We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Anna Strupinskaya Anastasiya Kokoreva ("ASAK").
Anna Strupinskaya is a dynamic designer and interior architect capturing the attention with her conceptual approach and thoughtful use of form. Anna is a product design studio director since 2013, then the first object of silicone - Lampslamp was made She`s an art-director of OneKeyElectro project and owner of her own product design studio in Moscow. Graduated at the Moscow State University of Industrial and Applied Arts named after Stroganov, Faculty of Design in 2007, she continued the education at the Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD) in Milan. After receiving her MA degree in industrial design she has worked as a chief industrial designer at the SST company in Moscow, where she created and led the design process of making numerous manufactured products as well as exclusive interiors and exhibition designs. The works of Anna investigates conceptual as well as technological design limits to create unique experiences. Anna`s experience in product design is approx. 15 years by this moment. She reads lectures about design, takes part in many exhibitions including Salone Del Mobile in Milan, holds workshops and takes part in Tv-shows about design. Together with Anastasiya Kokoreva they developed a line of wiring accessories Florence for OneKeyElectro brand.
Anna Strupinskaya Anastasiya Kokoreva Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Anna Strupinskaya Anastasiya Kokoreva.
Designer Interview of Anna Strupinskaya Anastasiya Kokoreva:
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?
ASAK : I studied industrial design in 2 places - Graduated at the Moscow State University of Industrial and Applied Arts named after Stroganov, Faculty of Design in 2007, and then continued the education at the Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD) in Milan. I wanted to become a designer since I was 14.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
ASAK : I started studio in 2013, then I made my first product Lampslamp for 100% Design London Festival. My studio motto is "Design as an Art", we try to perceive each project as art and to input a strong concept behind it, overwise design makes no sense. The world is full of things, so we should try to avoid making useless stuff.
DI: What is "design" for you?
ASAK : Design is looking deeper into things, design is curious, design is invention, creation and art. Nowadays the border between asrt and design is so much blurred, that it`s hard to say what is design and waht is art. So I think we should except this and do design as deep as we would do arts.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
ASAK : I like furniture, all kinds of it, especially lighting, and sanitary goods. But still we do amny differebt kinds of design, including interior that I really like to do as well
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
ASAK : My favourite of my studio works? - well, I think it`s yet to come, as always, the best piece is that you are doing at the moment.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
ASAK : Was really long ago. Can`t remember)))
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
ASAK : We work with absolutely different materials and technologies, this makes our studio more interesting to work with. I like pouring materials like silicone, concrete, polyuretane, epoxy resin e tc. I started like 3D printing recently, it`s amazing how fast you can get a sample or a final product.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
ASAK : Almost any time, if I`m not tired and if my head is full of garbage. I like to design on holidays, weekends, when my brain is relaxed. But I can solve design problems anywhere.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
ASAK : On all. I don`t think there should be some aspects that you focus more then others. Probably design development is the most difficult stage. Inventing a design and making a concept is the most interesting, and then the hard work starts, many product designers try to skip it, but it leads to a weak design in the end. I try to make the most out of it, to let the design work it`s best and it takes a lot of time. But the end results are good enought.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
ASAK : Joy, happiness - this is the best job of all times!
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
ASAK : I feel relieved, cause before that I`m usually worried will it get good if something may ruin the design at any stage.
DI: What makes a design successful?
