We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Mikolaj Dymowski ("MD").
Mikolaj Dymowski is a Polish born product designer living and working in London, UK. In 2014 Mikolaj graduated from Royal College of Art as well as Imperial College where he received MA and MSc. Following his graduation he worked for a top British design consultancy where he was involved in a number of projects spanning accross transport, consumer electronics, retail, etc. Since leaving a full time job, Mikolaj has worked both as an independent designer and a freelancer focusing on a wider range of projects such as medical, packaging, exhibition, furniture and home accessories. In 2017 Mikolaj worked as a tutor at Imperial College London assisting students in their final projects preparation. He then joined Royal College of Art for a speculative research project.
Mikolaj Dymowski Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Mikolaj Dymowski.
Designer Interview of Mikolaj Dymowski:
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?
MD : I have always been sketching a lot, it was almost impulsive. Every little bit of paper was covered with my sketches – book margins, envelopes, even napkins. So, after a primary school I decided to continue my education in Arts High School where I spent next 5 years developing my drawing, painting, sculpting and other skills. I then studied a BA industrial design course at Academy of Fine Art. For me it was a perfect combination of art sensitivity and entrepreneurial approach which I was taking in as a child watching my father run his business. After my BA I came to London to continue my education at the Royal College of Art.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
MD : Until the end of 2015 I worked for a renowned design agency learning from top professionals in the field and working on a wide range of products including transport design and consumer electronics. Founding Dymovski Design in 2016 was a natural next step for me. My studio is a small industrial design practice focusing mainly furniture, exhibitions, interiors, graphics and packaging. We are located in East London.
DI: What is "design" for you?
MD : I like to use a Rubik’s cube as a metaphor of how I perceive design. Here, in the same way as in design process you have a large number of variables and there is no one particular way to solve the Rubik cube. I believe in a process driven design, where there are no templates, where experimentation can show us new ways of reaching a successful outcome.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
MD : My love for design started with drawing shoes when I was a kid, however I have not designed one yet
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
MD : In terms of my projects it is probably my latest project Flow (OLED lamp). It was the technology driven project. I am fascinated by the properties of the new OLED LG panels, so I decided to explore ways to apply it. As a result, I designed an ambient light mainly for public spaces, which I find to be an optimal context for it.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
MD : My very first contact with industry was when I was 25. It was designing a modular seating system for a Polish company. This project has been prototyped but unfortunately it has never been mass produced. The first implemented project I designed was an armchair I worked on during my internship. Luckily was quite successful.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
MD : I generally prefer working with natural materials for several reasons. One of them is aesthetic value. They are beautiful, diverse, bring essence to the interior, they have a history, they are unique. They also require craftmanship which connects today’s world with tradition in the most fantastic way.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
MD : Usually in the morning after light breakfast and a strong coffee. I am also creatively boosted when traveling by a coach or a train, it inspires me.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
MD : I focus on the holistic user experience. To provide best possible one you can’t really focus on one aspect more than on other ones. Everything needs to be synced and as such fully developed no matter whether we talk about function, aesthetics, or anything else.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
MD : It is truly an emotional rollercoaster, from euphoria to being totally depressed, deflated and then again euphoric.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
MD : Proud, satisfied, content and calm.
DI: What makes a design successful?
MD : Fundamental element of success in design is sell, as Raymond Loewy once said: ‘The most beautiful curve is a rising sales graph’. That’s the most relevant, accurate and honest type of feedback you can get. After all customers will only buy products they see real value in.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
MD : Does it solve a problem? Is it intuitive in use, aesthetically pleasing and eye catching, sustainable, interesting, intelligent? How it is going to be transported? Can it be recycled or reused?
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
MD : A designer should understand dynamics of a society and its consequences. Family model and life style are changing constantly, technology is being developed exponentially. Environmental issues have significantly grown, economic and political aspects change. The truth is that a designer is not a decision maker, he or she can only propose some solutions, but even though the real power is in hands of manufacturers, entrepreneurs and businessmen it is a designer’s job to ensure that their projects offer solutions and products that are sustainable both environmentally and socially, durable and timeless.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
MD : Currently the bond between hardware and software is getting stronger, I think that this tendency leads toward merging hardware and software into one new ‘state of matter’. In terms of future of design, it will certainly be very much dependent on AI development. In the era where technological growth comes exponentially, we can expect radical changes in all aspects of life including design. The design process will be radically different from the one today that’s for sure, in positive scenario, designer will be greatly enhanced by technology, in dystopian will be replaced.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
MD : The last time that the product I was working on was exhibited was last December. It was a medical device designed to help people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease overcome freeze of gait. The project was done for London based med-tech company Walk With Path and the exhibition took place at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City as part of the Access+Ability exhibition.I am currently working on a few projects so hopefully will have my next event in the fall.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
MD : I try to keep my mind open because inspiration may come from any angle at any time. That’s why living in London is great because I am exposed to great deal of stimuli. I can meet people from various cultures from all over the world, explore their habits, rituals, crafts, materials, fashion, 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?
