We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Doug Garven ("DG").
Doug Garven is a product designer with over thirty years of experience in the Durable Medical Equipment industry, both using and designing manual wheelchairs. An Industrial Design graduate from Kent State University, an automotive accident left him a T6 paraplegic. As an avid motorsports and yacht racing enthusiast, Garven uses his passions to inspire his four-wheeled creations and is always looking to push the boundaries of convention and think of new ways to solve and improve the mobility for those in need.
Doug Garven Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Doug Garven.
Doug Garven Design - CR1 Wheelchair
Designer Interview of Doug Garven:
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?
DG : I have been an Industrial Designer since graduating from Kent State University in 1992. As a kid growing up, my mom was an artist and my dad was an engineer, so I had an affinity for both drawing and problem solving. Knowing this, my dad was the one who thought Industrial Design would be a great career choice for me. I thought I wanted to be a Mechanical Engineer and spent two years in that program which I was not enjoying. So, after two years I switched majors and have been a designer ever since.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
DG : Permobil, a Swedish company, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Investor AB. Permobil was founded by Dr. Per Udden in 1967 and was built around the idea that every person has the right to have his or her disability compensated as far as possible by aids with the same technical standard as those we all use in our everyday lives. Today, Permobil is present in more than 17 countries around the world and has over 1600 employees.
DI: What is "design" for you?
DG : Design for me has several meanings, both functional and aesthetic. It represents the essence of something, the heart and soul of what something is or does and how that is communicated and interpreted by an individual.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
DG : I enjoy problem solving, taking a need and creating a functional device that solves that need in a visually pleasing form.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
DG : My most favorite design that I have created has been the CR1. It was a unique project that doesn’t come around very often for designers, the opportunity to create a flagship product, from the ground up, with the only limits being your imagination. It represents everything I’ve learned in my professional career and showcases many ideas and concepts I’ve had over that time but didn’t have the opportunity to try.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
DG : One of my first design projects were some hospital bed control panels. I did pages and pages of different button design concept sketches, different shapes and layout configurations. To this day, if I’m ever in a hospital or see a bed on tv I’m looking at their sideguard control panels to see how they look.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
DG : My favorite material is carbon fiber. It has an unmatched strength to weight ratio and can be created in almost any shape or form. My favorite technology is manufacturing and in terms of product applications is automotive.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
DG : I would say I am most creative in the late morning or early evening hours.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
DG : Functionality, always making sure it works first, a true believer in form follows function. That doesn't mean that aesthetics aren't as important, I believe they are. But, you can have the most aesthetically pleasing design and if it doesn't function the way it is supposed to you will eventually be disappointed.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
DG : I have never been asked that before, I would say mostly a calm, analytical, relaxed feeling, not really an emotion I realize. At least at the early stages of a project, that can turn to frustration and stress as a project progresses, or doesn't progress and deadlines approach!
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
DG : Satisfaction and pride for sure.
DI: What makes a design successful?
DG : A successful design does the job it was intended to do in a clean and elegant manner.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
DG : What was the design intended for and how successfully does it accomplish that goal.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
DG : I think a designer's responsibility to society and the environment is dependent upon what the end product is and how many of them will be used.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
DG : In the product design world, there is an ever growing push towards using recylable materials and I believe this trend will continue where applicable.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
DG : Inspiration can come from anywhere, sometimes it's seeing something man-made, sometimes it's something in nature, you never know!
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?
DG : I am more of a minimalist, I like simple, clean designs that showcase a purity of form.
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?
DG : I live in Nashville, TN, USA and I would say our country's heritage plays a part in what you as a person are exposed to which of course is going to influence what you see, think and do as a person. I have lived abroad several times in my life and do think those outside cultures and experiences have helped shape me both as a designer and as a person.
DI: How do you work with companies?
DG : Ha, I am employed by a large one so the answer is very closely!
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
DG : Finding that right fit can be difficult, especially for a young designer. It goes both ways of course, but making sure a potential designer is the right fit is very important for their happiness which will be reflected in the quality of work they produce.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
DG : It's rather simple, I like to familiarize myself with all of the input criteria and know what is being asked for me to create. I also like to see previous examples or other products in the market to know what is expected.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
DG : I have 1974 Porsche Carrera, that is at the top of the list, followed by a Marcel Breur Milla chair, some hanging sculptures by local artists and lot's of fine art pieces on the walls.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
DG : It isn't very exciting, usually it's wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, repeat.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
DG : Find something that you love doing, it will make your days go so much easier and make you a happier person.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
DG : Being able to make a difference in the world or improving someone's life is very rewarding. The downside to becoming a designer that they don't tell you in school is it can be very difficult to find employment.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
DG : Clean and simple, don't overly complicate your work, especially for product designers.