ASAK : Good bench-merking, stategy and analysis before design. Then strong concept, UPS and great design development and product development and quality control. Any of this missing - design is unsuccessfull.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
ASAK : When design is good it`s clear to me from the firat glance. Sometimes you have to look deeper into design to understand the concept behind it.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
ASAK : Designer is responsible for the new products that we have our planet Earth. We have to be conciuos about that, making recycling projects, take about the reworking, upcycling of materials, owervise we don`t know how our children will live.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
ASAK : Design is getting more technological, it goes more to applets and virtual stuff, Iphones etc. We are living in a mobile era and it`s only developing. The design is getting more simple and minimal in general. In graphic design more attention now is paid to fonts, especially web fonts and unusual layout witjout grid. The design is getting more digital in general. More people learn UI UX design and work in this field, before peopledidn`t know what is it.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
ASAK : My last exhibition was in Krasnodar (Russia) in the end of march-begginig of april 2017, just recently. I took part in the Design Desant of russian product designers club. The next exhibition will be in may 201-21 at Seasons Magazine Market in Moscow.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
ASAK : Well, it can come from anywhere, like when you`re asleep. I like being inspired by nature, architecture, art, graphic and fashion design, interior design. Most of all I think travelling gives lots of inspiration especially exotic places, like Asia, India, Indonesia etc.
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?
ASAK : My design style is conceptual, inventive and artistic. I like working with different materilas and invent different designs that never existed before. My design goes deeper into thinking, but also into didigtal modelling and development.
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?
ASAK : I live in Russia. Of course it influences what I do. Proses are that we are living in huge and fast living and growing country, everything happens and changes fast in here. So it makes us work hard and fast. I trully admire our cultural heritage - like Rodchenko, Malevich, Lisitsky, great russian architects - Melnikov, Vesnini brithers, Fomin, Shukov and many others. I like russian tradition crafts like Zhostovo, Khokhloma, Palekh, Gzhel and others. Russian Ballet is great alot if great composers, writers, many creative people. It makes me proud of my country. And makes me think that you do something worthy, it will be noticed by people.
DI: How do you work with companies?
ASAK : With respect and consideration. I try to understand their needs and propose what`s best for them. I understand that company invest big money into new products, so we must take it seriuosly. However, nver to forget that design is a play!
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
ASAK : Find a designers with potential and who`s works they would like. But not necessarily have to be a famous designer. They work cost a lot, and young designers can have even better ideas for less money.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
ASAK : Mocca Bialetti coffemaker is my favourite piece of design at home. Also I have a famous Stelton watering can. I really like Ikea PS lamp that I bought recently for my daughters room. It looks really italian 60-s, and it was the best time for design.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
ASAK : Work hard, believe in yourself and what you`re doing, stop listening to who`s saying you should quit, speak a lot with people and make a lot of contacts. And go for it! If you realyy like your job, it will like you either)))
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
ASAK : A lot of positives - it`s a creative profession, it`s good for those people, who like to create. From negative - it`s distrust of people. Sometimes clents just don`t trust designer and it` makes work so hard, neverending and sometines useless. In the end it can lead to a design that you will hate. And this is what should never happen.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
ASAK : Make every new design better then the previuos one. And conceive design as an art.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
ASAK : Creativity and willing to work a lot, also being friendly and easygoing person. Everything else can be obtained, apart from these ones.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
ASAK : 3DSMax, Vray, Rhinicerros, Autocad, Adobe Pack. Pintetest and Behance, of course. Instagram. Some old books about design.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
ASAK : I`m good at time managing, as for myself, as well for my working people. It`s not a problem for me.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
ASAK : It can from 2 weeks up to 1 year, depending on the project.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
ASAK : How many goods do I sell?))))
DI: What was your most important job experience?
ASAK : It`s what I`m doing now - art-direction of my own studio.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
ASAK : I enjoy most of all the stage of inventing the design concept and disscussing it with my collegues, brain-storming.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
ASAK : Never tell anyone your future plans. They will never come true)))
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
ASAK : We work as a team at my studio. But mostly we are working on my ideas.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
ASAK : I try not to tell anyone about current work of the studio. It`s my superstiton. We work on 2 very interesting concept rpojects that can go into production as long as commercial projects and interior design.
DI: How can people contact you?
ASAK : They can contact me through the website annastrupinskaya.com Or email me ann-id@yandex.ru astrupinskaya@bk.ru Or find me in instagram @annastrupinskaya Or call Tel: +7 (925) 765 91 49