We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Suman Swarup Prusty ("SSP").

Suman Swarup is someone, who thrives on originality & honesty with passion whether its work or life. He has been instrumental in taking initiative in finding opportunity, coming out with innovative design & business ideas & making them happen through detailing & dedication to work. His designs display clarity, crisp detailing, creativity & minimalistic approach to design. His ability of observation, research & understanding users has been outstanding.

Suman Swarup Prusty Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Suman Swarup Prusty.

Designer Interview of Suman Swarup Prusty:

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?

SSP : I have done my Bachelor of design in lifestyle products & accessories from National Inst. of Fashion Technology (NIFT) from Bangalore, India. I used to make something constructive out of waste material, sketch a lot in my leisure hours from my school days. hence, thought of pursuing a career in design. and so i did that.

DI: What is "design" for you?

SSP : Design is simplifying our daily life by removing chaos & clutter & making our lives beautiful, sensible & exciting through products & service.

DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?

SSP : well thought design process, breakthrough design concepts, perfect detailing & production friendly, user friendly designs.

DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

SSP : The Eames ply lounge chair. Its classic, yet always in fashion & contemporary. I phone, I mac by apple as these designs brought revolution to the industrial design in terms of design, simplicity & innovation in function.

DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?

SSP : Bar Counter, Bar stools & bar accessories for a high-end pub.

DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

SSP : stainless steel. Deep Drawing process & technology

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

SSP : When I have masala Indian tea. :)

DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

SSP : research & analysis of key findings, observation & behavior study of user & their lifestyle

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

SSP : Visible Clarity of form, function, ergonomics. Communication is most important.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

SSP : Excitement and feel proud, Touch & feel of whole product & the complete experience user gets by using them

DI: What makes a design successful?

SSP : Great Idea, Budget focused, Innovative use of material & incorporation of technology. Keeping the product updated as per latest trends.

DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

SSP : Communication, Function, Aesthetics, Simplicity, Sustainability

DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

SSP : Green & sustainable design, Efficiency in energy usage during production, Use of user friendly & recyclable materials & production technology.

DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

SSP : Environment friendly design. Minimalistic & communicative design. Role of user-interface is the key. The simpler, the better.

DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

SSP : Music, Nature & in a very relaxed environment. I love & enjoy my work. I play with it.

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?

SSP : There is no single approach to my design process. It completely depends on type, complexity & nature of product. User is very important & so i spend quality time with them to understand their requirement.

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?

SSP : Bangalore, India. Yes, India has a rich cultural heritage & it affects my style of working. Pros are my deeply rooted connection with Indian traditions. Cons is consumer's awareness of design. For example, if you make a simple design with great effort given to detailing, the consumer asks why to pay so much for such a simple design. I believe this thinking process is evolving & very soon consumers will understand the power of design.

DI: How do you work with companies?

SSP : It depends from company to company. Need to understand each organization's working style & culture & i work accordingly.

DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

SSP : Passion towards design. A designer should be given good amount of clarity on briefs on which he is going to design. Designer should be given an open environment & flexibility to think, understand & exposure at a global level. Companies should select a designer on basis of his/her passion towards design, good understanding of materials, processes & technology, positive attitude & a strong portfolio with realized & conceptual products.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

SSP : For me user/consumer comes first. Need to understand them before you start generating concepts. Need to do a bit of research to understand the product better, international trends, new technology that could enhance the design and most importantly the experience you are going to create through design. We must remember one thing. We are not only designing products, but we are designing experiences.

DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?

SSP : Know your customer thoroughly for whom you are going to design

DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

SSP : Depends from product to product. varies from 3 months to a year.

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

SSP : How can you make something better or new/enhance design without increase in cost? :)

DI: What was your most important job experience?

SSP : I guess it is in featherlite. The head of the organization is very knowledgeable and I have learnt quite a lot from him. Nothing comes easy and you have to make your hands dirty to achieve what you really want. This happens with me in featherlite.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

SSP : Wipro, Featherlite, Lifestyle

DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

SSP : Its the research part.

DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?

SSP : Sky is not even the limit. I want to go big in my field.

DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

SSP : both depending on situations.

DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

SSP : Considering the space crunch today in Indian cities, which are growing due to booming IT and service industry, the houses are becoming small. So working on the concept of space saving & convertible products for day today life.

DI: How can people contact you?

SSP : Mobile no. +91 9880471166 Email- sumanswarup@gmail.com