We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Vlad Mititelu ("VM").
Vlad Mititelu is an artist and designer who wants to blur the line between art and design by challenging our perception of how we understand a particular object. He finds inspiration in everything that surrounds him and translates that into usable artworks. He wants to create a certain kind of object that are out of standard for users who need to use them as a reflection of their personalities. The key feature of his works lies in the copper wire texture which he creates and uses as a personal signature.
Vlad Mititelu Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Vlad Mititelu.
Designer Interview of Vlad Mititelu:
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?
VM : Studying and practicing art I come across with design, to which I was familiar before, but not in the same way as with art. I tended to look and explore only those areas with whom I visually engaged straightforwardly. After that, I realize how close I was to design during my whole artistic process. Since then, I wanted to try to blur the line between art and design in order to help other people see how subtly, but profoundly they connect to each other. I embedded this concept in my project because I wanted to let people understand the close relation between art and design through personally experimentation and engagement. I want them to create their own meanings and that will strongly make them aware of that thing that was right under their own eyes, but they could not see it at the time. I want to offer people the possibility to see how transcendence can be reached through their direct interaction with materiality.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
VM : My design studios are located in London, Uk and Bucharest, Romania. The main focus of the works which I developed in these studios are art and design related. Regarding strictly design, I am focused on creating limited series of unique and interactive products that tend to defy the boundaries between art and design with the purpose of bringing them closer.
DI: What is "design" for you?
VM : On a personal level, I believe design orbits around four main key features like: function, innovation, aesthetics and the user’s experience, I am interested in studying natural and ready-made materials with the purpose of bringing them together in different design projects.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
VM : I like designing usable artworks that are unusual, almost surreal.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
VM : My first design was a company logo.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
VM : My favourite material is clearly the copper wire, which I like to combine with different materials like concrete,marble,wood.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
VM : Probably at night, when it's quiet arround me.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
VM : The interaction is probable one of the most important aspect of every design that I create.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
VM : Freedom and excitement.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
VM : It's like a dream come true every time.
DI: What makes a design successful?
VM : I believe aesthetics and user experience with the object are the key features to a successful design.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
VM : First, the originality of the aesthetics.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
VM : I think that when it comes to society and environment, every designer should consider using the most environmentally friendly materials or at least design long lasting products which could be recycled after a long time period of use.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
VM : I think design has evolved and would evolve in the hemisphere of automatisation and mass production.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
VM : My last exhibition was in 2015 in Bucharest, Romania. This year I am preparing an exibition in Firenze, Italy.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
VM : I tend to be inspired by everything around me. Whether is nature or urban landscape or a musical instrument, I try to understand it and communicate with it and sometimes I've got that universal understanding with which I work.
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?
VM : I would describe my style as surreal design. Having a background in fine arts, I've entered design sphere because I was fascinated by this surreal approach of objects. My design style is based on breaking the idea of stereotype and common. I tend to explore the area of multiple possibilities and unusual designes.
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?
VM : For a year I've been living in London, UK but most of my life I've been living in Romania and I've managed very well to evolve there. At some point I felt limited there and I had to move in London to continue my studies here. I believe that every environment has is pros and cons. As long as I keep searching for the new, it doesn't matter where I live because I tend not to be restricted by the boundaries of one country.
DI: How do you work with companies?
VM : I don't have that much experience in working with a company, I am in the process of starting my own.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
VM : Try to think "trust the talented" not "famous designer equals profit".
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
VM : My design process is like a journey which I take every time I start designing a new work. The most beautiful aspect of this journey is that it never gets old or boring. A brand new universe is opening for me every single time I come up with an idea of a project. The journey of developing a design is unique and it is never the same as it was for other designs.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
VM : Speaker, phone, desk, shower, lamp.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
VM : Open my eyes, thank lord for the the day, make some coffee. Drink the coffee in the garden while I check my email and map the day. After that I listen to some music and start working on my projects. In the afternoon I take a break to have lunch and continue the designing process until 8 or 9 PM. In the evening I love to take a long bath while reading or listen to music and "dream" about new design concepts.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
VM : Try not to follow trends and just be one.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
VM : I think a designer should be fully committed to this lifestyle because for me designing is a dedication. The biggest problem for me is "where do I find the capital to start my next project" and I think this is a negative aspect of young designers. Everything else is positive because I love doing what I am doing.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
VM : "Stick to your mission."
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
VM : 3D view in space, craftsmanship, dedication, imagination.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
VM : I don't work with a lot of softwares, only photoshop. I use the old school paper and pencil formula and I sketch. I don't use a lot of tools for my manufacturing process either. I build my maquetes from clay and then I life cast them in different materials. The entire process is manual.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
VM : Sometimes I need to share the tasks because some designs require a lot of time when they are done by a single person. As an emerging designer, it is quite tricky to manage time, but I always find a way.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
VM : That depends, I have designs that took me over two years to be made. In general I work over six months to develop a good design.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
VM : "Wow, how did you do this?"
DI: What was your most important job experience?
VM : I don't have a particular one, all of them were important.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
VM : Private clients, mostly.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
VM : Limited edition designs, because they are high class products.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
VM : My future plans are to complete Art Showers collection and launch two new design collections on my website. One of which is Art Lights; a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
VM : I work by myself most of the times.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
VM : Currently I am working on a new shower project, "Taste it", which will be included in Art Showers collection and I also work on a brand new collection, "Art Lights", which is a limited collection of designs which focuses on home lightning systems. I am also finishing the greatest project of Art Showers collection, wich took me over two years to develop: "The Elephant Shower". The Elephant Shower is a life size work of functional art suitable for large contemporary bathrooms.
DI: How can people contact you?
VM : People can contact me through my personal website. https://www.vladmititelu.com