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Interview with Svilen Gamolov |
Home > Designer Interviews > Svilen Gamolov |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Svilen Gamolov (SG) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Svilen Gamolov 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?
SG: When I was a child, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut, then a sea explorer following Jacques Yves Cousteau's example. I wanted to build an underwater city and artificial islands with futuristic buildings. I was born and I live on the Black Sea coast. The atmosphere of life near the sea predisposes to many dreams. When I grew up, I discovered my artistic abilities. With the benefit of hindsight: Yes, I always wanted to be a designer.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SG: I've been working as a freelance ever since my graduation. I have worked for some time in some Bulgarian and foreign furniture and creative companies. My studio has been operating since 2001. Its main activity is the design of products in the field of product and interior design. It bears my name.
FS: What is "design" for you?
SG: Design is a synthesis of science, technology and art. But it's not just that. There is something beyond. It is passion, way of life, commitment.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
SG: I like to work on any type of product and interior design. But the most ideas I generate in the field of furniture design.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
SG: Each following. While I'm working on something new, I put all of my energy. But when a project is over, I immediately begin to think of the next one. So I never get attached to the product of my work and I remain critical to myself.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SG: My first projects were bathroom furniture series on behalf of a Bulgarian furniture company.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SG: For me materials and technology are not all-important, they are only tools, an extra brush to create my project. Of course, I am interested in every new technology, every achievement of humanity that expands the mindset. But if I have to list my favorite materials, they are wood metal and composites.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
SG: Every time and place are suitable for creativity. The moments in which I am really very tired are excluded. The hours of ideas are the pictures of life in which a whole story is gathered. And they are at all times and on every corner. However, the night and the morning are my muses.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SG: When I work on a project, the idea usually comes to my mind along with my constructive and technological solutions. After determining the lead design, I spend maximum time on the construction details.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SG: Ecstasy, complete separation from reality.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SG: I feel joy and satisfaction with what I have achieved.
FS: What makes a design successful?
SG: We designers express ourselves with our work, but we work for the people. In addition to all the purely functional and technical features that a good design must possess, it must also carry a message supported by positive emotion. Only then is not only a good but successful design. Generally speaking, when people see it, they should want it.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SG: The most important aspects of a design are shape and function. That is why I first appreciate their connectivity. Good design is one that contains a balance of both factors.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
SG: The responsibility is great. The design pushes forward the development of the industrial society. And this also affects the environment. Design has to offer effective solutions for finding a balance between aesthetics, production and a sustainable environment.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
SG: This is a nice and complicated question to answer. I recently won the Top 100 in Design Intelligence Award in Hangzhou, China. This award is part of the design week in Hangzhou. Academic seminars on the development and future of design were also held as part of the event. A world trend is observed to merge many specialties and new ones, unthinkable until now, to appear. In the future, designers of artificial human tissues and organs, as well as those who will work on integrating the human body with artificial intelligence and various mechanical attachments, are expected to appear. The process is under way some time ago. But I would not want the future of design to be just the future of integration with artificial intelligence and technology. I hope that the world will be a place where man and his intellect will remain the main driving factors.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
SG: My last exhibition was with friends and colleagues from Bulgarian design group Cherga at Salone Satellite in Milan, 2017. I would like to expose my stuff all over the world so the list is long for a short answer.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SG: The inspiration for my work comes to me from everywhere. I always observe the surrounding world analytically. Let the world to influence and conquer me I can be inspired by everything around me, but I can close my eyes and get thousands of ideas.
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?
SG: I do not put my ideas into a stylistic framework. I work equally well with soft and hard form factors. In fact, I never chase a suggestion of a certain style. And if I have one, it is a broad smile of optimism. My only goal is what I do to reach those for whom it is intended.
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?
SG: I live and work in Varna, Bulgaria – the perfect place to create. Varna is a wonderful city with an ancient history, located on the Black Sea coast. The oldest gold treasure in the world was discovered here, as well as the remains of one of the most ancient civilizations on the continent. According to official historical data, Bulgaria is the oldest country in Europe. It is a direct successor of ancient Thrace. The civilization and territory stretched from the Russian steppes, to the island of Crete and ancient Egypt. Orpheus was born in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. We gave to the world the Cyrillic alphabet, created by the Holy Brothers Cyril and Methodius. People living on the one third of the planet are writing on this alphabet and are speaking very similar to our original language. This is part of the legacy of our past, which our little country can rightly be proud of. I hope there is still much to give to the world. Such as a unique Bulgarian design with a nature of its own.
FS: How do you work with companies?
