We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Yılmaz Dogan ("YD").
Yılmaz Doğan who has been involved in manufacturing furniture since his childhood states that the relationship between the place and the furniture channels him to question the form, shape and function of each object. This journey has made him committed to designing and structures with passion. He expresses that the biggest obstacle for designing is the structure and that he studied civil engineering to push that to its limits. Doğan, who combines the engineering discipline with designing, continues to work as the Head Designer in QZENS Furniture & Design of which he became a founding partner in 2008. QZENS Furniture & Design operates in England and Turkey. Doğan, who has received various awards, continues his works focused on “ Inclusive Design” in addition to his works in designing furniture and lighting.
Yılmaz Dogan Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Yılmaz Dogan.
Yılmaz Dogan Design - Thorn Lighting
Yılmaz Dogan Design - Patchwork Table
Yılmaz Dogan Design - Ripple Coffee Table
Yılmaz Dogan Design - Sufi Table
Designer Interview of Yılmaz Dogan:
DI: 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?
YD : I’ve been personally engaged in furniture design and production since my childhood. The fact that spatial shells are shaped around the furniture forms we manufacture and the objective and formal relationship between the space and furniture forced me to question the form, color and harmony of every object. So, I’ve been made in the mold of design, and then, received design education but what influenced me as much as design was “structure”. I think the limits of material are the biggest barrier to design, therefore I studied Civil Engineering to push the limits of objects. The Design-Resistance relationship, that is, combining the disciplines of Design and Engineering have contributed to me through unique experiences.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
YD : QZENS is a company with a passion for creating elegant products and projects that blend art and technology, reject mediocrity and inspire awe. We strive to share our view of luxury and offer an extraordinary experience with our products that have a story, where creativity and originality are felt in every detail, and at the same time have high material quality. By combining modern production techniques with craftsmanship, we offer unique products and large-scale international projects with extraordinary details, personalized and site-specific productions.
DI: What is "design" for you?
YD : Design, I think, is a spaceless and timeless journey that you start with a line and you don’t know where it will end. It is actually a deep hypnosis you start with a shadow, sometimes an image, a melody and sometimes a color without preparation and you get free of your self and identity. It is a talismanic disappearance in which you think you get somewhere but you cannot actually. Design is the state of productivity and expression you find during such disappearances.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
YD : I mostly design furniture for different living spaces. I like using wood with metal, glass, textile, marble and different materials in general. I am designing a very special kitchen collection formed by different styles. I have a particular interest in lighting. I am experimenting to integrate design approaches of different disciplines into the furniture design. I have started a long-term project for electronically integrated furniture. I am also working in inclusive design.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
YD : One of my favorite designs is GARDEN, designed by Peter Opsvik in 1985. Garden is an artistic object approach that changes all sitting habits. It is a design that breaks the patterns of seating behavior and function that we have memorized with a revolutionary and aesthetic rebellion. It is an icon and an art object at the same time. Peter Opsvik is too different a designer to fit into a few sentences here. As a designer whose Varier chair design was selected as one of the 50 designs that changed the world, he deserves more than our admiration.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
YD : I have a different approach to this question. Of course, when I design, I go through different emotions that go to extremes, but what is different is what the thing I design thinks. Although every design I make has emotions that it expresses through its form, its history, its source of inspiration, it has a feeling and expression that is formed at its core. Therefore, when I design this combination of form and function, I let it speak to me like a human being. This speaking is not a communication with words, but visual perception also has a language. Unfortunately, this is not a phenomenon that can be explained or taught. When you design a product, you give it a body and a set of meanings. The acceptance of what you design can only be possible with the way you approach it. I attach great importance to this inner peace and the product's appreciation of itself and its features. I think this approach is what makes it alive when it is inanimate. Therefore, when you look at a product, let it talk to you, listen to it, and it will open the doors to other worlds.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
YD : All efforts are sometimes made to make a dream come true. I think one of the greatest joys of my soul is to physically touch and feel a product I have designed. This is an indescribable feeling. The meeting of a design that grows in your thoughts and then materializes in your sketches and drawings with the real world. This is a process as miraculous as the moment of birth. The first meeting, the first touch, the first time you stand in front of it and watch it for the first time contains a lot of complex emotions.
DI: What makes a design successful?
