We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Benoît SEPULCHRE ("BS").
I spend a lot of time watching the world, living in the movement of things to feel what markets need. Many observations and analyzes give the justifications. There is then only to create what will make the success on the market ... I put my knowledge to the help of those who want to succeed!
Benoît SEPULCHRE Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Benoît SEPULCHRE.
Designer Interview of Benoît SEPULCHRE:
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?
BS : Young, I wanted to do many different jobs as a farmer, airplane pilot, technical draftsman, teacher ... Larger in high school in the early 90 ', I discovered drawing and creation in technical subjects .. As I was angry with the French teaching system, I became interested in design where learning used my main qualities: curiosity, listening, analysis, creativity ... It only remained for me to learn the sketch drawing ...
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
BS : After 5 years of design studies at the Institut Supérieur de Design and a first product designer position at the largest manufacturer of kitchen furniture in France, I created my own design agency. So was born at the end of 2002 the Agency PRODUCT with 3 main poles of activities: strategy, design and marketing because it did not seem to me possible to make good design without answering questions before and after the design (product creation).
DI: What is "design" for you?
BS : Design for me is a critical issue for humans on the planet earth. Beyond drawing, design seeks to find the best answer to balance its existance, its way of life and its future ... Thus aesthetics, ergonomics, needs, functions, environment, materials, resources and to finish the good are the bases of the current design approach ... for a more human innovation.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
BS : The works I prefer to design are those that enhance the user experience ...
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
BS : My favorite design is the latest (The Outdoor Wood Oven ALFRED), because it uses the largest number of different materials and processes which gives it a simple and complex shape at the same time and is the spirit that its users expected.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
BS : Apart from the products I design during my studies for companies (bottle holder, traffic light, fireplaces, Professional Outdoor Power Equipment, glue gun ...). The first product I created was a bathroom cabinet with a double basin made of molded ceramic for the brand SCHMIDT ... it was in 2001.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
BS : Although I really like wood and natural materials, I do not have any materials or platform / technology preferred. Because each project or product is different and these issues are their own.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
BS : Even if one of my mentor told me that creativity was every morning on the toilet ...! For me it is a state of mind that feeds every day and requires free time in the day (the morning, by car, on the train, in the evening, in a bar or a brewery ...) . So my mind has time to compose the creative score necessary to solve the questions I ask it.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
BS : When designing a product for the individual market, I focus on the search for the paradox ... indeed it is in my opinion thanks to the paradox that a creation holds the attention ... More overall it is the aspect of product life and eco-design that concentrate my work the most.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
BS : I do not particularly feel emotions when I'm doing design, it's more of the concentration that is needed. But this concentration requires an important state of relaxation. I must also interrupt regularly to always improve with a fresh look on my work ...
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
BS : In emotion it is of course pride ... but more than an emotion, it is a feeling to make the world better and help the society to improve that I feel.
DI: What makes a design successful?
BS : A design is successful when it creates desire, interest and satisfaction and welness for these users.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
BS : The use value is an important value in a good design. But from a commercial point of view I consider that the paradox offered by a new product allows it to exist more than another, so it is more visible in its market. This is the French paradox that is perhaps here at work?
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
BS : The responsibilities of a designer are essential for society and the environment because it is the designer that society and the environment depend on. The earth now lives a difficult time for the human. It existed before us and will exist long after us ... But we know what we've done to him, so it's up to us to give him back what we've done to him so that it does not happen to us faster than expected!
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
BS : Of course, the "field of design" is evolving. More than twenty years ago, design was a global approach, now it is partitioned in many fields related to innovation, design thinking, for products, for services ... In the future it will surely be the basis of a political approach because as long as we encounter problems in our life and in our societies, the design process to solve the problems is what is best for a better world.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
BS : My last exhibition was in 2014 at INNODESIGN. This was for a table with a light design in solid wood and aluminum. In general I do not often participate in exhibitions for my own products. On the other hand for the creations that I realize for my customers, this is more frequent at international fairs.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
BS : The inspiration of the design of my works comes from my culture and my sensitivity that I maintain with a lot of time to nourish my curiosity, to observe the world and a source so many ideas ... My approach is close to that of big architects / designer / engineers like Jean PROUVÉ, LE CORBUSIER or Frank Lloyd Wright. I feed my creativity with many observations of uses, society, nature ... This is inexhaustible.
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?
BS : I do not think I have a particular style. Indeed I adapt my style with the expectations of the market so that my creations are the most loved. But what characterizes me is often the useful and functional nature of my designs, because close to the principles of the Bauhaus founder of modern design, I have logic to say that the form follows the function. I seek to make the good easier and the evil more difficult.
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?
