Interview with Roberto Stein

As I was a kid I loved photography. I remember I had one of those cameras with a cube flash that you can rotate 4 times. It was state of the art back then ;-) Later on I started to make paintings either b/w with charcoal crayon or really colorful ones. Before ending college I moved more into 3D sculpting with different materials but in a more technical fashion, so it was an obvious choice to study industrial design. Having German roots I moved with 19 years from Mexico-City to Hamburg to study industrial design with Braun legend Dieter Rams.

On the first step I begin very open minded, making small thumbnail designs, which can be interpreted in different ways, firing the creativity, no questions asked. Then a "distilling phase" follows, choosing the most promising ideas. Quite soon, the choosed ideas are built in 3D-CAD, allowing for a very realistic sorting process based on real dimensions.Mockups are the really important to verify the ergonomics and function. All the results are implemented into the 3D-CAD Data.Really nice renderings help along all the design process to double-check the designs.

I am very focused and every time I find the right shape or a special solution it is very pleasing. When the product is finally complete it is very rewarding taking it on your hands and know it is your creation.

As I was a kid I loved photography. I remember I had one of those cameras with a cube flash that you can rotate 4 times. It was state of the art back then ;-) Later on I started to make paintings either b/w with charcoal crayon or really colorful ones. Before ending college I moved more into 3D sculpting with different materials but in a more technical fashion, so it was an obvious choice to study industrial design. I love to travel and being open minded is a must have as a designer.

I love to design for other companies exploring different fields. But now my interest is shifting more into developing own products and bringing them successfully to the market.

Apart of a good design education try to make a lot of internships to have insights in different fields. Try all kind of things while being young, maybe making your own products and giving it a try at e.g. Kickstarter. Don’t think you are too special, but be humble and open minded and talk about your ideas with several people, having fun and not taking it too seriously ;-)

Be professional, so if your customer does not like your design, don't take it personally, but make smart questions to find out the reason. Did you worked accordingly the design briefing? Are the objections of your customer reasonable or was the design briefing faulty on the first place? Work hard then to make the best fit and impress your customer on a higher level rewarding yourself.

When I have an interesting project, I like to make brainstorming first thing on the morning and then forget about it for a while. The minds keeps working on the background even if I am then dealing with more boring tasks like checking e-mails.I like to go out and make presentations of the designs at the customer and discussing the ups and downs.

In the internet you find all the design trends you need. Depending on the kind of product trends can or cannot matter at all.As I design in a more technical field, I first have to focus on the function, ergonomics, usability, visual appeal and so on. If you design clothes, well trends can be everything ;-)

First the product has to be used without any operating manual, be self-explanatory and ergonomic. The shape concept must be understood immediately and the proportions must be pleasant. Don't overload the product with ornaments, it has to be simple and appealing without rings and bells. "Less but better" as Dieter Rams said.It must create "want have" emotions and remain useful and appealing on the long run.The product has to differentiate from the competition and fit the company. It is easy to make a nice product if the selling price doesn't matter, but normally you have to work hard fitting the production costs requirements.

When all the requirements in the design briefing are fulfilled AND the upper definition of a good design is met.

I really have designed a lot of products for different companies, but my own project "the Whale-Spoon" is special. I had the idea when my first daughter was about 1,5 years, but because of the lack of time it was 10 years later when it became a reality. Taking care of all the aspects for a product, from product development to manufacturing, marketing and selling makes it the biggest adventure for the smallest product :-)

Is hard to say. I do admire known designers like Dieter Rams, Richard Sapper and Hartmut Esslinger. But there are a lot of designers out there, young and not-so-young which create great and refreshing designs all the time. The hardest part is to find a company or have a customer which is brave enough to implement your design without compromises.

After working for 4 years in a great design agency I decided to follow my independent soul and founded INVENTO DESIGN in 2001. I chose the name “Invento” (Spanish for “invention”), because I am fascinated about creating new solutions nobody has thought of before. Our focus is on electronic products, but we can and really love to take on projects on all kind of fields. We are highly professional without losing curiosity, an open mind and sense of humor.

Certainly is the visual attractivity an essential design issue. But there is a lot more to it. The product has to be user friendly and self-explaining. Good design always searches for the best functional solutions. And the manufacturing for an acceptable price, as much ecofriendly as possible, has to be taken into account. Then there are the marketing issues like differentiation and company brand compliance. You take into account all those issues and make a beautiful product: that is good industrial design.

I like projects with a good briefing and defined goal, but which give you enough freedom to experiment with function and materials. Challenges to create something completely new are also great to take. Regarding specific products, I like to work on smaller products which I can test myself with prototypes and have the chance to refine as much as possible in any way.

Well, it certainly is my Whale-Spoon, because there are a lot of personal issues involved. The first time I came up with the original idea was for my 18 months young daughter. This year she will be 16 years!

Well it was actually an invention of mine still being in the university. It was a helping device for disabled people, which was completely new and very useful, so a manufacturer was found very fast. It also won the iF Design award.

I love using silicone, because it has properties no other material has. It is a very friendly and long lasting material.

Actually when traveling and getting a lot of new impressions and visual input. Also when I work on different projects simultaneously the creativity sparks from one project to the other, so solutions arise for one project while working on another.

