Interview with Nicola Zanetti

I started in Milan design offices as a Junior designer and moved soon to a big italian manufacturing company that helped me to reach a technical skill that I use everyday in my projects. Once I opened my design studio I started to work with China and I also started to buy and sell goods that helps me to design new products that are good sellers on international markets.

I think that new designers have the time and ability to learn new softwares quickly while old ones don't have the time to follow every year the improvements and changes of each software. That's why I think the main tools we should use is our knowledge and immagination. To communicate to our clients we need to use nice renderings and 3D tools but this is something we need to understand and not really use, since we should always find some other to do that job.

Actually design is not art, so I think there is no real emotion while working on a product but I feel there is more thinking and evaluation of different aspects. It's hard to create while I think our work is to improve. Design is a passion, so I feel lucky to do what I like and I feel proud everytime I see the real product I designed, on the shelf or in some friend's house.

I had a passion for design since I was a child. I always liked to draw and paint before and as time passed I saw that I liked to imagine and draw new shapes and new solutions, so I studied engineering and then design and I found my way.

I am building an international design firm that already have office in Italy, Argentina, China and Korea. Next step will be to consolidate these offices business and to move to create our own brand on the product market, starting with small appliances and simple products.

just be open and courious. Never say no to a new experience, grow yourself and your knowledge together with your ambitions.

Just do your best, this is always the best target. Seriously speaking, I think like in every business a stating investment is needed to make something real, otherwise it will be very hard to achieve great results.

Daily routine is quite boring since tons of mails need to be checked and replied, a lot of small details changes for already finished projects to work on, some meetings tu update everyone on ongoing projects...what I really liek is the starting phase of new projects and meet new opportunities and , for sure, sign new contracts.

Today is quite easy to be updated on new trends and design style since a lot of informations can be foind on internet but I feel that the best way os to visit some good eshibitions and touch by hands new products.

Actually I think that a good design should be user friendly and fitting user needs. I personally don't like some pure shapes that are hard to use and not easy to understand even if they are beautiful. I am more on function than shape but outlook is also an important matter since is what usually we look at to choose a product.

A design is ready when the client needs to go on production! I would always like to improve or change a design and unfortunately everytime I look at an old projec I think I should have done better.

One thing I like, is when through a product you help a company to grow. Kalerm and Dr Coffee are two examples of new companies that reached in short time the first position on the local market thanks to the product quality and design. But I think design is not only about shape and usability, is also a tool to find new solutions and I'd like to mention also that I used the "design thinking" to draw a contract between two companies that wan't able to work together without a "design thinking" approach.

Dieter Rams. nothing to add , this is the n.1.

I move between Korea, China and Italy and this helps me a lot in discover new ideas and opportunities. I liek to listen to music when working on a design project and I think it is needed a sharing moment but also a private creation time.

People comes first. I don't care how good you are in design or business, I want to work with friends and have a happy life.

Design awards are a good advertisement for young designers but also a good selling point for Design companies while you meet new clients. A' design award was a great exeprience, specially during the ceremony on Como lake.

T&D is a new company generated from the business units I funded in other countries, to better follow Chinese market. Mixed staff Chinese/European can understand local manufacturers and international brands needs and release good projects that match the designed market.

A way to look at things. Always see beauty in everything and how to improve it use.

Small products, appliances for home or personal use.

Probably an aroma diffuser but I will not tell you which one.

A cookware set for Bialetti. I was so proud to see a sketch as a real product on the shelf.

I like design appliances so plastic generally is the most used in my projects but I really enjoy design silicone products.

Everytime I get into the details.

Feasibility and usability.

Interest then proudness if it is coming out as a good design, I give up if the project is not going on as I expected and then after a break I come back on it.

Proudness and good vibes to start a new challenge

Outlook and usability for sure. All other matters comes after this.

Can push right ideas to the client but the market is who has the real power to change the production way.

Design is going to became a word that describe a creative work on all stages of product planning and project

Other well designed products are a great start. Looking at needs of people is also a good point to start design a product.

I use a pragmatic approach that use the product to make business. Actually clients want to sell and people will buy if feels emotions when seeing or using a product.

Italy, the place where many cultures mixed . Design culture is deep and creativity is high but I feel Italian designers need to improve their creativity with some culture from more rational countries like Germany, Korea or Japan.

We try to open a dialogue with our clients, in order to design together. We try to see the product from a commercial point of view first and usability. Outlook comes step by step.