Harry Miesbauer

Good in Yacht Design.

Harry Miesbauer

About Harry Miesbauer

Harry Miesbauer Yacht Design is one of the top five yacht design addresses in Italy, especially regarding high performance sail boat design. His designs have won not only several design awards but also on the race course like the prestigious 2022 edition of the Aegean 600 race in Greece. In his 25year long spanning career he was involved in the designs for the America’s Cup the Volvo Ocean Race, and several other high profile race boats.

  • Winner of 3 A' Design Awards.
  • Good in Yacht Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Yacht
Scuderia 65 High Performance Sailing Yacht

Scuderia 65 High Performance Sailing Yacht

Yacht Design

75ft Explorer Sailing Yacht

75ft Explorer Sailing Yacht

Yacht Design

54ft Racer Cruiser High Performance Yacht

54ft Racer Cruiser High Performance Yacht

Yacht Design

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Interview with Harry Miesbauer

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?
Coming from a technical background I studied yacht design at the well known Solent University in Southampton / UK. always loved drawing, creating things. it was a natural choice. Having also a degree in mechanical engineering, I was, at the beginning of my career, more technical, performance orientated when designing yachts. Now, being more than 25 years in the yacht design business, I do like the styling and aesthetical side more. I think, a pretty natural path.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
We are a yacht design studio in the “classical” sense. We can provide the full package of yacht design, from the naval architecture, naval & structural engineering up to the exterior styling and interior design
What is "design" for you?
creating objects, in my case yachts, which people are proud of, which they dare to possess, and obviously which work in our harsh environment, the open sea … elegance is the new performance….
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
sailing yachts, we also do motor yachts in the studio... but my heart and passion is definitely much more towards the sailing side
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
The scuderia 65, a 65 ft racer/cruiser (sailing yacht), we had a very challenging design brief. The first preliminary concept came out very nice, was very pleasing from the beginning. and the final design was just slightly modified from the first concept for technical reasons the client is still very happy with his boat.
When do you feel the most creative?
I don't have a specific time for that. can be any time of the day
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
obviously the concept work, ideation. my collaborators take care about the details and technical issues but our designs have to work also out on the sea, not just in the safe harbour, in whatever condition you gonna find on the oceans. strong winds up to 50kts, big waves etc. this means we focus also a lot on reliability, functionality, ergonomics and of course structural and technical issues. if we do sailing yachts which compete in regattas, performance is obviously a major driving factor
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
always happy, can’t imagine a better job for me. always happy in the morning, that I can go to the studio.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
happy, very proud and satisfied, as it always takes more than one year until we finally see the finished yacht on the water. the launch of a yacht is really a big day for me ... guess not just for me . the icing on the cake is, when we win races with one of our sailing yachts.
What makes a design successful?
when our client is happy and proud about his new yacht , and obviously when the boat wins races
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
I think, we as a designer have the privilege to create things, objects, for a lot of people, and things which they use in their every day’s live. so we better make our designs beautiful and try to bring a smile on their faces, bring some joy to them. even if it is just for a second. design which is beautiful normally doesn’t cost more.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
I think, we will see still a big development in materials and of course the use of 3D printing will gives us new ways to model new shapes. we will be less production process driven. we will have more freedom of shapes. we do see a lot of “retro” design in these days. also in art and music. I’m not a huge fan of this. yes, you need to now history and what was done before, but it was done in a different time for a different reason. you need to understand why it was done in this way. copying history is like reading yesterday’s newspaper.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
just being curious.... just walking through the world with my eyes open. inspirations can come from everything. nature, architecture, car design, etc… there is no rule for that , inspiration comes, it is there at the certain moment when you are in a certain flow.
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?
… elegance is the new performance… we have to create beautiful things, which are pleasing the eye. there too many ugly things out there … we don’t need more ugly stuff… main characteristics: elegant, clean lines, correct proportions…. approach: if you have to explain your design, why it is good than you are already wrong… it pleases your eye or not. you don’t need an explanation. our design don’t follow fashions. it should look fresh also in ten years time
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?
in Italy, close to Milano, if you are not getting inspired as a designer living in Italy, actually near Milano, then you might have chosen the wrong profession
How do you work with companies?
we do get a lot of technical input from them, I see them more as a partner, and vice versa, than as a client
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
I think it is a matter of chemistry. if this is right at the beginning then you are happy through the whole design process.
Can you talk a little about your design process?
very old school, hand sketching, hand sketching, hand sketching…. then I jump on modelling in 3D.
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
- tolomeo lamp - a living divano sofa - an old I-pod - a viabizzuno lamp
Can you describe a day in your life?
studio - cappuccino at the bar - studio – coffee at the bar - studio – dinner ...
Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
learn the basics first… you have to be able to walk before you can run… design has to work, needs to be realisable… a concept which you can’t produce / realise is a nice picture but not a good design. ... god is in the detail...
What is your "golden rule" in design?
for us as yacht designers it’s a bit specific... get the weight right first . then get the proportions right. done …
What skills are most important for a designer?
good eye for proportions, a good feeling for geometry, having some technical background in order to know the limits on a production point of view.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
very classic… various pencils with different hardness, overhead pens, sketching paper… various 3D modelling softwares, special hydrodynamic software for the hull shapes… good library in the studio
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
I’m not good in managing time …. but I always have a task for the day which I want to finish…
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
one year for two persons, the yachts we are designing are normally quite big.
What was your most important job experience?
the yachts for the Swedish America's cup team, Victory Challenge, 2003 the TP52 C-quadrat race yacht, 2006 the Scuderia 65, 65ft sailing yacht, 2019
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
the concept ideation work, but I do enjoy most of the different parts we have to do on a yacht. lately I like the interior design side a lot
Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
we work in a team, where everybody can do more less everything in the studio. obviously some people are more specialised in one area, and somebody else is more specialised in another. but everybody is able to do every task. all my current team members got a yacht design degree but are coming from either a architecture or naval engineering background.

