Matteo Mirko Cetinski Designer Interview

We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Matteo Mirko Cetinski ("MMC").

Designer Profile of Matteo Mirko Cetinski

Matteo Mirko Cetinski is a well known personality in his country (Croatia). He started his career as a singer, TV Host & TV Producer. Only after reaching 40 years old, he decided he will finally pursue a career in Interior & Furniture Design (his long time passion). In 2013 he started his company "Mirko Di Matteo Designs" and designed his first furniture collection "Chilim" made combining flight case hardware and antique kilim rugs for which he was awarded the "A Design award 2013" in Como- Italy. As a result of extensive interest shown by clients and publications such as ELLE DECORATION, the collection was further developed and pieces of furniture made with various other materials such as stainless steel, wool shag, mother pearl etc. were added to it. In 2014 Matteo designed his first rug INDIGO. It is a unique concept of refurbished kilim rugs dip dyed and then screen printed. It is the first rug of it's kind. For this design Matteo and his company "Mirko Di Matteo Designs" was again awarded with the "A Design Award 2014" among a competition of over 5000 designs.

Matteo Mirko Cetinski Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Matteo Mirko Cetinski.

Designer Interview of Matteo Mirko Cetinski:

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?

MMC : I didn't grow up professionally thinking of myself as a designer. This is the thing I am most grateful for. Why? Because I think designers often lose their "consumer" identity while becoming professionals in this field. This is not a good thing. You have to remain a consumer of the design for as long as possible. First and foremost I am an end-user of the product, never only the designer. My main perspective is from the recipients' point of view. Designs that are focused purely on design are oxymoronic and will eventually implode into their own vanity.

DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

MMC : I set up a company that would give me the opportunity to explore all the creative aspects of my personality. I started in the Television business as creative director and producer. Later I expanded to the Marketing field working as a Brand manager and Marketing Manager; but I always knew I would eventually make time to start designing. The fact I worked in these various fields (especially marketing) helped me to stay "real". It made me recognize the thin line between a marketable product and just a designer's self indulgence.

DI: What is "design" for you?

MMC : I always saw it as something I would pursue after I turned forty. I don't know why. Probably because I perceive it more as enjoyment rather than just work. It is important for me to keep seeing design as something I do for fun.

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

MMC : As long as it excites me, I am OK with everything. I am lucky I design things I envision, not products that are commissioned by someone else.

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

MMC : My favorite design is always the next one. By the time I am finished with a design i am working on, my mind is already working on the next one. I never stop to analyze a past design. Besides, I don't design designs, I design things. I can talk about their purpose and the practical aspects, never about their look. That's something people will either relate to or not. It's subjective; no matter how long I try to explain the appeal of a design to someone, they either like it or they don't. Beauty is always in the eyes of the beholder and should always be.

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

MMC : Interior design was my first designing expression. It all started with works within my circle of friends and family. Later I moved to product design for a winery. This was my first officially commissioned work, but the "Chilim" furniture line is my first very own furniture design line.

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

MMC : Materials, platform, technology etc. are just tools. You don't start a design thinking of the material. You start with the idea and that simply dictates everything else.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

MMC : The very moment I have an idea that excites me.

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

MMC : I always focus primarily on the purpose, use, function. Creating something esthetically pleasing and exciting while not losing these elements is the real challenge.

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

MMC : While you are working on a design, the creative juices "drug" you and everything seems wonderful because you fall in love with the feeling of creation. It's like falling in love with a person.

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

MMC : A few days after I am finished with the design is the critical moment when I realize how good the work is or isn't. The emotion I love is when I look over the design after a while and I am still in love with it. The affair isn't over and I realize it is something more. I am married to it.

DI: What makes a design successful?

MMC : There is a quote by Joe Sparano I like: "Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent." A design is successful when people embrace it either by using it or by just looking at it, without effort, without thinking of the design itself. The design should never "scream" designer. It should be silent.

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

MMC : You should always judge a design from a users' perspective. When judging a design I am not a designer, I am the user. People from every age group, every background and every level of education have the same right when it comes to judging a design. So, to answer to your question, the only aspect I consider when I judge a design is, do i like it or not. It's as simple as that.

