We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Mario Taepper ("MT").
Ich bin männlich. Mein Ziel ist es, schönes Design zu schaffen, meine Designsprache sollte von jedem anerkannt werden. Ich bin positiv orientiert. Mein Sternzeichen ist BALANCE und so bin ich leicht zu managen und ich bin immer bemüht, Meinungsverschiedenheiten beizulegen. Unter meinen Freunden habe ich einen guten Ruf. Meine Freunde sind gerne in unserem Kreis. Ich bin sehr kommunikativ und interessiert und offen für Neues.
Mario Taepper Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Mario Taepper.
Designer Interview of Mario Taepper:
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?
MT : When I was a child I always used to play with boxes. My father was a doctor and he gave me all the empty boxes where ampoules and pills were in. As a grown-up I wanted to be an interior architect. But I started studying languagesand then I studied design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MT : We have a small studio,we started first doing all by ourselves but that became more and more difficult when clients don't pay their bills especially when the come from foreign countries. I decided then only to make the design and work together with diffenrent companies.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MT : Designing is for me very important, I like very much to play with forms. Design should be as simple as possible and should be agreable to watch even after years.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MT : I don't focus on any special product , I just follow my thoughts. For the time being I focus on light especially OLEDlight , this is a complete new way of interpreting light.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MT : The most favorite design of me is the salt and pepper shaker TWO IN ONE I did for WMF. This product was sold 1 Million pieces in 10 years and it is still selling very well . This design is oustanding.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MT : The first thing I designed was lamp collection " Betula" for YCAMI. But the company meanwhile doesn't exist anymore.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MT : For accessoiries I prefer stainless steel and for lamps I prefer allumium and lighting material LED, OLED.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MT : When there is a theme for a new product then it is as being pregnant, and suddenly after some time the prdouct is ready in my head and it has only be realized in 3D or sometimes 3D print.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MT : I can't help but the important for me is the form it must perceived with the senses.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MT : I am just relaxed and I am curious to know if the product is realizable.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MT : I am just happy and content that sees the significance of my design.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MT : That is difficult to answer , it would be better to ask the customers.The right idea to the rihgt moment.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MT : For me first of all the form of a design is most important.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MT : Today a designer is demanded to create things with long durability and even after years you don't get not tired watching them, the materials must recyclable.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MT : That is a difficult question and if would know the answer I would do so. It will be more and more difficult to find a realy non existing design. I remember a saying of Charles H.Duell in the American office of Patents (1899)."All what can be invented. has been invented already."
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MT : My last exhibition is long ago and there are plans until now for next one.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MT : I don't sit at my working -table waiting for the ideas to come. They just come and I make a little sketch and later on I filter and I concentrate on it and work it out.
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?
MT : I am a follower of the Bauhaus. What was created there is still on the market and the design are still beautiful and on the market.
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?
MT : In Germany in NRW. look question 18. I don't focus on the pro and the con.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MT : It depends, sometimes the company ask me designing something or I asked if the company might be interested in having this or that design.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MT : I would never suggest something to a company. How companies select I have no idea but I did answer myself how is procedure of selecting.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MT : Please look question 17 !
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MT : The lamp TUBI, the bench CLIP, the salt and pepper shaker TWO IN ONE , the closet TORI and a candle holder fromthe collection TABULA NOVA and of course the Erdnussschütte.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MT : Every day is different and beautiful. I enjoy every day being healthy and satisfied.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MT : I would suggest that they should inform themselves very carefully if that what they want to design is really new or if it is just a me too product and being very critically.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MT : Negative for me is that the press is making some designer great and they then they can do every design and others who are as quite good have to work harder. Positive is that you belong to those who can enrich life of others.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MT : Not to copy any other design. I have made bad expierences . The lamp TUBI was copied 4 times , TWO IN ONE wascopied once.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MT : Creativety!
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MT : books are a good source of inspiration, sometimes for doing something better. 3 D printer of makerbot,cinema 3D
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MT : I don't see designing as consuming task , I just like what I do and I have no problem managing my time.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MT : That differs very much wether it is a little accessory or a lamp or a furniture.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MT : How did you get the idea.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MT : The most important job experience was that having a good idea you are copied at onceand you can do very few against.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MT : WMF , Carl Mertens, Tramontina, Pott, Christine Kröncke , Müller Mödelwerkstätten, Schönecker Leuchten, Promemoria, etc
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MT : The most I enjoy of my design is the salt and pepper shaker. This day I won't forget because it was before going into a concert. Before we walked around and I saw a salt and pepper set from JENSEN . I said to myself that should be possible to make it different and so the idea of TWO IN ONe was born. Coming home at night I verified a model in paper.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MT : To realize more furniture, and some OLED lamps.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MT : I develop my design by myself.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MT : Some designs are in progress but I never talk in advance until realization is secure.
DI: How can people contact you?
MT : Via e-mail .
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
MT : all is said.