Extended Interview with Harry Miesbauer

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
I studied yacht design at the well-known Solent University in Southampton / UK, graduating in 1998. Then I work for two masters at its time, Luca Brenta and the Frers Studio, both in Milan. Coming from a technical background, I do have also a degree in mechanical engineering.
How did you become a designer?
I always say to my guys in the studio: “there are so many ugly things out there, we need to create beautiful things, beautiful yachts, where the owner is proud of, also after five or ten years”. Wasn’t it Dostoevsky, who meant in one of his novels “Beauty will save the world”…I think, in these words lies my everyday motivation.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
No, nobody forced me. it was a natural choice. I always loved drawing, creating things. I was, at beginning of my career, more technical, performance orientated when designing yachts. Now, being more than 25 years in the yacht design business, I do like the styling and aesthetical side more. I think, a pretty natural path.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
We are a yacht design studio in the “classical” sense. We provide the full package of yacht design, from the naval architecture, naval & structural engineering up to the exterior styling and interior design. Being still an active sailor, I’m specialised on sailing yachts. We also do motor yachts in the studio... but my heart and passion is definitely much more towards the sailing side, and that’s why I would like to do only sailing yachts. at the end
What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?
If we talk about my design discipline, the yacht design… go sailing, be on boats, be on yachts. you have to understand, you have to use, to live the things you are designing, then you become a good designer. And you need passion for design.
What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?
Great designers are setting trends, have their own design language, they stick a bit out of the crowd.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
I think, Dieter Rams’ 10 principles of Good Design answers this question perfectly in a scientific/German way. But good design is more than scientific black and white. Really good design needs to touch you also on the emotional side in the first millisecond. If you look on something, and your first impression is “wow” then you are on the right track. if you have to explain why something is good design, why it is beautiful, then you got something wrong in the beginning.
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
I think, there are so many examples out there where the good design made the difference compared to their competitors. if I look on my specific field. 25 years ago we looked much more on the technical side, the performance of our yachts and the design came with it, now we focus much more on the aesthetics of the yachts, and the technical part has to be done proper anyway. Of course everybody should invest in good design. It gives you an edge.
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
a 100ft high performance sailing yacht, but we started with some sketches.
How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?
proportions are everything…. but every designer will tell you that. secret ingredient? going through world with open eyes… I’m never short on ideas.
How do you decide if your design is ready?
Flavio Manzoni, design director of Ferrari. He has a special design language. and made a great impact on their design by creating an internal studio stile.
Who is your favourite designer?
The Scuderia 65, a 65 ft racer/cruiser, we had a very challenging design brief. The first preliminary concept came out very nice, was very pleasing from the beginning. and the final design was just slightly modified from the first concept for technical reasons we won a very important regatta in Greece with it , so performance is there. we won some design awards with it, where finalist in some awards. So the aesthetics are okay as well. The client is still very happy with his boat.
Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?
As in everything, experience helps. Being open for new approaches helps as well.
What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?
Creating objects, in my case yachts, which people are proud of, which they dare to possess, and obviously which work in our harsh environment, the open sea … elegance is the new performance….
What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?
I learned a lot working side by side with Luca Brenta… but that’s long time ago

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