A lot of designers don't like philipe stark. First, out of pure resentment for his meteoric rise to design stardom, and then for the fact they think he does not deserve that stardom. Or maybe it is just jealousy. I can't say they are wrong. I think he is a good designer. I don't think he is more than lucky. But then again It might be just jealousy.
Stark was in the right place in the right time, near the right prime-minister and the rest is history. Gathering the material for this article just reinforced that feeling in me. Again, he is a good designer, and don't let anyone say otherwise, but there are thousands just as good if not better. Once again, history is written by the victors."For me, luxury is intelligence and quality. I don't see a lot of intelligence and quality in luxury when it's used to make fast, big money."
One of the more interesting projects stark did was with allesi, the famous kitchenware company in Italy, that for the last century or so brought to the market the best type of whimsical practical top notch design.
Stark worked with them on several collections the most famous of them is the immortal juicer spacecraft thingie. When I lived in Italy, every catholic house you entered had a cross on the wall and every designer house you entered had the stark juicer on the kitchen counter. (btw, it is good only for lemons, and prepare a towel if you want to try and prove me otherwise)
"When I design, I don't consider the technical or commercial parameters so much as the desire for a dream that humans have attempted to project onto an object.
Now I had a couple of crazy teachers in my design years, and had a lot of fun in creative workshops with some of the great names who came from the apple laboratories, Phillips, allesi, and other big international brands who promote exclusive entertaining interesting designs to the world.
But in the end of the day? I was taught that good design is the one that actually works, and in budget. A good designer is more practical then brilliant, and a good design is not just eyecandy but comes to either solve a problem, make your life better, or change your thought paradigms."We have to replace beauty, which is a cultural concept, with goodness, which is a humanist concept."
Stark makes pretty designs, usually with very loose budget restrictions, as he is phillipe stark and the industry accommodates him more the other way around, the natural way of things.
For me that is kind of cheating. No wonder he never did anything exceptional. And again, I have to say and repeat once more, he is a very talented designer. Very nice work. Would definitely hire him for my studio. The ambassador on industrial design to the masses? I don't think so. Not in my book.
But then again, maybe I AM just jealous. After all, the guy is a fricking millionaire and can get any company to produce his dream with a snap of his fingers. Very admirable. He really did make it. What all designers dream of. Well, at least if they are career oriented.
I never was blessed with that kind of goal hunting, and learning industrial design was more about learning how the world works, how physics work, how psychology works, how ergonomics work, how everything works. For me it was always clear that the process is much more important than the product, as very little products actually make it to the market. The idea is the beautiful thing, the product just a faded mirror of it.
Stark, for me, is abusing his powers. If he is already there, if he is already accepted in such a way that he can do whatever he wants, then the results I see are below par. He has the time, he has the resources, he has the outlet. Do something really genial for once. Something that is more then decorative expensive toys for the semi educated yuppie crowds. With today's economy, they are a dying breed anyway. Do something real.
But he is a good designer. And he is half successful.
good for you phillipe! More power to you.
But then again, If he was just a little bit better designer then PR guy, it would have also been good for us.
For all of us.
http://www.starck.com
Stark was in the right place in the right time, near the right prime-minister and the rest is history. Gathering the material for this article just reinforced that feeling in me. Again, he is a good designer, and don't let anyone say otherwise, but there are thousands just as good if not better. Once again, history is written by the victors."For me, luxury is intelligence and quality. I don't see a lot of intelligence and quality in luxury when it's used to make fast, big money."
One of the more interesting projects stark did was with allesi, the famous kitchenware company in Italy, that for the last century or so brought to the market the best type of whimsical practical top notch design.
Stark worked with them on several collections the most famous of them is the immortal juicer spacecraft thingie. When I lived in Italy, every catholic house you entered had a cross on the wall and every designer house you entered had the stark juicer on the kitchen counter. (btw, it is good only for lemons, and prepare a towel if you want to try and prove me otherwise)
"When I design, I don't consider the technical or commercial parameters so much as the desire for a dream that humans have attempted to project onto an object.
Now I had a couple of crazy teachers in my design years, and had a lot of fun in creative workshops with some of the great names who came from the apple laboratories, Phillips, allesi, and other big international brands who promote exclusive entertaining interesting designs to the world.
But in the end of the day? I was taught that good design is the one that actually works, and in budget. A good designer is more practical then brilliant, and a good design is not just eyecandy but comes to either solve a problem, make your life better, or change your thought paradigms."We have to replace beauty, which is a cultural concept, with goodness, which is a humanist concept."
Stark makes pretty designs, usually with very loose budget restrictions, as he is phillipe stark and the industry accommodates him more the other way around, the natural way of things.
For me that is kind of cheating. No wonder he never did anything exceptional. And again, I have to say and repeat once more, he is a very talented designer. Very nice work. Would definitely hire him for my studio. The ambassador on industrial design to the masses? I don't think so. Not in my book.
But then again, maybe I AM just jealous. After all, the guy is a fricking millionaire and can get any company to produce his dream with a snap of his fingers. Very admirable. He really did make it. What all designers dream of. Well, at least if they are career oriented.
I never was blessed with that kind of goal hunting, and learning industrial design was more about learning how the world works, how physics work, how psychology works, how ergonomics work, how everything works. For me it was always clear that the process is much more important than the product, as very little products actually make it to the market. The idea is the beautiful thing, the product just a faded mirror of it.
Stark, for me, is abusing his powers. If he is already there, if he is already accepted in such a way that he can do whatever he wants, then the results I see are below par. He has the time, he has the resources, he has the outlet. Do something really genial for once. Something that is more then decorative expensive toys for the semi educated yuppie crowds. With today's economy, they are a dying breed anyway. Do something real.
But he is a good designer. And he is half successful.
good for you phillipe! More power to you.
But then again, If he was just a little bit better designer then PR guy, it would have also been good for us.
For all of us.
http://www.starck.com
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