. I also believe the most results are achieved when you “make your hands dirty”. I experiment on different media for prototyping based on the project, but for quick prototyping I use a 3D printer. Inspirations are drawn from multiple sources- maybe it’s something Italian, maybe it's something I saw during travel or the books I have read.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FD: I try to keep everything organised as much as possible to finish within my deadlines. Also, I communicate to my team in advance and delegate work effectively, so it is not just me, but a team effort that leads to efficient time management.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FD: You can’t clearly define a time period for any project as it is a constant process. But, for an idea to be realised into a first viable form to be used for user testing, it can take upto a year from my experience.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FD: I think the most frequently asked question to be as a designer and as a Co-founder of a start-up is “ What are the challenges I face to realise an idea into a product?”
FS: What was your most important job experience?
FD: The most important and memorable job experience for me would be when we were contacted by Amazon Alexa team in London for a presentation meeting and later put in contact with their Chinese partners for the design of Luna Smart Lamp.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
FD: We have been lucky enough to have served a vast variety of clients, to name a few being: Burj Al Arab, Mandarin Oriental, Chateau Monfort, The Nicolaus Hotel, Terme di Saturnia, Hyatt, Carlton Hotel Baglioni, Roseate and Town House Galleria. We have also presence in retail stores like Rinascente, Uncommongoods, The Amazing Store, Kapok, Vela and Vaudeville.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FD: I enjoy designing products that are highly functional yet stylish. I would like to quote Steve Jobs to justify my reason, “Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works”.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FD: For now, my plans for the future are realising the winning design- Luna Smart Lamp with potential stakeholders and setting it up for production. Also, we plan on promoting Luna through trade fairs and exhibitions.This would happen parallel to the addition of more products to our existing product line.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FD: I believe as a team, we work better and generate more human centric ideas and products. Thus, I always try to work in teams of multi-talented professionals where everyone gets their part to contribute.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FD: Right now, we are in full swing to launch Luna Smart Lamp.
FS: How can people contact you?
FD: Through mail : fradolce@woodie.it , ciao@woodie.it or through call: +39 3404060276
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
FD: No
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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