Depending on which stage. The first one should have not too tight restrictions and allow creativity to flow in all fields (aesthetics, technical issues, etc.). After choosing a design concept finding the right proportions while taking into account issues like usability and manufacturing is a big challenge. The last design refinement solves more detailed issues like exact surface flow, products graphics and individual details.

I am very focused and every time I find the right shape or a special solution it is very pleasing.

When the product is finally complete it is very rewarding taking it on your hands and know it is your creation.

First of all the product has to solve the issue of the user on the best way possible, being easy and pleasant to use, pleasant to look at and have as much added value for the user as possible.

If the shape and the user interaction is complicated and hard to understand it is a failed product design. When at the first glance the product tells you exactly what to do and looks simple but exiting, then it is just right.

When designing a product he always has decisions to make and should always have the people using the product later as main the focus. Choosing the materials and manufacturing techniques also have an impact on the environment.

The digitalization of products and services is on its way, but that doesn’t mean, that real people doesn’t need real products. As the life is becoming more complex, people look for easy to use products and shapes that comfort them. The product development and production cycle for products is also getting faster making it more difficult for good long lasting products to compete with cheaper trendy products. An awareness of the consumer and the people in charge of the governments is required to promote better long lasting and ecological products.

I like rather design than exhibit ;-)

Observing the world with an open mind. Hearing what other cultures have to say, looking how animals solve their own issues in sometimes incredible ways. But sometimes just thinking and working hard and persistent works out.

I always want to create products with added value that are better than existing ones. Easy to use, simple and strong shapes, exiting and pleasant to look at.

I live in Hamburg, Germany. It is a beautiful city, not too big but with enough contrasts and exiting places to inspire. It has a very innovative a creative scene. But also Mexico, the country where I grew up, still has a lot of influence in my life.

I have a very methodical and professional approach when working for companies. I listen very well what the employees have to say to understand their goals and needs. I like to tightly cooperate with the engineers, marketing people and CEOs of the company.

The companies must be aware what they really want. If for example they want to use the name of a famous designer as a marketing tool, then they will have to adapt to what they get from the designer. If they want the product design to fit the company and meet the product development deadlines, then they should hire a professional which understands the needs of the company and their customers and is open minded to find the best solution for the company. Looking at their portfolio is also important to see if they essentially like the aesthetic sense of the designer. Less important (but certainly helpful) is that the designer has lots of experience on the product field. Sometimes better ideas arise from designer which can look at the products from a whole new and fresh perspective.

We have classify our design process in 4 main steps, which do influence each other in both directions. First there is the “project information” phase, in which we are sure to understand the company, their customers, the market, the competitors and the people working in the project.Then comes the “creative phase” which extends from the first sketches to first prototypes and their evaluation.Then there is the “implementation phase” where the detailed CAD-Data is finalized, and all details clarified with the engineers, ending in the “design freeze”.Then comes the “market introduction” in which we support the company in various ways.

I love my sofa, the puristic chimney and also some self-made things like a free-hanging kitchen-table and a special lamp that lightens a beautiful panorama picture of the Mont-Blanc.

Well each day is different and I have a lot of freedom, but I am always involved somehow with my work my family the dog, sports and so on.

Apart of a good design education try to make a lot of internships to have insights in different fields. Try all kind of things while being young, maybe making your own products and giving it a try at e.g. Kickstarter. Don’t think you are too special, but be humble and open minded and talk about your ideas with several people, having fun and not taking it too seriously ;-)

I personally love the diversity of the job. Every project is different, you always have to work together with people from several fields (engineers, marketing, CEOs, model maker, consumer…) so it never ever gets boring. You also can grasp your creation which is very satisfactory. Negatives? Not for me ;-)

I like the golden rule of Dieter Rams “less but better”.

The must have is a good aesthetic sense. Creativity and an open mind. Understanding people. At product design technical know-how. And nowadays skills with design software.

Paper, pen, the fastest laptop possible, a big screen, 3D and 2D design software, material references, big pin walls, a workshop for fast model making, music.

Defining tasks and the time needed as clear as possible is essential for one self and for the customer to know, but I am lucky to have a very good sense of time.

That really depends on the product and complexity.

Companies are concerned that the project runs without surprises on time, so deadline questions are very frequently asked. But I think the most “not asked question” is: What if we don’t like your design? So I always get to that point by myself and sense relief form the customer :-)

Hard to quantify, being each job completely different.

I worked together with known companies like Tchibo, Remington, Siemens, Telekom, vtech and also smaller specialized companies like Funktel, Getemed, Ammonit, Neuhaus Neotec, Esbit, etc. and also with start-ups.

I love the first creative phase being excited about coming up with new ideas. I also love the design detailing on 3D-CAD and visualizing “my” created product with near photographic detail from all angles.

I love working for companies, but I want to create and bring to market more of my own products, like the “Whale Spoon”.

Sometimes as a team sometimes by myself.

I am exploring the field of products for kids and have a lot of ideas already. But the real challenge is to create a product that is actually sold with profit.

Just write me an e-mail to: stein@invento.eu

By now I am happy to have answered all of your questions ;-)