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Interview with Artpeckers |
Home > Designer Interviews > Artpeckers |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Artpeckers (A) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Artpeckers 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?
A: Artpeckers team consists of Kimon Gkologkinas, a civil engineer, Elli Gkologkina & Dimitris Sergentakis, architects and Iro Simaioforidou, a photography lover. Our various backgrounds have been combined, under the same taste, on designing unique creations. Elli & Dimitris graduated School of Architecture of Technical University of Crete and during their studies they were involved in various projects of different scales. Their love for design and especially furniture and small scale objects led them to participate to international competitions and win a silver and a gold prize. Kimon graduated Civil Engineer Department of Aristotle University and his interest for small scale constructions and his participation to various workshops reinforced his knowledge in construction. Meanwhile, Iro beside her studies in Law, followed her instinctual way to express herself through photography, by taking courses to specialized workshops. Each of us has his/her own scope and style but as a team we see our final result as a multi-factor procedure, where design should serve a need, propose a new technical issue meeting aesthetic standards and be presented under a certain concept.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
A: Our studio has been launched in autumn 2015 as a small workshop, where we were crafting wooden creations and accessories. Our need to organize and create a specific identity for our style, was focused on designing symbols, elements inspired by Greek mythology and culture, not in a folklore way, but a contemporary one. A majority of these symbols are used as a unit to create patterns. The appliance of patterns on fabrics has led us to experiment on bag designs. On January 2018 we have participated in a fashion fair, with our first completed summer collection, that included bags, clutches and wooden jewels based on Olympian Gods symbols, while on January 2019, we presented our second summer collection, which included TwoInOne backpack, tote bags and silver jewels based in Odyssey narrated by Homer. Our moto is #sharethegreekmyth, because each of our products is accompanied by a short story that narrates the story of the represented symbol. Beside the concept, we take care of the best performance of our cut outs, developing simple forms with transformable workings.
FS: What is "design" for you?
A: Design is a tool to express an idea and deliver it from its formless state to shape.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
A: As a team we focus on designing bags and jewels offering a story to narrate. It is important for us that a user should hold an item that, beside its use, could tell a story about what it represents.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
A: Each of us has a different favorite one for personal reasons and tastes. But without doubt the favorite design ends to be the design users tend to choose, pick and feel confident with it. Among all our creations TwoInOne backpack is definitely one of them.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
A: During our research in materials we come up with new entries in this list. We worked upon natural fabrics and elements, in which we are obsessed, but now we also think highly of durable fabrics.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
A: It is a fact that, when we are relaxed and full of experiences, new ideas are dropped like a storm. We are lucky to have this creative refuge, because any time can lead to a creative moment and experimentation. Moreover, each stage during the whole process has its own unique beauty and we are so happy that we can enjoy all of them.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
A: During the designing process, we take under consideration the functionality and the uses of a product. So, first of all, we want to serve any basic need a product will be made for. Then we are aware to apply any technique that will develop an item and offer a new potential. All the above, should be occurred based on aesthetic standards and our general concept.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
A: From the white paper until the final product, all the kind of emotions pass through; panic, anxiety, organization, creativity, happiness, frustration, cancellation, impatience, reorganization, satisfaction etc
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
A: The very first time a project is realized, we feel a bit empty, because we offer a lot of working hours, days and months working on it and suddenly we don't. But, of course, satisfaction is the very next emotion.
FS: What makes a design successful?
A: The audience responsiveness and use.
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
A: Functionality and aesthetics.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
A: Each designer, from any field, should consider for who, why, when and what is about to design. What is he/she offering to a user and how does it affect other people, the society or environment? Proposing a new concept, statement or material and technique does it lurk any danger visible or not? We live in a high developing time and people who get involved in design, should definitely expand their knowledge and have an interdisciplinary approach on their designs so they can predict and manage any issue.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
A: Every daily need or malfunction may give birth to a stimulus to trigger the procedure of thinking. Regarding our graphics and patterns we draw inspiration from Greek mythology and culture.
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?
A: We live in Thessaloniki, Greece. Of course our cultural background affects the way we think on design and actually we let this happen in a great degree. We intend to incorporate and apply it in our creations in a contemporary way.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
A: One of the positive ones is that an idea can be realized and have a touchable result of a thought. Also, it makes you think in the most creative way. Sometimes, even the most funniest or unexpected though can lead to a severe idea. One negative is that sometimes you may work on an idea that will end up to a failure and another one is that there are no working hours, every hour and wherever you are, exists a potential inspirational field, Sometimes even when you sleep an idea may pop up, but this is not always so negative especially if it finally works.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
A: One of the most important skill is to observe. Observation upon everyday needs, customs, materials, uses, new entries, technologies, everything that can be inspiring. Also patience and persistence are some necessary skills.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
A: We always have a general plan about preparing our collections but there are times that we cannot put creativity in a box. So, there are a lot of times that we overwork to finish and improve any detail needed for an item and its presentation.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
A: It usually takes five to six months to develop an idea to real form. But there are some objects that need fewer or longer time depending on the complexity and the concept.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
A: Always as a team. Each of us contributes to the process in a different way. On the one hand, each member deals with his/her specialty, but all the big decisions are made by everyone. Sometimes even a supporting go on signal, when someone is frustrated, or a grounded stop signal, when someone feels super creative, is helping a project to be developed easier.
FS: How can people contact you?
A: Someone may reach us through our website www.artpeckers.com, our facebook page: Artpeckers, instagram profile: artpeckers, our email: info@artpeckers.com and if you ever visit Thessaloniki, at our store in the center of the city, Valaoritou 12.
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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