MD : It really depends on a client I work for. When I was working in a design consultancy I worked on projects for large corporations who have well-developed brand identity. We received guidelines, where almost each aspect of design was predefined, this left little room for expressing yourself. In this case the main objective was to express the company’s values.It is quite different in for instance a furniture industry, where companies pride themselves in working with a certain designer mainly because of the recognizable design language they can pump into products. For me the most important value when designing is honesty. This may be understood as creating logical but also emotional relations between elements. To create a flow, to make a product live, coherent, logical and fascinating. I try not to be fixated on specific aesthetic features but rather keep my head open in order to execute the idea in a best possible way.
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?
MD : I live in London which, as mentioned before, is very inspirational and brings a lot of input into my designs.However, I was born and grew up in Poland in 80’s when the communism was in a full swing. This shaped the generations of our parents and grandparents. The scarcity of almost any product on the shelves made our parents very practical, efficient, economic, smart, resourceful and creative. These are beautiful features that characterize great design.
DI: How do you work with companies?
MD : Projects are always different, so is type of collaboration, dynamics between people, etc. The similarity occurs on a very general level, no matter with whom you work, there is always a lot of traveling, meeting, mailing, etc. I am always trying to be flexible, to adjust to the culture and rhythm of the companies I work with.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
MD : Again, this depends on the company. A designer may be dealing with a start-up or with a large corporation - each of them will have a different understanding of a designer’s role in a project. A designer must clearly express his/her role and competence. This educational aspect is very important, because it helps to establish a proper dynamic with a client. In terms of selection of a good designer, the most popular is word of mouth, however it doesn’t mean that other ways don’t work.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
MD : Before designing a product, I try to understand what the most relevant process would be. If you work with a brief, then you need to understand the challenges, constraints, market, etc. If you work with self-initiated projects then you need to decide what do you want to explore, what is your goal, starting point/meta theme, etc. Nonetheless it is an iterative process and it always requires a lot of sketching, making models, mock-ups, test rigs, etc.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
MD : I would rephrase that question and ask: What are 5 of your favourite items at home? since everything is designed really. I like my Philips juicer which is a very powerful heavy-duty object always performing perfectly. I like my Eames chair, which is a beautiful piece of furniture, intelligently designed, innovative and timeless. I love working with my Nikon d90 and 50mm lens which is perfect for product photography. Truly like my new Salomon running shoes for the experience they provide with highest quality materials, very ergonomic and light, plus they are in one of my favourite colours which is bright, neon green. Last but not least is my dinner table I made myself. Its far from perfection when it comes to craftsmanship, but I learnt a lot about working with wood and aluminium. Despite the imperfections, I believe it fits nicely to my living room.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
MD : It always takes me quite while to warm up. I start with breakfast and coffee, check inbox and hopefully if I don’t have too much admin work I can start working, depending on the stage of a project I either draw, build a mock-up or model something in CAD. That lasts until evening then I go for a run or hit the gym. That’s the general frame, however I like to experiment and test new situations.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
MD : Ask me this question in 20 years, please.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
MD : The positive is that design is a mindset, it is an approach which can be used in many different contexts not related to designing a new product. It is a great problem-solving tool, which may help you with managing various situations. The negative is that it can be frustrating as a creative process in general might be.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
MD : Stay open and expect unexpected.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
MD : Traditional ID package works well. Sketching (doesn’t have to ‘beautiful’, it used to be before computer era when all presentations were made by hand) it should be a tool to explore different directions and quickly note down ideas. Making staff is important as it helps understand material behaviour, properties, limitation, etc. Quick cardboard mock-ups serving as a 3D sketches, knowing CAD software is fundamental, also some software for renders and obviously Photoshop, Illustrator and In Design.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
MD : Laptop, camera, tablet, Solidworks, Keyshot or 3Ds Max, Photoshop, Illustrator, In Design, lots of pens and markers, A3 and A4 paper, tracing paper, carboard, Stanley knife, ruler, etc.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
MD : There is a saying that the best way to eat an elephant is to do it one bite at a time. Maybe not everyone agrees with that, but I find it quite handy to split the whole process into small chunks.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
MD : There are many variables which may impact a whole process. Sometimes product may be ready within 3 months, sometimes within 2 years or more. The type of the product is obviously one of the factors. Designing and developing a piece of furniture may consume different amount of time and energy than for instance high tech medical device, a toy for toddlers, or seat for business class in aviation sector. One of the reasons behind that is the fact the obtaining necessary certificates may take a lot of time.Another aspect is the company’s resources and know-how, as well as the business model, e.g. whether they manufacture themselves or outsource the production.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
MD : What do you think of that?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
MD : Definitely my time spent in Tangerine in London, a top design consultancy. For the first time in my life I could work for big and important companies such as Nikon, Toyota, Virgin Australia and many, many more on projects which won some of the most prestigious design awards.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
MD : Furniture companies, medical, lighting, sometimes start-ups, sometimes well-established brands. I like variety.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
MD : Ideation, when I am coming up with some new ideas.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
MD : In the nearest future I am planning to focus mainly on furniture. I just came back from Salone del Mobile in Milan where I met many interesting people and I am currently working on establishing new relationships. I am also planning to expand my home accessories brand called laatka.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
MD : Developing a design is always a team work. It is crucial to speak with many people, such as engineers, technicians and other experts to develop an optimal solution and ultimately a successful product.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
MD : I do work on several projects currently; however, it is too early say anything about them out loud.
DI: How can people contact you?
MD : The easiest is through my website: www.dymovskidesign.com