YD : “Beyond all the confusion created by the froth and bubble of advertising and publicity, beyond the visual pyrotechnics of virtuoso designers seeking stardom, beyond the pronouncements of design gurus and the snake-oil salesmen of lifestyles, lies a simple truth." I believe what makes a design successful is that it presents you with the simple truth behind it.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
YD : This is a very relative issue. If you are designing for the masses you should have one answer, if you are designing for individuals you should have another answer. But what they all have in common is, as Dieter Rams says, "Good design has to be honest."
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
YD : Design is a phenomenon that exist in every field that comes to mind such as communication, transportation, education, fashion, public services, living spaces and their accessories. It is the most exhaustive phenomenon which emerged with the history of humankind and has evolved and become mature with it and has caused technological, organizational and cultural changes. Good design means more function, better ergonomics, more economic production, and more efficient use of resources. As objectives of these values evolve for better, there will be better physical and communicational conditions. Such development will also enhance the quality of social life.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
YD : The very rapid change in technology in the last 30 years has caused unbelievable changes in the discipline of design. Technology and design are developing in parallel. I think our all lifestyles and consumption habits will transform completely in the next 30 years. Our ways of transportation will change, concept of space and boundaries will be questioned, and even our forms of communication will change. I believe the humankind will discover the limitless energy resource, and it will be a breakpoint which will change everything. I believe that the discipline of design developing in parallel with the rapid and merciless advancement of technology needs to develop by ensuring efficient and proper use of world’s resources and contributing to sustainability. I believe sustainable design and inclusive design will develop for a better and more livable world.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
YD : I usually like investigating the traces of ethnic cultures and their philosophies. I find their beliefs, cultures, lifestyles, and the symbols, marks, forms and philosophies which they derive from the sum of the former. I think these are the projects I’m most satisfied with in which I am most free and explore new things.
DI: 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?
YD : I believe everything has a story behind it. I want people to understand this story in our designs.
DI: 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?
YD : I live in Ankara, Turkey. I think that the rich history of Anatolia and the fact that it has been home to different civilizations has a direct impact and positive contribution to my designs. Of course, I can also say that the details of different cultures that I have observed during my travels in different geographies have inspired me and contributed greatly to my designs.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
YD : There is no certain methodology of starting a design project. An idea is like a seed; you sow it, and then, with a bit of water, it turns its first leaf to the sun. This is the first acquaintance of the seed with the sun. It is nourished by the sun; then it grows and fruits. A design idea is like that. That idea seed is first sowed in your thoughts, waits there and is watered with your practices. After the thought has completed its first maturation, a pen and a paper become a sun to that thought, and the idea grows on that paper. When starting a design project, I review all meaningful or meaningless source on that matter, take down notes and draw sketches. Then I combine them.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
YD : Design is a very long journey which requires great amount of loyalty and labor. They should take the time and show patience enough to become mature in such an age when everything is consumed rapidly. Otherwise, they will be disappointed most of the time.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
YD : We are using all instruments from 3D printers to multi-axis CNCs, laser scanners to molding systems, AR and VR systems to rendering programs within today’s technology. But we never let technology kill the spirit of our designs.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
YD : Each project has its own timing. This also reflects the soul and story of that project actually. While some complex and difficult projects are completed in a very short time, other design projects cannot be completed for life. Some of the design projects have been designed to create a connection, a story between themselves and their users; this story builds up as it is experienced. Other design projects transform and evolve over time and acquire another function. Therefore, it is not much possible to assign a duration for a design project.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
YD : We have a clientele that includes well-known personalities such as heads of state, important business people and artists. However, due to the confidentiality of our clients, I cannot disclose their names.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
YD : This fall, we will open the first store of our brand Qzens in Ankara. This space will be the showcase for all our products, and it will also include an experience center. After the opening, our products will be available at points of sale in different countries. This will allow my designs to reach more people, which is one of the things that excites me the most right now.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
YD : I believe in co-design. Another person may see a detail that you take a close look at but cannot solve. I believe there is no improvement without criticism. I care a lot about the opinions of my partner and team at QZENS Furniture & Design which I am the co-founder. We work as a team in many projects.
DI: How can people contact you?
YD : You can contact us via Qzens website qzens.com, our social media accounts and our offices in Ankara and Milan.