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Interview with Adrian Bogdan |
Home > Designer Interviews > Adrian Bogdan |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Adrian Bogdan (AB) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Adrian Bogdan 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?
AB: I am a self-taught designer with no actual vocational training in the field of design. My activity in the design industry is fuelled mostly by passion. The design and creation process is what gets me going. I have a bachelors degree in economics and a fair amount of professional experience in the tax consultancy business. However, a few years after graduating college I started to feel a growing attraction towards the creative fields. It first started with photography and graphic design and in 2013 I made a move to product design, this being the year when I created my first product.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
AB: OONA Studio is a small product design workshop focused on creating functional and sustainable pieces of design for the environmentally conscious consumer. We are committed to using the highest quality, natural, sustainable and biodegradable materials as well as integrating as much recycled / recyclable materials as possible in all our products in an ongoing effort to raise awareness on the impact our consumption habits have on the environment as well as to offer an alternative to the non-sustainable consumption of resources.Our products are handcrafted locally, either in our own workshop or in collaboration with small family-owned businesses while the main materials we use are made in the EU, which means they meet strict European fair-trade and wage-regulation standards.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AB: I mostly enjoy working on product design, but graphic design is also something I like and try doing in my spare time.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AB: The very first product was a wooden bicycle shelf this being also the one the kicked off my product design brand, OONA Studio.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AB: I love working with wood, but during the last few years I also started researching other various environmentally friendly materials such as Pinatex and cork fabric and started developing products around these as well.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
AB: I think this would be early in the morning and late at night.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AB: Since OONA Studio is all about creating good quality, functional environmentally conscious products, most of my products are designed with three main ideas in mind: functionality, aesthetics and sustainability.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AB: Mostly anxiousness because I can’t wait to see the end result and sometimes frustration, when things don’t turn out as good as they look on paper :).
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AB: Well, it depends on the end result :)). I’ve had my fair share of fails when things didn’t turn out to be quite as I imagined. So this triggered some frustration and disappointment when it happened. But when things do turn out to be just as (or even better than) I imagined, I feel ecstatic, probably like a kid opening his Christmas presents :)).
FS: What makes a design successful?
AB: If we are talking about product design, I think it must answer a need.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AB: Functionality and aesthetics. Not necessarily in that order. I consider both aspects almost equally important.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AB: In a world that’s rapidly depleting its resources and drowning in its own waste, I think sustainability should be a priority and one of the top aspects to be considered by any product designer.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AB: The last exhibition I attended was in Autumn 2017. Probably the next one would be in Autumn 2018 hopefully with some brand new products currently on the drawing board :).
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AB: Well I sometimes feel that it just comes out of nowhere. It just hits me in the middle of the night or during my morning shower :)). But most probably this is the result of my brain working tirelessly in the background even when I’m not actively involved in a creation process. I do love the simplicity of Scandinavian design so I follow a lot of Pinterest boards, Instagram accounts and blogs that feed a lot of great ideas in this respect.
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?
AB: Minimalist design style with added functionality. I love minimalist design. Objects that are designed to serve one purpose and do it good. But I also like objects with a little extra functionality. So I usually try to mix these two together.
FS: How do you work with companies?
AB: All my work is focused on developing my own design brand (OONA Studio) and products so I haven’t had the chance to do any commissioned work for the moment.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
AB: It all starts with the idea and maybe a rough sketch. Then comes the research work, then taking the idea and sketch to the drawing board. I admit that I’m quite bad at hand drawing so at this stage I usually like to work directly in a drawing software. Afterwards the project is sent to prototyping. At this stage the project is usually sent at least a few times back to the drawing board for tweaking as they rarely come out perfect from the first try. After the prototyping stage, if I’m happy with the end result then I have a new product. Otherwise I lock in a drawer and forget about it, at least for a while.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AB: I think Illustrator is the most used tool in my design toolbox.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AB: Badly :)))…most of the times I get so absorbed in the design process that I forget about anything else. I love doing this, but I also have to admit that for a healthy lifestyle it’s best to try and find a balance between the professional and personal life, as is the case with any other profession. Unfortunately, I haven’t yet managed to do so, but from time to time I do try to disconnect and forget about anything work related :)
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AB: It depends on the object. In my personal experience, from a few weeks to a bit more than half an year. But my work did not involve any extremely complex ideas.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
AB: Considering that I create under my own brand, most of my clients are individuals buying my products.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AB: Continue to develop my own design brand and produce even more good design :)
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AB: I mostly develop the designs myself and then seek validation for them from close friends and family members that are not afraid to speak their minds :))…if a design sucks, I appreciate the persons that can tell this to my face as long as they can also provide me with some constructive criticism :)
FS: How can people contact you?
AB: www.oonastudio.eu / adrian@oonastudio.eu / +40 744 425 431
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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