We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Martin Foret ("MF").
Martin is young designer (28) from Prague. He loves to lead his own projects, where he can provide all items, like founding and creating target groups, looking for inspirations, looking for suppliers, and especially design various items for interiors. He has really active attitude to sports and active way of life. His goal is create a stable brand with high credit. Brand, which will provide household items that will have a high level not only design but also processing in every detail.
Martin Foret Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Martin Foret.
Designer Interview of Martin Foret:
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?
MF : Somebody says, that they have known what they want to do since childhood. When I was child, I did a lot of sports and didn't think about future, becouse I was too busy. But later it came gradually through graphics and drawing to product desgin.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MF : I founded my own brand, which will provide furniture for intoriors. The focus of my brand is highly cultivated furniture at the European level.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MF : Design for my is about thinking. Mainly is thinking and then is drawing, sketching, and searching a new form and materials. You have to think complexly. About a context and enviroment where your design will be placed and last but not least, to people, they will use it.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MF : My ownd projects. When I am limited on myself and technical and manufacturing possibilities, which is still enough.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MF : My favorite design, is design wich tells true, its sophisticated form but all elements are functional and there is no space for something which is only for "nicer" visual.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MF : The Heart is my first product for my brand. Before that, I worked in teams and participated on projects like Skoda Heavy Machinery, where we designed new Cut machines.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MF : I prefer basic materials like wood, metal and fabrics. The product must be pleasant to touch and you should have good feeling about it.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MF : In the beginning of project. My head is full of ideas, but then you learn more about specific possibilities and then you get certain barriers, but its ok, becouse all this job is about searching ways and solutions.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MF : I am thinkig about whole enviroment and kontext becouse products always will be somewhere, where are even another thinkgs and it must still looks good.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MF : Happy, excited becouse its huge adventure.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MF : Excitement and satisfaction. Becouse usually it was a long jurney.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MF : I think its mix of good idea and good timing. But the really good design will show up in the course of time.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MF : I think that most import thing is, if its working as you expected.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MF : Designer and manufacturer are responsible that their product will work, User-friendly, and that its just a part of their life, so it shloud communicate with another elements in their homes. In the same time there is responsibility not create materials wich will not be recyclable.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MF : Intuitiveness. To do design smarter, to involve more aspects from the environment around us.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MF : My last exhibition was Designblok 2017 in Prague. I would like to exhibit in Italy or Germany within one year.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MF : Inspiration is every day. It's about everyday situations, looking at what would be nice to do.
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?
MF : The basis is rationality. I have to keep in my mind a lot of aspects like price, shipping, how to client will use it, how they will built it, how the producers will make it. I try to include all these aspects into my design right from the start. I would like to create a nice form only from necessary and working parts of each product. I don't like somethinkg which is there only for "nicer" form.
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?
MF : I live in Prague. I think is very important, where you live, where you spent you time. We are surrounded by various stimuli. Prague is historical and cultural city which brings a lot stimuli.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MF : I work for myself.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MF : First thing is that I search all kinds of enviroment where my product should to be placed. Then I started thinking and sketching my design, but always I have pictures of enviroments in front of me on my desk.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MF : I am young too. :) But I think that very important is patience.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MF : It's a very exciting job, doing something nice from nothing, its similar like chefs. But it brings a huge responbility, becouse gurantee that people will like it, that everything will work for long time, that it will be safe etc.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MF : Do not to do design for design.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MF : Be clever.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MF : Basic of all is pencil and paper, then 3D, I use rhinoceros, then yu have to try it in real, prototypes are necessary.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MF : Yes, its hard, so a diary is necessary tool for each designer I guess.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MF : From 6 to 12 months, depends which product it is.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MF : I like everything, meeting with people, sketching, time when I have new design in my hand and time when I see like somebody use my design.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MF : I finish development of Servant for bikes, then wit deve
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MF : I do everything from fisrt sketch through the search clients and after sales.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MF : Now I complete the development of Servant. The free standing "voiceless slave" serves similarly as the one for the clothes. It is primarily aimed for people who ride the bike daily and who want to have the bike ready at all times. Thanks to the slave, you don't have to lean the bike against the wall anymore, where it can get scratched. Thanks to the fact that the bike is at the perfect, specified height, you can even wipe the floor underneath it!
DI: How can people contact you?
MF : By the email. They saw some pictures of my work.