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Interview with Yakobium S.r.o |
Home > Designer Interviews > Yakobium S.r.o |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Yakobium S.r.o (YS) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Yakobium S.r.o 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?
YS: Andel: I did not have any early art and design ambitions. Instead of becoming an artist and designer, I wanted to become a chef and own a restaurant. It was in my early teenage years when I started to create graffiti, and I wanted to explore my creativity more. Isev: Yeah, I remember myself drawing stuff as a kid all the time. But, the real turn towards art and design came in the teenage years as well. I got introduced to computers pretty early, and even though I did like playing games a lot, I also started to explore the design tools available. And, once I started, I continued forward.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
YS: Isev: Our design studio is a result of our friendship from college, where we met together, and since we had common art and design views it was easy enough to start cooperating together. We also bring a different skill set to the team. Jiri has always focused more on product design and prototyping, using many different materials, while I was always more focused on graphic design, print, and digital media. These days the skillsets overlap more. Jiri has had this idea to create and produce items resembling the unique rock formations of Bohemian Paradise in the Czech Republic for some time and I liked that idea a lot. So, we started to explore our options a couple of years back and Yakobium illuminated sculptures and the Yakobium Bow Tie became reality. So, Yakobium emerged as a company to establish our brand and showcase our creativity and inspiration. But, we also cooperate with our clients to help them produce aesthetical and functional products based on their ideas and needs.
FS: What is "design" for you?
YS: It is envisioning and producing of aesthetical and functional products. It is also a way of satisfying our creative needs.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
YS: Aesthetic works combining art and functionality.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
YS: There is probably not a single most favorite design. The Yakobium Bow Tie is the latest, and therefore probably the most favorite now. What we like about it is, it is an art piece by itself but also very much functional. And, from now on, there are sandstone bow-ties available on the market.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
YS: First were the Yakobium Illuminated Sculptures.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
YS: We do not have a preference. One could say, it might be the sandstone for now. But honestly, as designers, we must be able to work with any material. At best, the one satisfying the vision the most.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
YS: Anytime but a little bit of stress and pressure helps.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
YS: The main focus is on functionality. But of course, it must be visually appealing.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
YS: It is most likely excitement, curiosity, exploration, urge, and creativity.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
YS: Satisfaction from the well-designed product. The excitement, when it is validated and used. Curiosity, what will be the next thing.
FS: What makes a design successful?
YS: In addition to usability and aesthetics, well-executed marketing and sales.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
YS: Usability and aesthetics.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
YS: It is important to design products respecting nature. And we need to acknowledge, we are here for a short period and should pass the world to the next generations in better shape than we took it. We know this is easier said than done, but we should try.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
YS: Design is becoming the driving force and differentiator for many companies already. And we will see more of that. Companies like Apple paved the way, and others got inspired by it. People are surrounded by quality products, and our lives are becoming easier and faster. We achieve more in a shorter time. With the use of AI, this will become even more apparent.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
YS: The last exhibition was in Four Seasons Prague through December 2019 to January 2020. We have some plans this year, but nothing is finalized yet.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
YS: Andel: I come from the heart of the Bohemian Paradise in the Czech Republic. By my designs, I try to bring awareness of the rich artistic and industrial heritage of our region. At this point, I focus on the unique sandstone rock formations surrounding the area I live in, and the nature around me is the main inspiration for me. Isev: I try to keep open to any inspiration. It can come from observing life and people around me, reading, searching the Internet, and following favorite designers and influencers. Since I live in Brno, in the Czech Republic, I also get inspired by my surroundings. The area is known for its industrial heritage, as well as its unique functionalist architecture.
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?
YS: For our creations, the style is very much influenced by nature. The ever-changing organic forms are our inspiration.
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?
YS: The Czech Republic has always been an industrial and art center, famous for the Czech garnet, goldsmithing, jewelry, and glassmaking, and it certainly influences the work of artists and designers. We do not see any cons regarding living in the Czech Republic.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
YS: Do your research, check the previous works, see if there is some recognition of their work first. Secondly, get together and talk. Try to come up with a problem to solve rather than a solution to your problem. And, let the designer ask questions and offer ideas forward. If you like what you hear, go for it. Or, you can try us, I think we are solid ;).
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
YS: We are starting with research followed by idea generation, idea validation, prototyping, validation again, and production. The work usually starts with pen and paper before we jump into computer visualizations and prototype creation.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
YS: Andel: Four hours of sleep, work, work, and work. Isev: I am a little bit older, so I try to get at least five hours of sleep. And between the work, I try to spend time with my family.
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
YS: Be yourself, be creative, do not give up, and gain real-life working experience.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
YS: For most designers, designing is a joy, but that is only half of being successful. The other part is the ability to sell what you know.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
YS: Usable, eye-catching, can be made and fit into the budget.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
YS: Creativity, curiosity, technical and analytical thinking, and real-life working experience.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
YS: The tools will vary based on the material and the technological process. We are open to any available tooling and always explore new ways to achieve the best results. But, one thing is never changing, we start with pen and paper.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
YS: We are estimating work based on previous experience and setting time away from other business activities.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
YS: That really depends on complexity of the project.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
YS: Can you think of something? Can it be done? When? How much?
FS: What was your most important job experience?
YS: Hard to mention one particular. It has always been about getting a chance and show what value we bring to the team.
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
YS: It is the generation of ideas at the beginning of the project. Considering all aspects of the future product and finding the best way forward is challenging and rewarding at the same time.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
YS: We will work on our own and clients' ideas, and we want to be proud of what we create.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
YS: It is both. It depends on the phase of the project. The ideation and the idea validation are phases where we work as a team mostly. Once we know, what we shoot for, we divide the work based on our skillset. Each of us having responsibility for a specific part of the project.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
YS: We do work on new projects all the time, and we are looking forward to presenting them to the public in the future. But, right now, we will not share more details. What we can say is, it is worth the waiting, they will be great.
FS: How can people contact you?
YS: Yeah, please visit www.yakobium.com or check Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, just add /yakobium. Also, you can reach us using contact@yakobium.com e-mail.
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
YS: Feel free to reach us with any design challenge you have. Yakobium is not only about our sandstone designs.
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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