We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO ("ZTZ").

ZATOO is an acronym of the initials (ZA+TOO) of the founders of Designstudio, Martina Zappettini and Valerio Tunesi, architects in Genoa, whose association is founded since 1992 for the architectural projects for research and international ideas competitions.

ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO.

Designer Interview of ZAPPETTINI TUNESI ZATOODESIGNSTUDIO:

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?

ZTZ : ZATOO is an acronym of the initials (ZA+TOO) of the founders of Designstudio, born in 2012 by Martina Zappettini and Valerio Tunesi, architects in Genoa, whose association is founded since 1992 for the architectural projects at the urban scale for research and international ideas competitions. In these last 10 years we especially reserach in industrial design, furniture and lights.

DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

ZTZ : VALERIO TUNESI and MARTINA ZAPPETTINI, co-founders of ZATOO DESIGNSTUDIO, are graduated at the Faculty of Architecture in Genoa, involved in research in architectural urban design. Valerio was born in Milan. He lived and worked in Milan at the Architect Maurice Cerasi Studio. Since 1993 he has been living and working in Genoa. MARTINA ZAPPETTINI was born in Genoa. She worked in Genoa with " RENZO PIANO BUILDING WORKSHOP; she lived and worked in Milan, also active in the field of jewellery with achievements of sculpture - goldsmith. Now she is been working in Genoa and is living in Chiavari.

DI: What is "design" for you?

ZTZ : For us the design is not a formal act but is obtained from a structured, precise, natural and complex project, which, away from thal gesture, has, as its aims, the clarity, the simplicity, and ultimately, the beauty that results from.e product of a form

DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?

ZTZ : Every work is interesting if we have possibility to study and reserch about it; everything has needto be studied and designed, "from the allen to the city".

DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

ZTZ : Our favorite design is the scandinavian design for the essentiality of the forms that are in close connection with the function. At the same time, Nordic design is attentive to materials, fabrics and to their assembly.

DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?

ZTZ : The first thing we designed for a company is the modular bookcase, TREEBOOKS: is a library module with a customizable and flexible use. Its main characteristic is the possibility of changing the location and the number of shelves according to the both functional chromatic needs

DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

ZTZ : There is no specific favorite material or plarform or technology for us. Everything depend on the design project we develop: if it is a research project or if it is a project requested by a company and therefore by what the requests are.

DI: When do you feel the most creative?

ZTZ : In every moment: the creativity is imprevedible!

DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

ZTZ : Every aspect and every detail we do focus during designing process.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

ZTZ : We feel energy when we are designing an object.

DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

ZTZ : Depends on te result: everytime is a great emotion to see the project realized. After that some doubts may arise to try and always improve.

DI: What makes a design successful?

ZTZ : A design object is successful if it is in perfect synchrony and harmony with the tumes and the community.

DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

ZTZ : The functionality and simplicity in the form despite the complexity of the project

DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

ZTZ : An designer has the responsability to create objecs and spaces for the uman being for the uman well-being, always and everywhere, with attention to all that surround us, remembering to balance between nature and artifice.

DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

ZTZ : The future of design is the increasingly complex connection with other disciplines and sectors. The design fields will be more and more branched.

DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

ZTZ : Our last exibition was in Milan at' Fuorisalone 2018' in Via Tortona - 'Basic Cell event'

DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

ZTZ : The design inspiration for our works is interwined with architectural process, comes suddenly after long observations, reflections, breaks, on different aspects, things, even distant fron one another.

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?

ZTZ : Our design is contemponary, does not have a precise style, if not influences that are interwined. As we have already said above, we research a 'structured' design,obtained by a precise, natural and complex project, which, away from the product of a formal gesture, has, as its aims, the clarity, the simplicity, and ultimately, the beauty that results from. The unpredictability and versatility are the added characters from the Designstudio that express the synthesis of the current path followed so far: the design reflects the point of contact between being architects and the perceptive - creative informal moment, between discipline and play.

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?

ZTZ : We live in Genoa (Valerio) and in Chiavari (Martina). The italian culture influences us but is interwined with the North Europe past and present design research.

DI: How do you work with companies?

ZTZ : We work above all through the proposal of our projects, but also designing objects following the requests of companies.

DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

ZTZ : A company should have a lot of communication exchanges with a designer to get a good design product. A good designer is connstantly searching, can change his mind about the project until reaches a satisfactory product shared with the company.

DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?

ZTZ : The creativ process takes place through sketches, texts, images and above all, through the project prototype.

DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?

ZTZ : Forniture: chair, armchair, bookcase, table system, lights

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

ZTZ : Everyday we go in the office, we try to find space and time for hand drawing, operating with constancy. Everyday however, it is different fron the others and therefore the work is not continuous; in the studio the work is diversified among architectural, technical and design projects.

DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

ZTZ : We must everyday with perseverance and passion: the results will come! (but we need to know to wait...)

DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

ZTZ : The positive thing is a creative work (not just methodical work) ; the thing less positive is that it procededs without external certanties.

DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?

ZTZ : Everything can be a golden rule in design: depends on the historical moment.

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

ZTZ : Constancy, method, perseverance and passion

DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

ZTZ : Sketches, Handmade drawings, cad, render, images, texts.

DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

ZTZ : We try to dedicate time to design process everyday.

DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

ZTZ : Depends on the object types: on average some are needed months, even a year sometimes

DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?

ZTZ : "How did it come to your mind?"

DI: What was your most important job experience?

ZTZ : There are various work experiences that have been important: certainly the several exhibitions at Fuorisalone in Milan.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

ZTZ : private customers who want spaces in which to live and workand quality objects.

DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

ZTZ : We prefer industrial design, especially the furniture for the variety of themes and for their connection.

DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?

ZTZ : Our future plan is that of collaborating with different companies.

DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

ZTZ : We create the project but later we develod together other professional figures, especially ertisans and engineers.

DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?

ZTZ : In this moment we develop the system chair CC, declined in several sizes.

DI: How can people contact you?

ZTZ : Thtough our site

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

ZTZ : No, the questions have been exhaustive.