SG: This is a very personal experience every time. People know others in the process of work. And often the personal relationship between them directly affects the results of the common work. At first there is always a period of careful waiting, exploration and mistrust. I almost always face this factor. Therefore, from the beginning, I try to express my ideas in clear and accessible language, by remaining open to the experience and the professionalism of the other side. Mutual respect and discussion are the better ways to achieve a positive result than the attempt to impose own opinion. It is important for a person to be ready to learn and to admit that he does not know and can not know everything. It's a teamwork. The process of manufacturing a product is long, and if there is no team based on trust and cooperation, nothing happens. And when the result is good, we all experience endless joy and pride of our work. We have a common goal and we have achieved it. This leaves us friends and associates forever.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
SG: It would be good the companies to realize that design is a complicated creative process. In that context, when assigning a job, it is advisable to provide the designer with the necessary time to offer several solutions. It is important for the companies to select experience, rich portfolio and creative potential, but it would be good if young designers is given a chance.
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
SG: At first, I always get familiar with the subject and the topic of work. Then I sketch a lot of ideas and make a selection of the best ones. That's how it all starts. And it goes on with many hours in front of the computer. When it comes to a prototype, expert work starts before putting the product into production. This part is always the most interesting because we are to see the result of an idea that was only in our imagination.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
SG: I do not have many designer items at home, except one sofa of my design. Generally, I try to keep my home environment clean of visual noise.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
SG: My day begins with a cup of strong and aromatic coffee. Then I record the first ideas, came to my mind. Everything else is arranged in a daily work schedule. The evening is a time to relax at home or outside with my beloved woman. Sometimes we go out with friends. We live by the sea and the atmosphere is wonderful.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
SG: I am not a guru to give advice to anyone. I can only talk about my experience and the lessons learned from it. In this profession, as in any other, success is only an intermediate indication of the accumulated and applied knowledge. It takes a lot of work not only talent. It also requires a lot of self-discipline, as well as deprivation of the suffocating Ego. If at some point someone decides to be flattered by applauses, he can easily lose ground under his feet and imagine he has achieved everything. And that's not true. Life is a constant development, often obstructed by temptations. Temptations such as glory, recognition, and financial success may prove to be the most difficult to overcome barriers. For a designer to continue to develop, it is first and foremost to remain modest, responsible and critical to himself. There are no easy roads and short paths. Everything valuable in this world is such because it is difficult to be achieved.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
SG: I love my work, so only positives come from such perspective (too many to be listed).
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SG: Watch and assimilate (to understand and remember new information and make it part of your basic knowledge so that you can use it as your own).
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
SG: The most important skill is to think as a designer. All other technical and software skills are just tools for implementation of ideas. If there is thinking, a pencil and a piece of paper are enough.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
SG: I sketch a lot on paper or on my tablet and I am using different 3D modeling tools.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
SG: I admit that on occasions may be very difficult when I am pressed with too many tasks. That is why I'm trying to prioritize my work and I'm getting more and more careful with the tasks I undertake. To create something really good, it takes time.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
SG: There is no precise answer because each ‘’object’’ is different and the time depends on the amount of work to be done. Sometimes, apparently simple tasks take unexpectedly a lot of time for research and development. So the time may vary from week to one or more months.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
SG: If we talk about an interview, it is definitely the question: What inspires you? It is very complicated to answer such question because inspiration, if can be formulated, does not really like to explain its appearance. When it comes to customers, there are many questions. The most common questions include financial and time parameters.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
SG: Perhaps the design collaboration we have with the studio Karim Kreate by Karim Rashid in Shenzhen, China. Working in a dynamic environment in an international company provides invaluable experience and is a good basis for personal and professional development.
FS: Who are some of your clients?
SG: They are mainly Bulgarian companies in the field of furniture production and consumer goods. These are companies such as Aksaga, Grudev style, VOK, Sofa-Lab, Cangaroo, Moni Trade, etc. We also work well with Karim Rashid's studio in Shenzhen, China.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
SG: I am a productive designer and I usually work on many themes at the same time. But I have particular preferences for furniture design. Ideas are coming to my mind every day and I hurry to sketch them. Sometimes I organize days of creativity when I give myself to personal nirvana, turn off telephones, go to the seashore and draw ideas all day long.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SG: My future plans include plenty of new concepts and new developments for Bulgarian and foreign companies, participations in international design competitions, teaching work. I want to start production of three of my models by the end of this year. I am about to prepare for the next edition of the A 'Design Awards and two other world competitions.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SG: I work in both ways. Most often I start the basic parameters of the project on my own and then I cooperate with numerous subcontractors and technical teams.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
SG: I am currently developing a new series of upholstered furniture for the Bulgarian furniture company Aksaga. I am also working on new products for children for the Bulgarian company Cangaroo, specialized in this production.
FS: How can people contact you?
SG: They can contact me via my webpage: www.gamolov.com and the social networks.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
SG: I can send a message to all admirers of design: World of tomorrow will be more exciting and unusual than ever. We, designers around the world, are working to make it happen. Thank You.
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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