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

MMC : The best projects are those that incorporate a useful product in an esthetically likable form with materials that are environmentally friendly. This is why I like the "Chilim" furniture line. These are pieces of furniture that are definitely useful and usable; they are original because the outer surface is covered with rugs and the rugs are repurposed 80 years old Kilims that would otherwise be lost forever. In other words, this design incorporates an original design that uses repurposed material. Add to this the fact that by re-using these old rugs, we also help promote this old weavers' tradition, which is nearly extinct - it is a win/win.

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

MMC : What is constantly changing and evolving is the materials that can be used. Technology is opening countless possibilities that were not always available. But the estethic component can't really be defined and unified and therefore analyzed globally. What is going on in the western world is not necessarily going on in other cultures. We have to be careful not to monopolize taste and design when talking about trends.

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

MMC : My inspiration comes from the need to have a certain object. If I can't find it on the market, I design it. As I already said, first and foremost I am the end user.

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?

MMC : I am not tied to a particular design style. The fact I don't have formal design training helps me stay unconditioned by the various industry's "school of taught". My need to create a product brings me to the most different design quests depending on the product and the need itself.

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?

MMC : To a certain degree we are always conditioned by our cultural heritage. At least at some unconscious level. Nevertheless, I can't say I was solely affected by the heritage in my native country. I was born in Croatia, studied in Bologna, Italy for four years, and finally did my Masters in New York. These were essential years for my formation as a person and they all influenced me both as a person and as a designer. Also, I am an avid traveller and each place I visit influences me further. I am a global mix, I guess.

DI: How do you work with companies?

MMC : I work with companies when my design is finished. These are companies that buy and distribute my products. The fact they are not involved in the process of designing make our collaboration fairly simple.

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

MMC : It is often a case that a designer doesn't understand or doesn't want to adapt to the companies' needs. Also, often the company that commissioned the work, doesn't trust the designer and doesn't understand his/her vision. It is critical to understand that the designer and the company work for the same goal rather than for each other. The goal can be the sale of a product or the visual identity of the company etc. The critical part is to clearly define what the goals are. The designers ability to adapt and accept the companies' goals while maintaining his/her integrity is what makes it a good or bad designer for the job.

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

MMC : I collect objects from my travels. Each of them reminds me of a place or a unique moment and therefore it is difficult to choose among them. There is a glass bowl in which I keep small stones I collected all over the world and I think there is some magic in it. It's literally like having a piece of those places at home. There is a little granite sparkling stone from Central Park (NYC), another from the pyramid site in Cairo, there is one from the garden of the house I grew up in from my home town etc. When you put them all together in a bowl, you create a unique mix of different natural energies these stones have and that mix is specific to you, it's your own unique mix. I guess that bowl is my favorite designer item in the house. Designed by nature itself. Second place would go to a mid-century theater spotlight I found in London. There is something magical when I think how many plays this spotlight has been part of. I see it as an old retired man. Worked backstage for a lifetime and now quietly replaced by "younger" and more advanced versions, yet still full of pride and dignity resting in my living room.

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

MMC : Every day is different.

DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

MMC : Haven't I been doing it the whole time so far? :)

DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

MMC : A designer must be a mix of technical skills and talent. Besides creativity, the talent must also include the ability to remain down to earth, remain an end user of the designs. A great designer must produce understandable and useful designs while also pushing the envelope. It sounds easy, but it's not. I've seen countless designers indulge into their vanity and distance themselves from the end users, to finally isolate themselves while complaining nobody understands them anymore. An elitist designer is not a talented designer. Quite the opposite.

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

MMC : see above

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

MMC : I start working on an idea and almost never finish it. I then go back to it when something tells me to. It always happens that something I started and didn't finish a year prior, starts to be relevant after some time. It's like I get inspired but it's always a little too early. I stop and know a time will come when I will pick it up again and it will all make perfect sense. Then I finish it and it all falls into place easily. It happens every time.

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