I have always loved art even from a young age; however I never felt that I would be able to "art" as a vocation so I set about the arduous task of becoming an engineer. It wasn't until I was part way through my university years that I even became aware of the possibility of becoming an Industrial Designer. I instantly fell in love with it as it was the perfect blend of art, science and engineering that I thrive on.
Amcor is the world's largest packaging supplier as a whole. From there we are broken down into several sub-groups that focus on various kinds of packaging. Personally I work in the Rigid Plastics Latin American Region office near Miami. The Amcor Design Studio develops ideas in packaging for the food, beverage, spirits and personal care markets across the globe. As a design studio we are a group of designers who have a vast array of backgrounds -from automotive and furniture design, to branding and interior design. We are a team that has worked tirelessly to redefine the expectations of a supplier-based design firm and to bring award winning designs to our customers.
I really enjoy working on projects that allow me to blend all of my skills together. Projects that can combine design with writing, photography, and 3d modeling are always a little more enjoyable.
Well my favorite design project that I have was when I was in college. I was a finalist in Disney's Imagineering Design Competition. I really thrived on the complexity of designing not only a space, but also a story and an experience. It was a perfect blend of using all of my talents and abilities for one purpose.
I believe the first product I designed for Amcor was the Sports Container for Aje's Sporade. It was a completely new design for an isotonic brand in Peru that owned approximately 65% of the marketplace.
Working for Amcor, our primary medium is rigid plastics like PET. While I won’t say it is my favorite material to work with it comes with a lot of challenges. While most designers get to create their designs around color palates and get to select their materials and finishes, PET is primarily used clear meaning you have to design with the end product in mind, not just the package.
My primary focus in a design is generally the interaction that design will have with the consumer. How will it be used, where will it be used, is there any other application for its use, is there any way to improve its use? etc. I always try to start with those questions in mind first and then worry about the form.
A successful design is one that can make a strong connection with the consumer, whether it’s an emotional connection, a nostalgic connection, or one of desire or ability. If there is a strong connection can be made with the consumer than it will be a more successful product.
Well, when it comes to packaging my determination is twofold. First it is ascetically. Does the container and label reflect the brand properly? Does the container and label interplay together? Many times when I see packaging that is determined as a "good design" it is because it has a pretty label. But few people give proper consideration to the container itself which requires functionality. Secondly I look at a package and ask if this design ever took into consideration production methods. I have seen some award winning packages that require 2-3 times the amount of material needed to create a similar package. While it may look nice on the shelf, is that really worth the price to the environment?v
A designer should always be trying to improve the world and improve the lives of the End User in any way they can. If they can do so with less material, less complexity, or less ecological impact they should. A designer is the originator of the final product. It is up to the designer to look at the complexities of their design and minimize their own impact as much as possible.
I really think the future is going to reside with designers who can actualize sustainable design practices. To me a design isn't good if it is two steps back from a sustainable aspect. The future of design will be well designed products that reduce cost, reduce material, reduce complexities, but also embrace new materials, methods, and practices.
My last exhibition was of my photography work in 2007 in Prague. I would love to hold another exhibition in the future, but at the moment have not made any plans to do so.
My design inspiration comes from all over. I look at everything from Automotive, Tattoos to Nature. I am always keeping my eyes open and analyzing the interplay between forms and shapes.
My design style generally tends to favor the more sleek simple modern designs. I appreciate designs that are more understated and not flashy. My approach is always that form follows function as a good design to me should always improve the functionality of something.
I currently live a little outside of Miami. Since my designs are primarily for the Latin American region Miami's Latin cultural influences makes it the perfect place to live. The entire culture, design, architecture, even language in Miami is a derivative of Latin influences. It is like living in another country culturally while still living in the States.
I prefer to work as close to hand in hand as I possibly can with our clients even in person when possible. I feel that being on the ground with a client is the quickest way to get an accurate idea of what a brand manager may have in mind and then once I have a solid idea of what their intent is, then to gain some distance and let the creativity run free.
When working with a designer its ok to have a little space between the company and the design, this allows freedom of creativity, however too much can be a bad thing. Honestly my best advice to companies is to not always choose a "design house" as their go to. I have seen time and time again where a design agency will give them a pretty sketch that can never become a reality because they know nothing about manufacturing.
My design process usually involves a large cup of coffee, some loud music like Daft Punk or Glitch Mob on the radio, idea references pinned up around me and my pen and paper ready to go. I really like to lose myself in what I am working on and focus solely on the work and idea.
I don't really have many designer items, however a few of my favorite items around the house is my Poang Chair, my drafting desk, a poster from the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago (to me the World's Fair was the height of design, technology, and architecture displayed for the world,) my Nordictrack treadmill (where I spend most of my free time), and my two dogs.
My life can get pretty crazy at times between work, family and my two dogs. I am also a distance runner and usually spend time a lot of time training for marathons. I stay busy, but I like being active.
Never let your ego get in your way.
We all start somewhere and in my opinion it is best to start small and build than to expect you will arrive at the top.
Never get too attached to what you consider a good design.
You are designing for clients or consumers not yourself.
The best positive aspect for me is that every day is a new challenge, a new customer, or a new product or new design. There is always change and fresh challenge.
Creativity and artistic skills are a given. A good eye for proportions is essential, but also a good designer should understand the manufacturing processes of their products and how and when you can break rules.
I use a lot of pen and paper. Just a plain Bic pen and copier paper for the most part for ideation. When I move to 3d it includes: Catia, Rhino, Zbrush, Maya, KeyShot, Photoshop, Illustrator and sometimes about a half dozen other pieces of software.
When someone has learned to manage all their time, please let me know. But in all reality I don't think designers are ever able to fully switch off their brains. You are always thinking, analyzing, and daydreaming about ideas even if you aren't working on a project.
Everything is relative based on complexity, skill, and goal. You can knock out quick ideation sketches for rough idea in no time, but a 3d model may take a couple hours. Ultimately every design is different.
Probably starting for Amcor as a CAD designer where I learned the ins and outs of ISBM manufacturing and learned the technical details of developing packaging first before I was in a position to develop concepts.
In the past I have worked with Pepsi, Cocacola, Diageo, ABInbev, Johnson & Johnson, Goya, Gatorade, Don Pasqual, Polar, Aje, along with a long list of local Latin American companies as well.
I really enjoy sports drink designs. I have had the opportunity to design for some of the largest brands throughout the Latin American region and always enjoy the challenge with them. I think I enjoy them most because you can push the boundaries a little more with the design, and ergonomics/function becomes a huge part of the design. I am a distance runner myself, so interaction between container and user is something I am very conscious of when designing.
Well outside of work I am in the process of getting into Kitesurfing and provided I don't kill myself doing that I am hoping to resume doing more photography and freelance work in conjunction with working at Amcor.
No matter the project our design group always approaches things as a team. While I maybe primarily responsible for a particular design we always reflect on the work and see if we cannot tweak it just a little more to make a bigger impact.
I recently released a new package developed for Gatorade. It is the world’s lightest weight 500ml hot fill application container. It will be spreading throughout Latin America and saves 30% of the plastic compared to the previous design. I am very excited to see that project actualized and the impact it will have on the region and environment.