BS : I live in France more exactly in the East of France close to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. In short, I live in the center of Europe. Even though the Outdoor Wood Oven ALFRED has Scandinavian inspiration in my creations, I think that my French side is present ... always there the French paradox! Thus in France, we have the advantage of mixing the sweetness and voluptuousness of our Latin side while combining it with the more functional and sober aspect of the North of Europe. These are, in my opinion, advantages that melt all the richness of European cultural diversity.
DI: How do you work with companies?
BS : It's either me who finds the companies I want to work with, or it's the companies that come to ask me to work with them ... But in all these situations they always earn money quickly after my intervention. 6 to 24 months are enough to repay the investment of design in its entirety.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
BS : For starters, a designer must have a solid background of 4 to 5 years minimun. It must also be centered on the uses and it seeks to know as much as possible the market of the company ... It is also necessary that the designer performs a situatiuon analysis a benchmarke before or during his design mission is, in my opinion, a guarantee of quality of his performance.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
BS : My intervention process for product design always starts with an analysis of the sector of activity, competitors, the market ... a benchmark is the beginning of a good design ... After a period of integration, then starts writing scenarios of uses (both product and service). It is from these scenarios that physical conceptualization begins. Each step is then subject to validation with a project team. Once the main idea is validated, then begins the phase of technical development with the search for possible subcontractors ... All this continues with the validation of prototypes, pre-series and series products with all what revolves around, packaging, pricing policy ... But as each project is different it depends a lot on my clients.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
BS : The 5 favorite design objects at home are: My iphone 6s 128GB My MacBook Pro 17 'mid 2010 My MacBook Pro 15 'mid 2015 My pencil 0,7 2H Pentel Fiesta II My EBEL Chronograph E Type
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
BS : Raised around 7:30 in the morning, breakfast and put in order for the day ... Work start around 9:30 am with at least 1 hour of morning morning of discovery of professional information sources. From 13:00 to 13:30 lunch break. return to work until around 19:30 at the latest. The evening back in my house where I often cook with my 2 children and my wife ... I need 7 to 8 hours of sleep to be OK the next day.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
BS : Man is designed for his planet ... but his planet is not designed for what he is doing! Taking time in our ultra connected societies is essential. Observing nature, understanding its mechanisms is the best training possible. Doing one's best is always good at the end.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
BS : A designer normally asks the right questions to solve the problems that arise for him. It must have many qualities ... But often it is unfortunate that the designers feel superior to other people. This is in contradiction with the necessary qualities for a good designer.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
BS : My golden rule in design is to always apply the principles of eco-design to limit the impact of our society on our planet.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
BS : Knowing how to draw sketches is important, but you also have to know how to use 3D software and how to communicate to present and sell your ideas ...
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
BS : My first tool is my pencil for drawing sketches, then I work a lot with illustrator and photoshop for graphics and 2D. As for 3D software, after starting with software like Alias or Rhino, now I use Sketch'Up and SolidThinking Evolve ... My sources of inspiration are many because they come from my European and international culture.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
BS : Indeed the design can take a lot of time sometimes ... But you have to know how to waste time to win then ... the hardest thing is to manage the time so you do not have too much time lost. Then you have to use the time lost to save time later. It improves with experience.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
BS : It depends on the complexity of the object (material, process, ...) but also mainly depends on the structure and size of the client. This can range from a few weeks to several months or years depending on the complexity of the case.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
BS : Often I am asked that studies I did to get to be a designer, I then explain that studies of 4 to 5 years are necessary and that it also takes a lot of practice and internships.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
BS : Even if my first integrated designer job was important to me, I tend to say that it's always my last experience that is the most important because I always improve as my work progresses. . So now in 2019 the last commercial product is the Outdoor Wood Oven ALFRED.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
BS : My clients can be large international companies like SALOMON (sports equipment) who are accustomed to design but also small companies that have never used the services of real designers ... the company Four Grand-Mère is the typical example .
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
BS : There is still a lot of design to do ... What I like most is working for a client who had never used a designer before me, because I can do the best design and explain how design will grow the business.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
BS : I continue to work with the company Four Grand Mère to design the big brother of the Outdoor Wood Oven ALFRED ... but I also have other customers in the fields of furniture that ask me to work with them ... But I also have brands of products that belong to me that I will soon launch on the market ... Stay tuned!
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
BS : I already worked as a team, we were up to 5 people with trainees. But now I prefer to work alone with freelancers and subcontractors to meet all my needs.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
BS : It's the big brother of the Outdoor Wood Oven ALFRED, it is named NESTOR for the professional cooks and the amateurs of big kitchens of outside ... launching current 2019.
DI: How can people contact you?
BS : For Profesionnal: By Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benoit-sepulchre-99310b2/ For the press and the media: By email: benoit@agence-product.com
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
BS : Personally I practice a lot of sliding sports ... I am also a snowboard instructor. I practice surfing, paddleboarding, swimming and skiing. I love hiking in the mountains and by the sea ... I like cooking and everything related to the traditions of French cuisine such as wine ...