1. Find out the same information about the following designers: Phillipe Starck, Jusper Morrison, Jean Otis Reinecke, James Dyson, Luigi Colani.

These sites may help you:

• www.tinyurl.com/qat7n

• www.wikipedia.org

2. Speak about one of these designers. Text 25

Read the interview with Alecia Wesner and put reporter’s questions in the right order:

а) How do you design?

b) Do you find that reacting quickly to а new idea is important?

c) How did you decide to become а lighting designer?

d) What are you working on now?

e) What is your favorite design?

f) When designing а light, do you think about where it might be used?

g) What inspires you?

h) What is your most successful product?

I) Where do you design?

j) Do you use the computer?

Designing is work

Designer: Alecia Wesner

Title: Director of Design

Firm: George Kovacs Lighting

Location: New York City

1.

My Space Boy lamp is the first I did for George Kovacs and the first I did without anyone’s help. When I started here just out of school, they gave me direction about what they needed in the line. George was on а trip, and I had time to play around with different ideas. I came up with hanging styrene petals off the lamp. We found а bulb with а filter that created these incredible shades of light. George loved it, and we ended up winning an honorable mention from Industrial Design magazine. That’s my baby!

2.

The biggest pendant we make – а 34-inch rim of metal with holes all over it called Holy – is our best-seller. We designed it because customers told us they needed а big chandelier. It’s been specified in some really neat projects – а couple of nightclubs and а Lutheran Church in Ohio. I think it’s funny that it’s named Holy and it ended up in а church.

3.

It’s pretty random. When George and I were at а lighting show, we discussed what we really needed versus what I was working on. So I drew in the airport, the entire time on the plane, and on the way home. In forty-eight hours I showed George sketches, but he needed to see а mockup. He loves it. That’s the new Joseph line.

4.

Absolutely! But I didn’t always think that way. Now I react immediately. As soon as I can get the idea down is when it’s really freshest. Even though I think I have it in my mind, а couple of hours later it’s different.

5.

After sketching, I design using AutoCAD. My architecture training leads me to sketch on а grid because the little cubes measure something in my mind.

6.

I went to school for architecture and then switched to industrial design in my third year. I was very focused then, which really helped me excel. One class I wanted to take was lighting design. The class was filled, but I went anyway. It started at 8 a.m. and ended at 2 p.m. I watched as most of my classmates dripped out because those times. The projects I did for that class because а major part of my portfolio. Classes outside my major – lighting and sculpture – helped me get this job. At first I thought I didn’t want to work for а manufacturer, but now I’m glad I do.

What’s your design philosophy?

No matter how much natural talent you have, you have to pour а certain amount of work into design. But if you really love what you’re doing, it never really seems like а job.

А huge part of my job is selling – not only selling what I make but also selling myself. At the shows, it’s important to be able to talk about my work and to remember that most people don’t understand technical drawings. You need people skills to be able to communicate and express your ideas. Communication is key. So much of design is asking questions, seeking sources, being curious. You need people skills to ask the right questions.

7.

My most creative time tends to be at home at night. I have room to spread out, sit on the floor or pull my coffee tables on wheels in closer, and sketch. I do all the CAD and technical things at work, but the creative things I do at home.

8.

Design comes from the strangest places. At а motorcycle show I noticed combinations of finishes because certain parts of bikes are very hot. What’s beautiful is how the parts interact. I asked, “How does that translate to а lamp?” Lighting design involves similar issues – treating some materials differently because of heat properties. Besides going to shows, I get inspiration from architecture. А little thing like а door jamb might translate into а lamp.

9.

Definitely! Going to furniture shows helps because I see what is current and in the mainstream. What type of lamp are people who buy а crazy-looking red sofa going to place next to it? Do they want something that competes with it, or do they want something that is really going to celebrate it?

What was you best experience designing?

Brave Reflections was inspired by а poem about standing strong in а moment of self-reflection. The entire group is based on seeing the bare, clear, exposed bulb; you actually see the filament. I designed some simple shapes and took the drawings to Murano Glass in Venice, Italy. Though there was а bit of а language barrier, it was great to tell the artisan glassblowers that I wanted them to dictate the final shapes. I wanted each piece to be unique, with inconsistent stripes and colors. They couldn’t believe I didn’t want something very controlled. When I saw the final pieces with the different variations, I said, “Wow! I did that!”

10.

I’m working on transitional lights named for my Uncle Joseph, а sculptor. What he does with huge pieces of metal is incredible. He’s my hero. I wanted to go into an artistic field because of him. My style is different from his, but the raw finish of the pieces reminds me of his work – geometric, clean, all welded steel. We needed а group to go with а lot of furniture types, with both glass and paper shades, and the line had to meet а certain price point. There were а lot of parameters.