We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Jonathan Beldner ("JB").
Jon Beldner is a results driven designer focused on creating innovative products for companies. These are achieved with thorough and meticulous research, extensive sketching, and endless prototyping. Jon's accolades include winning a sustainability design award from Bonnell Aluminum and flying to Italy as a finalist in Bruni's annual glass development competition. His creative and charismatic demeanor allows him to conceptualize unique solutions for a variety of applications.
Jonathan Beldner Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Jonathan Beldner.
Jonathan Beldner Design - Samara Coffee Table
Designer Interview of Jonathan Beldner:
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?
JB : I was fortunate enough to move many times as a child. This opened my eyes to the world as my family moved overseas to Denmark. Being surrounded by such a design focused society had a profound impact on me, and as we moved back to the states I grew up watching my mother impeccably decorate our new homes. I found myself intrigued by many of the furnishings and accessories she chose. The objects and products I personally gravitated towards were often more minimalist and efficient in their design, Scandinavian in a sense. I made it my goal to study abroad in Scandinavia and learn more about design, which I did my senior year of high school. In rural Sweden I studied design at a college prep school and learned all about form development with a Nordic flair. To continue my design education, I studied Industrial Design at Purdue University.
DI: What is "design" for you?
JB : Design is creating purposeful, aesthetically pleasing objects that offer a user hesitation free operation.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
JB : I particularly enjoy designing furniture and other objects for the home. Aside from the products that go in them, I like conceptualizing houses or buildings too.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
JB : The first product I designed for a company was a hand blender.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
JB : The organic, story telling nature of wood is fascinating to me.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
JB : I feel the most creative when I am in beautiful environments and inspiring cities. Listening to music also helps immensely for me too.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
JB : I tend to focus heavily on intuitive operation, experience improving features and overall aesthetics.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
JB : I feel accomplished and happy.
DI: What makes a design successful?
JB : Successful designs require little thought to use and are pleasing to look at.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
JB : I consider the value it has over other competitive products or existing designs, as in what makes it unique. I also look for consistency in form language and thoughtful development.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
JB : A designer needs to progress the needs of consumers and evolve to suit their and the environment's needs.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
JB : The "design field" is becoming much more technology based, we will likely see many more connected products.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
JB : My last exhibition was at Purdue University in a library gallery space. Our formal senior show in Chicago was unfortunately canceled...I would have loved the opportunity to show my work there to professionals.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
JB : A lot of my design inspiration comes from nature and architecture. Beautiful, historically significant cities are incredibly inspiring for me. Breathtaking landscapes and cool plants are amazing too. I enjoy the contrast between my two inspirational realms.
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?
JB : My design style is pared back and intentional in nature. I think I can attribute this to all the time I spent in Scandinavia during my educational and personal endeavors. I have a tendency to use very crisp, expressive lines and muted colors with purpose.
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?
JB : I live in the United States which has such a variety of cities and natural environments. I personally enjoy diverse cities with well preserved, historic architecture in mountainous or hilly areas.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
JB : Designers should be well-rounded individuals that offer a wide skill set. That being said, designers need to be capable of working with a range of others and capable of taking criticism.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
JB : I typically start by conducting research on the product at hand before diving into an ideation phase. After I have generated many different concepts, I narrow down my focus and refine the best of my initial ideas. Finally, I create my final design either physically or rendered on the computer.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
JB : My Shinola watch that's all stainless steel with a black face, olive green Swedish weekend bag, and the furniture I have created as I cannot afford designer pieces yet
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
JB : I love the creative importance of being a designer and watching concepts develop before coming to life. Tight deadlines and exacting clients make the job stressful sometimes. The pressure to create revolutionary products in a space that in reality sees slower evolution can be frustrating as well.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
JB : In my opinion, a designer's ability to think of quality new ideas is the single most important skill.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
JB : I typically sketch by hand and with a Microsoft Surface tablet. As for software, I predominately use the Adobe Suite, Solidworks and Keyshot.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
JB : I write down itemized lists of what I need to accomplish within a given time frame. Crossing off what I have completed is extremely satisfying.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
JB : A design can always be improved, so is one ever truly complete?
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
JB : Where do you get your ideas from?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
JB : Working at an appliance company has been very rewarding for me and taught me a lot about the industry.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
JB : Bruni Glass, Midea America Corporation, Fujitsu Network Communications
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
JB : I enjoy developing beautiful objects, so more aesthetic based challenges are always fun for me.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
JB : I am currently looking for permanent design opportunities as an Industrial Designer in the United States and European Union.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
JB : I often ask others for their input and opinion on my designs. Criticism is extremely important in the field of design.
DI: How can people contact you?
JB : My email is jonbeldner@outlook.com
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
JB : Please visit my personal design website for more of my work: https://jonbeldner.wixsite.com/home