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Interview with Boxabl Llc |
Home > Designer Interviews > Boxabl Llc |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Boxabl Llc (BL) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Boxabl Llc 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?
BL: I'm a graduate from Central School St Martins in Industrial Design and Mechanical Engineering. Fantastic formal schooling that has stood me in great stead throughout my career. After high school my girlfriend called me excitedly about the Industrial Design program at Central School and she said to me "Paolo, this is so perfect for you you must pursue Industrial Design" so I did and she was right!
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
BL: Most of my career was with 500 Group Inc an Intellectual Property Licensing company I founded. The business model was very simple. Sit around and invent product that didn't exist with a very talented team, then we would throw the great majority out and pursue the really great ones. I'm please to report we filed for over 155 mechanical and generated almost two billion dollars in revenue in many consumer product areas over the life of the Company.
FS: What is "design" for you?
BL: Specifically what is 'Industrial Design' to me? this us synonymous with Commercial Art. Industrial design or I.D. is not pure art, I.D has a master and that master is the customer or the consumer. The work is commercial it must solve problems, with cost efficiency, manufacturabillity, and function. Last but not least it must be beautiful, lust worthy, I don't care what it is, it has to be beautiful.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
BL: Things that combine Innovation, Function and Beauty.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
BL: So many, but lets stay current, this has to be the Apple Airpods. because they are intuitive and anticipate recurring actions, and with many thoughtful features, the magnetic snap to the case and the fact that it double as extra battery storage. expensive but try em for yourself.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
BL: It was my Company of course, a drinking glass with straw permanently affixed and spiraling around the outside of the glass. It was so successful, sold at MOMA, Museum of Modern Art and also made a guest appearance in one of the Star Trek movies.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
BL: It doesn't matter to me, if your an accountant you know numbers, if you know design you can work in most all disciplines and materials the first principles are the same.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
BL: All the time it never stops.
FS: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
BL: Simplifying multidisciplinary problems, every product has these even a paper clip.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
BL: High as a kite mostly.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
BL: Satisfaction but mostly anticipation, success is only measured by sales in the world of Industrial Design, everything else is a failure.
FS: What makes a design successful?
BL: Design is a pie, pick your favorite one, I'll go with pizza though instead of pizza its problem pie. Each slice is a problem. cost, manufacturabililty, beauty, longevity, commonality, protectability, simplicity, lust. Make sure all the pieces of the pie are solved. See where problem slices can assist each other. Then you'll have a winner
FS: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
BL: Is this design fit for its intended purpose in terms?
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
BL: I think there is a huge amount of virtue signalling and ignorance generally with this topic, for example we have near limitless quantities of oil for plastics, using as much wood as possible is fine as it is a crop and even pollution is a self extinguishing problem. Let me focus on this last one as an example, pollution is inherently inefficient, it is a by product called wasted energy. The commercial markets don't like wasted energy as its not competitive, competing business's will make sure to drive out the inefficiency to become more profitable hence pollution is self extinguishing. Because of this the designer most focus all their energies on the end user.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
BL: The future of design is the same as the history of design, principle are principles. What changes are the designer tool box for software to social media to the instant access to research information and the ability to collaborate fluidly with people all over the world.
FS: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
BL: My exhibitions occur everyday all over the world in hundreds of thousands of locations daily called stores.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
BL: Inspiration is all around. For example driving on the highway is boring for most but endlessly instructive if you trained to look.
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?
BL: It is a complex task to make something simple.
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?
BL: I live on the Las Vegas strip with a view of all the amazing creativity around me its an endless source of inspirations. When someone tells me I can't do something I'll perhaps point out of me window and show them a hotel in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid with the Sphinx outside. So don't tell me I can't do something!
FS: How do you work with companies?
BL: I work with my own companies exclusively now. Its collaborative, I listen, I want other people to have better ideas than me so they take ownership sooner and we can wok quicker. Ideas are iterative they bounce around from person to person in discussion and then they pop out like musical chairs.
FS: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
BL: This is a hard questions. The fact is the standard in most disciplines is shockingly low with limited competence the same is true with designers unfortunately. Then it's hard if its not your discipline to choose a good one. Q: What do they call the guy that finished last at medical school. A: Doctor. But would you want him to be your Doctor?!? Caveat Emptor
FS: Can you talk a little about your design process?
BL: Refer to the problem pie question.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
BL: Apart form my own artwork I would have to say, The building I live in Veer Towers Las Vegas, R1 Yamaha, Airpods, my first product La Bomba, Boxabl and my fifth would be a rotating selection.
FS: Can you describe a day in your life?
BL: Get up, invent, go to sleep. Repeat
FS: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
BL: keep your ego in check. Your ego is a wonderful thing but keep it in check. Go above and beyond, work harder than the next guy, become indispensable to your employer as quickly as you can, work collaboratively, if someone has a better idea instantly change your position to theirs and move one, don't be an asshole and finally never ever ever give up.
FS: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
BL: If you are lucky, variety and the pleasure of creation are the plus. The negative.
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
BL: Simplify.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
BL: Knowledge of materials and process plus talent to train. The first you can learn the second you can't
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
BL: Imagine in my mind first, sketch second and Solid works third. Then off to validation with models and performance.
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
BL: I manage my time badly.
FS: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
BL: This depends on the complexity of the object minimally when all is said and done its like a pregnancy so 9 months.
FS: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
BL: How long will it take...
FS: What was your most important job experience?
BL: My failures
FS: Who are some of your clients?
BL: Today we are our own clients with Boxabl
FS: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
BL: It has to be new and it has to be fundamental.
FS: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
BL: At Boxabl we want to fix the affordable housing crisis by creating the largest building construction companies on the planet.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
BL: Always a team.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
BL: please go to Boxabl and buy a Casita
FS: How can people contact you?
BL: info@500group.com
FS: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
BL: No, your welcome and thank you for the interview
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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