We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Omar Qubain and Tina Saghbini ("OQATS").

Omar Qubain and Tina Saghbini is an award-winning designer that helps make the World a better place with their original and innovative creations and advanced design works.

Omar Qubain and Tina Saghbini Designs

We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Omar Qubain and Tina Saghbini.

Designer Interview of Omar Qubain and Tina Saghbini:

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?

OQATS : We were drawn to design early on in life. Through design we found our voice, a platform to express our ideas and our personal take on life. Having found each other while doing a Masters in Industrial Design in Milan, we quickly became good friends and shortly after set up our own practice; after two.

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

OQATS : The story behind the name after two is quiet frankly a peculiar one. Coincidentally, whenever Omar and I used to meet for our little design collabs it was always after two pm. Plus the fact that we are two and together we are capable of generating two or more ideas, the name after two was a natural choice. We like to think that this lighthearted name it is also an accurate reflection of our playful design concepts. Pep is our first design baby, and it brings us so much joy that it grabbed the the Bronze A' Design Award. Hopefully it is the first of many to come.

DI: What is "design" for you?

OQATS : Design is a tool that is able to capture and combine beauty with functionality. It is a language that supersedes cultural and geographical differences. Depending on how it is used, design could be both devastatingly destructive or beautifully constructive. For us, we always focus on the latter.

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

OQATS : Playful objects and playful scenarios.

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

OQATS : Our favourite design is simple design. Simple design is good design and good design is great design.

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

OQATS : That’s an objective we’re still working on.

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

OQATS : Sustainable materials, face to face meet ups and Instagram likes.


DI: When do you feel the most creative?

OQATS : Definitely after two.

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

OQATS : The core concept and its primary message, without one, a design is rendered useless, doesn’t matter how beautiful it is.

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

OQATS : A healthy combination of joy and stress.

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

OQATS : Bitter sweets feelings, raging anywhere from pride to a pinch of sadness. Pride, because we were capable of successfully realising a design. Sadness, because who likes goodbyes?

DI: What makes a design successful?

OQATS : Right away, if the concept was able to tickle us on the inside, thats our measure for a successful design.

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

OQATS : If the concept has little to no explanation, then that is typically the first indicator of good design.

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

OQATS : To constantly work towards social and environmentally sustainable designs.

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

OQATS : Artificial intelligence. A scary and exciting future that yet to be revealed.

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

OQATS : At Cascina Cuccagna as part of fuorisalone 2018.

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

OQATS : Our inspirations are typically a blast from the past. Brainstorming and picking each other’s minds is also a treasure cove of ideas.

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?

OQATS : We would like our design to fit anywhere anytime. We strive to create timeless designs; proposals that have the power to conjure up nostalgic joys.

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?

OQATS : Originally Omar comes from Jordan and I from Lebanon. Coming from the levant region, we have a lot cultural heritage to draw inspiration from. Both of us were lucky enough to have traveled abroad for our postgraduate eduction. Especially lucky to be based in Milan!. Needless to say living in Milan is pretty exciting for us designers. With its vibrant and active design scene, there is always something to see, do or experience. That said, living in Milan as a designer comes with it own challenges; it could be compared to trying to make it as an actor in LA.

DI: How do you work with companies?

OQATS : We collaborated with several respectable companies during our Master Degree program in Milan… Lavazza, iGuzzini and Panino Giusto, just to name a few.

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

OQATS : Companies must take their time to thoroughly go through designers portfolios. Design portfolios speak for themselves.

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

OQATS : We usually set our own design briefs. And typically we are constantly in collaboration, but something that really help our design process is working individually. We would get together and work intensely then leave things for a few days, think of it as breathing space. This time apart allows personal ideas to naturally marinate so that the next time we meet each other, our process is richer in a sense.

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

OQATS : For Tina its: Her university project prototypes Her collection of turtle lucky charms Her drums set The Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer The Mood cutlery set by Christofle For Omar its: The LC2 Armchair by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand His matcha tea set His tote bag by Abno Designs

DI: Can you describe a day in your life?

OQATS : magic starts after two

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

OQATS : Be curious. Dream big. Sketch. Sketch Sketch.

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

OQATS : Finding your deign niche and making a living out of it, could be challenging. Designers must have the courage to seek out a job that feed their soul, the kind of job that would make them want to jump out of bed in the morning.

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

OQATS : Following Dieter Rams's ten principlesforgood design while breaking all the rest.

DI: What skills are most important for a designer?

OQATS : The ability to convey a message coherently and effectively.

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

OQATS : Pinterest, pencils, papers and not pirated programs.

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

OQATS : Dividing big tasks into smaller more manageable ones and taking things one step at a time. Its all about the small wins.

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

OQATS : Depends on the deadline; could be anywhere from a day to a year.

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

OQATS : “can you do this design for free, as a small favour?”

DI: What was your most important job experience?

OQATS : For both Omar and I it was quitting our separate jobs gracefully.

DI: Who are some of your clients?

OQATS : Ourselves! We can’t wait to get our hands on our very own peps.

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

OQATS : We’re still figuring this out. Ask us again in a year.

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

OQATS : Pep is currently making the jump from a concept to a physical prototype. If all goes well, we hope to start producing and selling pep within the coming year. Apart from pep we are constantly cooking up more award winning design ideas.

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

OQATS : We come in two. And develop designs after two.

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

OQATS : We have a few, definitely more than two.

DI: How can people contact you?

OQATS : DM us on Instagram @aftertwodesigns Or email us at: aftertwodesigns@gmail.com