We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Meltem Eti Proto ("MEP").
I am a designer and educator. This combination helps each other, profession and research makes you always fresh with new ideas. I use different materials to realize my ideas. Recently I have been working on bio-materials. The process I carried out to transform and reuse the collected bio-waste materials showed that each had different properties. Variable properties appear depending on the material structure, the grinding size of the material, and the character of the adhesive. It is possible to use bio-waste materials artisanally in many forms. Among the designs, I have produced after my experiences there are small-scale objects such as tiles, and wearable forms, and medium-sized objects such as containers, vases, and lamps. The creative process with these materials is artisanal production and all these forms can go back into circular economy. This study is a prelude to the use of biomaterials in design.
Meltem Eti Proto Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Meltem Eti Proto.
Meltem Eti Proto Design - Cube Coffee Table
Designer Interview of Meltem Eti Proto:
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?
MEP : We believe in the intersection of art and design. We are teaching at the university that provides education in the field of art and design. Being at the Faculty of Fine Arts provides space for you to establish the link of art-design and to bring theory and practice together. The versatility of the design impressed both of us while dreaming of studying painting and sculpture.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MEP : Along with our business life, we continue our studies mainly in the academic field.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MEP : expanding the field of view by changing the perspective
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MEP : We love to design both interior and furniture. It is important for us to examine the effects of culture on design, multiculturalism in design and to establish a connection with sensorial design. We enjoy designing every area and object that has a connection with the user.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MEP : It is difficult to reduce it to a single design. The manifesto of the De Stijl movement, Rietveld's 'red-blue' chair , Castiglioni and Droog Design's ironic design approach, Campana brothers' artisanal production approach that integrates art and design.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MEP : We especially like using natural and sustainable materials. We try to follow all the current materials. Recently, we use corian and 3d print technologies.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MEP : At night or early morning
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MEP : At the starting point of the design, we focus on understanding the needs, behaviors, users and responding to emotions.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MEP : While working together, we generally have a lot of fun and enjoyment.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MEP : This is a very pleasant and complementary feeling. Sometimes it's about trying out the results and seeing that the design can reach the user.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MEP : We think that there is no single criterion. It is important for us that everyone can access, and that there is interactive communication between the design and the user.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MEP : We try to understand what the design says, its purpose, and its relationship with the user.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MEP : We believe that the designer should have an accessible and sustainable design approach that produces solutions to different living standards.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MEP : With globalization, the concept of regional/local design is changing. Standardization of behavior and needs begins to erase the traces of cultures in design. Of course, the effect of developing technologies on design is undeniable. We think that the future of design will determine new technologies with changing behaviors/needs.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MEP : ‘PlasticA d’A-MARE’, Turistic Port of Rome, September 2019. ‘Art Design and Woman’ Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts Gallery, Istanbul 2018. "Multiculturalism and Identity" CCA San Francisco, 2014.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MEP : It feeds us to investigate the reflections of cultures and changing life patterns on people and the environment, to try to understand and to discuss what would happen with our own approach.
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?
MEP : We can say that we have a multicultural approach. While designing, trying to understand different behavioral structures of cultures has enabled us to deepen in this field.
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?
MEP : We live in Istanbul and Rome. Turkey is a multicultural country with ancient cultural ties. Especially Istanbul carries this trace deeply. The effects of this are very strong both in ourselves and in our design approach. Istanbul is an intersection point connecting two cultures. Istanbul and Rome are two historically reflected cities. Being in the middle of East and West, two different cultures is a contradictory and unique experience. We can say that we are culturally influenced by both, that is, a hybrid design approach.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MEP : We organize workshops with decision-makers, identify problems with basic needs and produce solutions. With these outputs, we determine a general approach and proceed to the design process.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MEP : Being innovative, reaching people, understanding behaviors are the main areas of interest of design. At this point, it is important for companies to work with designers who can add a design approach that can make a difference beyond adapting to company culture and discourses in order to get professional support.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MEP : We try to understand the need first. In order to determine our approach, we analyze the emotion we want to reach at the target. It can be a furniture or a place. The answer of the question “what will the user feel” allows us to reach the correct design.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MEP : Castiglioni’s Mezzadro seat and Arco lamp, Stark’s Juicy Salif, Piero Gatti, Cesare Paolini, and Franco Teodoro’s iconic Sacco, Richard Sapper’s emotional whistling kettle that calls every morning.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MEP : The flow of life is very different nowadays :)… Table, balcony, armchair triangle are the most used areas.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MEP : We say to our students, "There is no beautiful design, there is good/correct design."
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MEP : Being a designer gives a critical structure that can be both positive and negative.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MEP : Being irregular when thinking.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MEP : Perception, interpretation, and being original.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MEP : First of all, we love to use pens and explain our thoughts first of all by hand drawing. We can say that pencils, papers, meters, rulers, model materials are always with us. Today's technologies are also our assistants.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MEP : When the goal is set, time is also manageable. It is important for us to achieve the goal by trying to be free in the target set.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MEP : It depends on what you design. Sometimes a day, sometimes a month.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MEP : "Can you design this for me?" "How would you design it?" "What would your comment be?" "When does it end?" "How much does it cost?"
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MEP : We care about being at the university. We think that professional and academic life are fed from each other. The most important work experience is to achieve this balance.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MEP : Many corporate and private offices, housing projects.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MEP : We love the designs that communicate with the user, then the object starts to be a part of your life.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MEP : The design is very dynamic and variable. It is certain that we will always continue to understand this change and design it in this context.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MEP : We work together and also separately.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MEP : Among our new design works, pandemic life, which is experienced globally, has effects on design. Since this situation will have great effects on human behavior in urban life, we believe that design can offer solutions and we are working on this subject.
DI: How can people contact you?
MEP : metiproto@gmail.com / julidearslan@gmail.com https://metiproto.wixsite.com/art-design cell. 00393338868848