Barbara Princic

Specialized in Design.

Barbara Princic

About Barbara Princic

Between lines the personal philosophy tells much about the designer and her life orientation. The text below therefore explains her attitude toward design for all, the design for environment and the inovative design. By focusing on the end user to make his daily life and work easier, design is put in a social context. Good design of any product is to be essential for each end-user without any social, age, gender or cultural discrimination. Design for all. Objectives, standards and strategies for environmentally friendly design are recognized as a challenge for the design process which considers the entire life cycle of the product from the cradle to the cradle. Design for environment. It is important to understand the pluralism of life choices and the immense possibilities of contemporary technologies, and to combine them as an inspiration for new, visionary solutions. Innovative design.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs

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Interview with Barbara Princic

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?
I always knew I would be doing something creative in my life. When I needed to make a decision I was hesitating between industrial design and architecture and I finally choose design.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
My design studio works for different clients on different fields. In Slovenia it is impossible to be specialized just for one field because we do not have a strong industry. I mostly work with furniture companies.
What is "design" for you?
The essence of design is an innovation. The innovation either in function, structure or material innovation. A great deal of knowledge and skills are necessary within so called the scientific part of design, that you can develop a product which incorporates an innovative approach. Furthermore it is an art and knowledge again how you combine all other aspects that are important in design like ergonomics, user friendliness, secure use, ecology, semantics, semiotics etc., all these with the aim to get a product that reflects a complex quality. The role of design is social, to serve people, to design products or services for people without any age, sex, religious or other kind of discrimination. It is easy to say it and it is difficult to do it.
When do you feel the most creative?
When I forget all around me, when I am not aware of the world that surrounds me while working. This is so called the most democratic phase in the design process.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
There are many of them like ergonomics, safe use, semantics, user friendliness, simple structure but at first I try to filter all of them through ecological aspect.
What makes a design successful?
Good idea, perfect technological realization and well done marketing and other post production activities.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
Designers are more responsible than we are usually aware of that fact. We create material world which uses resources, energy, pollute the environment during production processes, during use phase and at the end of the product life span each product turns into waist. The designer's responsibility is to design a product according to the existing environmental strategies (design for 3R) or even better by the cradle to cradle principle. There are other professions that believe and pose the strong hope on design as a profession that can change our too material culture.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
There is one inevitable future fact which is dematerialization. That is why service design is more and more getting its position among different design approaches. Products are more and more hidden behind the service.
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
My last exhibition was last September in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I hope my next exhibition will be in Como, Italy.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
Everything can be my sources of inspiration. All the surrounding world and society.
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?
My design style is something close to the word timeless, classic, no exaggeration, and minimal simple structure with a strong emphasis on detail.
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?
A complex question. I live in Slovenia. I agree that the cultural heritage can be important for design because it can be a focal point for innovation. And if you design out of your national identity you can be unique. It means you do not copy others and other designers can not copy you. My country is facing with the economic crises so it is not easy time for designers.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
My design process is a lot of thinking, and a lot of experimenting with simple 3D models. I draw design on a computer when I know how it should look like and when I know what I want. For me a computer is a tool.
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
Positive: not boring, creative, always something new, different, always up to date with lifestyle trends. Negative: stress
What is your "golden rule" in design?
Be honest. Try to develop your personal design ethics, keep it and follow it.
What was your most important job experience?
Living and working in Taipei, Taiwan, where the design serves to national economy and commerce.
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
It depends on a complexity of the project. Usually I develop it myself then I check it with my design colleges.

Extended Interview with Barbara Princic

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I graduated from industrial design (BA) at the University of Ljubljana, Academy of Fine Arts and Design. A half year later I got the opportunity to work in Taiwan, in Taipei, at the Design Promotion Center CETRA. It was a unique experience for such a young person as I was in nineties. There I met several distinguished designers like Alexander Manu, Jean-Marie Massaud, Gad Shannon, prof. Stefan Lengyel, naming just few of them. After spending one year in Taiwan I had returned to Europe and the same year obtained a scholarship from the Dutch government for a post-graduate study at the European Design Centre in Eindhoven. There I got acquainted with environmental issues in design. I decided that this would be my future orientation. I followed environmental and ecological themes for the next decade and in 2007 graduated on MA level with a theme on Sustainable use of water when washing small children’s hands.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
In a past I did a lot of chair designs. One of them, the 5x5 chair, was also awarded with a silver A’Design Award. I did other projects too, for furniture industry. But know I focused on children’s playground equipment. So in a future I want to do more designs made from wood for children.
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
Beside hard work it is necessary to follow your own dreams, to believe in what you do, to walk along your own way regardless what others say or think.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
In the Guardian I red an interview with the performance artist Marina Abramović recently and she said: ‘’ Good artists have one good idea in their life; great artists might have two. I have produced just one good idea. My good idea is working with the body.” How could this be applied to design field is left to our personal interpretation.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
I evaluate good design by certain criteria which are so called objectively measured parameters. Within those function and aesthetics are taken for granted as nobody expects that someone will design and produce a product that is not functional or not aesthetically satisfying. In addition those criteria are product’s ergonomics which is not only physical but psychic too, simple construction and form without overdesigned elements, useful value, optimal use of technology, environmental soundness, the relationship between the entire product and its details, durability of construction, product semantics and semiotics, the stage of invention, user friendliness, safe use and viability for market.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
For me it is a project which means a shift from design into art. I dream about 3D ‘’pictures’’ made of discarded fabrics. Up till now I have not found time for this project yet.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
With success in design is the same as with success in any other profession. At first knowledge and skills are needed. Than hard work, a lot of patience, endurance, fair attitudes toward clients. And all mentioned sometimes don’t help if you do not have a bit of luck. Sometimes you have to be at the right time in the right place.
Who is your favourite designer?
I find my 5x5 chair as my greatest design. It was about the idea to design a chair from little squares made of material called xilith which is co-mined with a coal from the 300 meters beneath the earth’s surface. It was about the courage that I dared to try to realize this idea.

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