FABIEN FONTAINE

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?

After having spent more than 10 year in toy industry observing play values that make a good toy and as design lover I naturally used these 2 passions to become a toy designer.

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

Tralala Ltd is a company who bring innovative toy into the market focusing on 2 aspects: Open play function to maximize children possibilities to experiment and discover their own skills. Core play values which are the DNA to take into account when developping preschool toys.

What is "design" for you?

For me design is closely related to simplicity, practical use as well as evidences.

What is your favorite material / platform / technology?

I love soft material such as HDPE, EVA or silicone as they offer a unique feeling, it is easy to work with and safe. We are now working on solution to offer similar plastic based on bio-material to keep all the advnatge and to make them more attractive.

What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?

It is a paradox between freedom and frustration between opn possibilities and reality.

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

The duty of designer is to offer a different point of view and to innovate. By doing this, designer can help society to rethink the way it operate for a better consumption.

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

Design is becoming very important as business players tend to differentiate themselve against competition.

When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

We exhibit worldwide, last exhibition was in Nuremberg Germany in February ad we will be in London end of May 2019.

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

My inspiration come from Nature and organic shapes. I feed my creativity by walking into the nature and watching details and patterns around me.

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?

I was born in France and I live in Hong Kong for 12 years. It makes an interesting mix in terms of heritage, culture and landscape. Both side inspire me a lot.

Can you talk a little about your design process?

I like to work on ideas untill I found technical challenge, then I leave it for a while to let my subconscious working on it. Then, when I feel ready, I come back to my challenge and generally I find solutions. In order to finalize my design I repeat this process several times.

From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

I am not a full time designer but this is for sure the most positive aspect of my work.

What is your "golden rule" in design?

Everything depend from a point of view. I also use this rule in my life.

What skills are most important for a designer?

Listen and watch. Being open minded and stubborn at the same time.

Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?

I work alone for the main idea and concept, then I require the advise of 2 importants person I trust in.