We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Fabrizio Crisà ("FC").
Fabrizio Crisà is the Design Center Director at Elica. Born in 1973, he holds a Master’s degree in Industrial Design at La Sapienza University of Rome. In 2005 he joined Elica and he was soon appointed Design Centre Manager and it has been leading the design team, playing a key role in the innovation process of the products. Creativity and sense of aesthetics, research for innovation are the pillars of his work. The passion for beauty and technological innovation is what shapes his unique and distinctive objects. His products have been awarded with many design prizes, Compasso d’Oro included.
Fabrizio Crisà Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Fabrizio Crisà.
Fabrizio Crisà Design - Lhov Hob, Hood and Oven
Fabrizio Crisà Design - Nikolatesla Unplugged Extractor Induction Hob With Knobs
Fabrizio Crisà Design - Ikona Maxxi Pure Extraction Hood and Purifier
Fabrizio Crisà Design - NikolaTesla Fit Extractor Hob
Fabrizio Crisà Design - Open Suite Cooker Hood
Designer Interview of Fabrizio Crisà:
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?
FC : I have always been intrigued by objects, as a young adult I was increasingly drawn to the icons of design typical of those years: lamps, home collectables, kitchen tools. At first, I was supposed to become an Aeronautical engineer, but then design got me.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FC : I’ve been working in extraction for fourteen years, using my ideas to try and make tangible and visible that which is normally intangible: air, my greatest source of inspiration. Elica has given me the chance to express myself in my designs.
DI: What is "design" for you?
FC : I believe that although design is considered a form of art, in reality it is quite different from art in its classic acceptation. I think those who make art need to use themselves. their own emotions, to narrate something that affects them personally, whereas those who make design do so to narrate other people, to express and find that something that others want, or which they don’t yet know that they want. The things I design aren’t necessarily an expression of myself, but nor is that the aim of my work; the result doesn’t have to please me, but first and foremost all the others.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FC : I love all things technological, mechanical, design, which makes it even more challenging to work toward a result able to break down the constructive conflict inevitably generated during the design process. It’s the best part, because it makes what I do come alive, something much more than a mere mechanical operation.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FC : I remember when I designed the first suspended hoods with lighting as the key feature — to the extent that the perception was no longer of a hood with a light, but a light with extraction — there was an understandable degree of bewilderment within Elica.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FC : A freestanding exhibitor.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
FC : I love wood and stainless steel, the first for its beautiful patterns and the second for its strength.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
FC : What I feel for design is an obsession, in a positive way. Continuously thinking up new products and innovative solutions is part of my being, it’s not something I’m able to separate from my daily life: I take my projects with me everywhere I go. Often, for example during long car trips, ideas come to me and I concentrate on new solutions. As I’m driving I’m able to follow my flow of thought without distractions or interruptions. But I also design while watching people and how they act: I’m always on the lookout for contaminations.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FC : New extraction systems, energy savings, the optimisation of air flows and external air exchange systems, fluid dynamics designed to guarantee maximum output and increasingly high-performing filtration systems all form the basis for new product. development; but that’s not enough: technology without vision is unable to reach its full potential.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FC : I feel excited by the challenge.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FC : Following each stage of the product’s development, from the embryonic idea of the concept to the production of the finished product, I end up feeling as if they’re my own, my “children”.
DI: What makes a design successful?
FC : When launching a new product, it is especially important to offer more than a mere technical description, seeking instead to tap into the emotional and motivational sphere.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FC : Aesthetics and ergonomics, then feasibility in terms of costs.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FC : A very important responsibility, to deliver functional yet beautiful objects, keeping in mind the environmental awareness.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FC : Design, as we know, is the synthesis of many disciplines not least of all sociology, semiotics and even more so, the human quality of the spirit of observation. What design will be in the future? It is going to be a tool to solve problems.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FC : My products are show very frequently, I can't recall the last one. Looking forward to future, Eurocucina will be the next exhibition.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FC : My source is everything that surrounds me and how I look at it, sometimes inspiration just hit you while your doing something ordinary.
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?
FC : My design is characterised by clean lines and features. It is an elegant fast car.
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?
FC : It obviously does. Italians are people that like to engaged in projects when they see an opportunity in them, so the engagement transforms in passione and that's why we are able to deliver such beautiful products.
DI: How do you work with companies?
FC : I have request from external companies and we usually discuss a brief and I deliver the proposals, we discuss them together and we pick the best fit for that specific company. Then I see the final results.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FC : Pick a passionate person.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FC : When I think of something new, I always start with a vision, an emotional image that represents the final part of a design path. This helps me imagine how the person who eventually finds themselves looking at the product might feel. This is the vision that brings everything to life.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
FC : Chairs, small appliances, tools, personal computers and lamps.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
FC : I wake up usually late for work, rush in the office starting to call people already in the car, spend all day discussing projects with my team and other teams. When everybody else goes home, I find my quiet and start actually design. I go home and I keep designing until late night. And then it is all over again.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FC : just be passionate about what you do, the rest will come.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FC : Design is a life you choose, you never leave it in the office, it is always around you.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FC : Not too much, not too little.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
FC : Drawing, ability in visual representation and storytelling
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
FC : I mainly use the softwares to design what I have in mind. I use drawing just when I need to explain something quickly to someone else and my pc is out of reach. Inspiration comes to several sources around me.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FC : I work has hard as I can and at nights. It is the only way to cope with my job duties and the actual designing process of the products.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FC : It totally depends on the object your designing. Sometimes the flow is fast and engaging and times it is boring and never ending.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FC : What design means for you?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
FC : Landing in Elica was the most important.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
FC : I work for Elica and Elica has many clients, Whirlpool, Ikea, Indesit, Hotpoint Ariston, Bosch, Electrolux, but also Asian brands such as Midea and Haier, Ariafina (which is the Elica group’s brand in Japan) and many more.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FC : Product design, because it gives me the chance to touch and feel the final product.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FC : I don't like to reveal what is next, it is certainly taking care of my family and design!
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FC : I always work byself and then if I can't decide which way is the best, I tell other people about my project and listen to their consoderations
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FC : All the unrevealed projects are secretated.
DI: How can people contact you?
FC : f.crisa@elica.com
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
FC : They are quite a few....