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Interview with Saïd Belmir |
Home > Designer Interviews > Saïd Belmir |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Saïd Belmir (SB) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Saïd Belmir 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?
SB: I've always been interested in art in all the fields. In high school I have been composing music and urban poetry a lot, frequenting many scenes in France and Belgium. In parallel, I used to always compose pictures by sketching a lot, by taking photographies, and now mostly, by making renders. While I was studying architecture, I began to be initiated to the design process in a more academic way, which fitted very well with my own background. Also during my studies, while I was living in a shared flat, I began to appreciate cooking, and composing foods with different flavours. In all of these fields, music, poetry, drawing, cooking, design, and architecture, there is the same skill at the origin: the composition. And I use this energy to stimulate our senses in many fields. So I think, that is my natural interest for composing which made me who I am.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SB: I currently only represent myself, and I always strive myself to apply my philosophy in architecture and design.
FS: What is "design" for you?
SB: For me, Design is creating something clever enough to make people think that the solution was obvious. The product has to find the good balance, for not being too much simplistic or complicated. When this fine feeling between simplicity and cleverness invades you, that means that you have reached your balance, and got your design. As Brancusi said: " The simplicity is the complexity solved."
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
SB: As an architect, I like designing spaces and structures that can transmit feelings to the visitors. And from these works, I can also make derived products as home furnitures or lamps by using the same design process. For instance in a similar way, the architect Renzo Piano realised a stylistic work with a handbag inspired by his own work on the Whitney Museum of American Art.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
SB: My favorite design object is the common broom. The broom is so amazing than the design has not evolved for thousands years. We just made some tecnical adjustments but the raw concept is the same.This is for me the proof that our ancestors have reached their goal, by making something simple, clever and intemporal. We still didn't revolutionize that old concept, and the only alternative that we made is the vacuum cleaner, which needs bags and electricity for working, which is bulky, and which makes a lot of noise. What a progress, right ?
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SB: I don't remember exactly but I think the first thing I designed for a company is probably a logo.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SB: I really like to work on flat pack design, with a laser cut or CNC machine.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
SB: I feel the most creative when I'm processing a project in my own way, with my personal vision. The creativity is a consequence which comes from the way we treated the project. We don't have to see the creativity as a goal to reach. The creativity is a gift that comes after you applied our unique thoughts on the project.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SB: I focus the most on the structural and aestetical aspects during designing, and I try to find a common answer for these two aspects. A beautiful product that couldn't be made is a frustration, and an ugly product which works well isn't attractive.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SB: we cross a lot of emotions during a design process. In the most of my cases, it always begins with a big enthusiasm, then when you begin the work on the details and technical aspects, the enthusiasm leaves you, to be replaced by the doubt and frustation.Then when you still don't find any technical solutions for your idea, you begin to not believing anymore in your project, and become sad and hopeless. And only here that you get your declic : you get your perfect technical solution from nowhere, everyhting works perfectly as you wanted, and you're filled by fullness and peace.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SB: When my designs are realized, I'm happy for having reached my goal, and this is always a big emotion for me to be able to touch my works, in real and physical. But I know there is still a lot of steps to do after that. The promotion of the design product is the next step, which is almost as hard as the previous one. We have to raise the curiosity ans the interest of the customers.
FS: What makes a design successful?
SB: There is a lot of things to take in the equation to define what is making a design successful, so it's very hard to respond. In my own experience, I think a design could be successful if it fills three points : good design of course, good recognition by the professionals in the field, and good communication.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SB: The first aspect that I consider for judging a design as good or bad is the affordance.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
SB: The design field is living a revolution since a couple years with the apparition of a lot of fablabs, and the technological developments about 3D Printer, Laser Cut and CNC machine. It was never so easy and cheap to make prototypes in limited editions thanks to this new tools and services. We are truly living the third industrial revolution in the design field.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
SB: My last exhibition was in Prague, Czech Republic, for my international winning award Inspireli 2016, in architecture. That was a great opportunity, and the dream is to do it again in famous museums and galleries around the world. These are great opportunities to introduce people to my design works and make networking.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SB: My design inspiration comes from the geometric art of the Mauresque's style and architecture. These patterns are intemporal and they can be applied in so many different ways in Design and Architecture. I feed my creativity each time I visit a monument, or when I read some books about geometry. for instance, I recommand to read the thesis of Craig S.Kaplan titled "Islamic Star Patterns from Polygons in Contact" from the School of Computer Science University of Waterloo.
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?
SB: I'm born and I'm still living in France. I've got an European education but I also have a cultural heritage from Morocco thanks to my family. That is influencing a lot my design process, and as you can see on my winning project, the Geometric Art from the Mauresque Style defines the heart of the project. Geometric patterns are fascinating supports for making beautiful and original structures.
FS: How do you work with companies?
SB: When I have to work with a company, the most importance thing is to establish a confidence Relationship between us. To reach that, we have to communicate a lot, be transparent and clear on our tasks. In same time, we have to listen their demands, and be able synthetise their problems to give them the best possible answer.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SB: My golden rule is from Brancusi : " The simplicity is the complexity solved."
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SB: The next goal about my design is to sell my creations to the customers around the world. Thanks to the collaboration with Dutilleul-Industries, I can produce my table XX in the highest quality. If I get nice feedbacks for my works, I would like to expand my activity with a company.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SB: I develop all my designs by myself. I still don't find the match for the perfect teamate.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
SB: I'm currently working with the Louvre Lens Valley on a design project named EGG. This project is about the cultural mediation.
FS: How can people contact you?
SB: People can contact me on my website : www.saidbelmir.com
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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