We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Richard Kun ("RK").

After working in the building industry for more than 10 years, Richard Kun decided to explore a different market. Her sister was contacted by an italian business man looking for a hungarian business partner. Richard decided to grab the oppurtinity and has been working with flowers and plants ever since, supplying the demand of national and international companies, always working on new, innovative products.

Richard Kun Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Richard Kun.

Designer Interview of Richard Kun:

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?

RK : Innovation has always been close to my heart, it was in 1992 when I won my first innovation prize - I was only 17.

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

RK : Our company is based around producing and selling flAVATAR flowers, as of now we work with 8 people in Budapest, Hungary.

DI: What is "design" for you?

RK : It means renewal, monitoring market trends and contant change.

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

RK : Plant based desings are my passion.

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

RK : flAVATAR - Magical Flowers. As a result of the surface treatment, flAVATAR plants glow in the dark. The technology used by flAVATAR is in all aspects free from gene manipulations. The substance used to treat the plants are 100% safe as well as for the natural environment, as humans and animals.

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

RK : flAVATAR - Magical Flowers.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

RK : When traveling.

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

RK : Appearance.

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

RK : It's hard to say, but I feel happy and satisfied when designing.

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

RK : Happiness and satisfaction.

DI: What makes a design successful?

RK : It depends on how much they follow the trends, and how new, how original the design is.

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

RK : I follow my instincts.

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

RK : Environment friendly research & develpoment.

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

RK : I think there is no improvement without innovation - it's all going in the right direction.

DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

RK : Amsterdam, Holland - December, 2016. The next one will be in Chicago, US, June 2016.

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

RK : It all comes from my mind.

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?

RK : It's hard to say, I'm always looking for different things, things that haven't been done yet.

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?

RK : I live in Hungary - getting support for your work in Hungary is very hard, it takes a long-long time for the people to appriciate new things.

DI: How do you work with companies?

RK : I don't, we produce nearly everything in-house.

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

RK : I suggest checking out their references.

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

RK : First comes the idea, then comes the hardest part: trying to figure out a way to bring my idea to life. It's a trial and error process.

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

RK : I collect watches, shoes, lamps and plant pots with interesting designs.

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

RK : I get up and start the day with running, then go into the office and I have different meetings all day. When I get home in the evening I like to go for a walk with my 2 dogs and spend the rest of the day with my wife.

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

RK : Henry Ford said "Quality means doing it right when no one is looking." - and I totally agree with this, you should always stick to this!

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

RK : Positive side is being able to do what you love, and create new things, negative side is when your ideas don't get enough credit.

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

RK : Never give up!

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

RK : To love what they do!

DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

RK : I don't use any kind of tools, just my brain.

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

RK : When designing, everything else has to be in the background - I try to focus all my energy and time on bringing the design to life.

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

RK : flAVATARs took about 6-8 months.

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

RK : Are you a biologist?

DI: What was your most important job experience?

RK : I always had my own companies and I gained valuable knowledge from each of them.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

RK : I mostly work with agricultural companies and event planners.

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

RK : I couldn't choose just one, I love the process from the beginning to the end.

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

RK : We're already working on new flAVATAR designs.

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

RK : The idea is mine, but the development is team work.

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

RK : We have new flAVATAR designs coming out this year.

DI: How can people contact you?

RK : You can check out our website: www.flavatar.hu!