We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Paulo ("Paulo").
Paulo Italiani is a award winning industrial and automotive designer, idea igniter,and lecturer. He is focused in innovation, and creating new future-oriented concepts for contemporary needs for US, Europe and China markets. He believes people are made of a melting pot of references that triggers emotions and reactions via micro or macro expressions. “We are programed by nature and guided by culture; printed references that make us like or dislike objects and situations. “ He has strong product design and automotive design skills. His work include consumer electronics, automotive, IoT, and interior design.
Paulo Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Paulo.
Paulo Design - Vixen Electric Sports Kit Car
Designer Interview of Paulo:
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?
Paulo : My earliest memories are of a boy who could barely walk but was already gripping a crayon tightly. According to my family, I began making my first recognizable drawings at just two years old—an elephant, to be exact. From that moment on, I became obsessed with translating ideas onto paper. I started with comic book characters, then moved on to cars. But what truly shaped my problem-solving mindset wasn’t just drawing—it was my first LEGO sets. Building things from random blocks (I rarely followed the instructions as a child) exponentially boosted my creativity. Since then, I’ve been more focused on creating solutions I can visualize on paper rather than simply crafting beautiful designs.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
Paulo : My company offers the opportunity to explore uncharted paths in innovation, by applying Design Thinking methodology developed at Stanford University—a proven approach to accelerating the creation of user-centered products. However, with over 20 years of experience, we’ve evolved this framework by integrating radical perspective-shifting techniques, ensuring our solutions bring a strong competitive edge to the final design.
DI: What is "design" for you?
Paulo : Keeping a future-oriented mindset is becoming increasingly difficult, as the future seems to arrive faster—and with greater uncertainty. Design is a teaser of the future — an ability to shape what’s to come into an object that is ahead of its time.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
Paulo : I enjoy disrupting the status quo of everyday objects, while enhancing key aspects of their usability. Whether it’s an electric car with a groundbreaking battery-swapping system, a motorcycle that supports multiple energy modules —from combustion to hydrogen — or even a simple power drill that makes its owner feels like a NASA engineer, thanks to its design and embedded technology. What excites me most is the challenge of delivering something truly new.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Paulo : My most favorite design is always the latest one. Right now, I'm re-imagining the front and rear of a new hypercar brand, using this chance to take a product that’s over six years in the making and push it ten years into the future.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
Paulo : It was the Interior of an Italian sport scar brand.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Paulo : I'm impressed with AI tools that can take my sketched and doodles and turn into infinite variations of design and CMF so I can choose the best fit.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
Paulo : Right before bed, I feel that I can solve any problem I may have missed during the day
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
Paulo : The silhouette. The human brain instinctively processes outlines before it perceives color, texture, or detail. It's the first visual cue our neural networks use to classify an object. The silhouette defines the soul and stance of a design; it conveys power, intent, and identity at a glance.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
Paulo : Every new project begins with excitement, a surge of adrenaline of stepping into a sci-fi journey. What follows is a mix of struggle and discovery: moments of frustration as challenges arise, followed by the thrill of 'aha' moments when solutions appear.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Paulo : It’s a deeply fulfilling process—watching raw ideas evolve, take form, and become a refined, tangible object
DI: What makes a design successful?
Paulo : It's when vision meets user needs.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
Paulo : The message. I first look at the clarity of the design’s intent—both emotional and functional. A single object doesn’t need to solve every problem, but it must solve at least one exceptionally well—even if its purpose is purely decorative.