Interviewe mat George Drakakis

I am an architect engineer with 20 years of experience and i was always excited with the micro-scale of design, be it detailing, finishing or creating objects.

I really enjoy working with materials that can be used in liquid organic forms. Lately i am also interested in 3D printing materials / technologies and ecological design as well. 3d modeling applications made everything easier especially during the phase of refining the details of the design, or reconfigure over and over again the whole shape.

Fulfillment. Each project carries a part of myself, especially when we are talking about prototypes.

It's a mixture of every-day life events, interests, feelings, emotions, music, visual arts, math and science. Any of the above will trigger the creativity process. Those "oh yeah" moments can happen anywhere, any time. Being a Designer is an on-going process. It's going through stages. It's about grabbing a word, a sense, an idea and mentally sculpt it till it gets a new meaning. It’s a non-stop procedure, but in certain moments, when the time is right, the process is materialized, a new product is made.

I would advise then to get the most of their rationality into their imagination, and the most of their imagination into their rationality.

Good design is the one that makes people smile and urge them to pay attention and interact with the design, that is, spend more time with it. Time is our most precious property. Designs awarded with the gift of time, are certainly the most successful ones.

I couldn't really answer this question. Mainly because the "end" of the design process simply doesn't happen. I could refine a project, bit by bit, every now and then, over and over again. Deadlines and time scheduling milestones, are "Non-Finito" moments. Design is an on-going process. It's going through stages. It's about grabbing a word, a sense, an idea and mentally sculpt it till it gets a new meaning. It’s a non-stop procedure, but in certain moments, when the time is right, the process is materialized, a new product is made.

My chair. it ain't the biggest, it was my first attempt to enter into the world of forms. i designed it 10 years ago as a coffee-dining chair. Now the prototype serves as my office chair. The cantilevered back creates a swing motion (like a rocking chair) and gives me a piece of mind so i can consecrate on my projects and it also calms my enthusiasm when a new idea comes into my mind and the time is right to move on form brain-storming to rational thinking.

Ron Arad, Dieter Rams, Ross Lovegrove, Charles and Ray Eames to name a few. The list actually can go on and on.

Iconpoetry is a design studio that does exactly what it states: practicing serious fun. Designing projects at the border between art and design, constantly reminding that "Poiesis" and Poetry is one and the same.We are working with companies interactively. Given the fast that the identification of the problem is the most critical factor in the early stages of the design process, crystal clear communication is essential for a successful design. Iconpoetry, solves problems through design processes and delivers concepts and solutions through an artistic approach and attention to detail, following one simple rule: Form Follows Satis-Function.

From time to time i share do-it-yourself projects on my company site.

Actually it gave me the opportunity to communicate my designs and sign my first contract.

Outdoor benches will always have a great impact in my design practice. Mainly because I think it’s the place where a lot of activities can take place in the same time. Just think about it; some people are relaxing, others are taking a break, or getting ready to go. A bench is a dynamic place, not only an ephemeral destination, but also a starting point for the next ongoing activity. A continuous movement in different directions, not just circling around, it's more like being on a single-sided surface, as described by A.F. Moebius and artistically expressed by M.C. Escher.

A good design is something that makes people smile and urge them to pay attention and interact, that is, spend more time the product. Time is our most precious property, and designs that manage to consume out time, are certainly the most successful ones.

A blank canvas, a loose imagination, past experience, cultural background, social concerns, inspiration from art and science. These are my secret ingredients and the Synthesis of all the above is the most valuable one.

It's My chair. i designed it 10 years ago as a coffee-dining chair. Now the prototype serves as my office chair. The cantilevered back of the chair creates a swing motion (like a rocking chair) and gives me piece of mind so i can concentrate on my projects and it also calms my enthusiasm when a new idea comes into my mind and the time is right to move on form brain-storming to rational thinking.

Design is Poetry through time and space. Design is an on-going process. It's going through stages. It's about grabbing a word, a feeling, a meaning, an idea and mentally sculpt it till it gets a new meaning. It’s a non-stop procedure, but in certain moments, when the time is right, the process is materialized, a new product is made.

The most exciting news are yet to come. This year i have been working on a collection of indoor and outdoor furnishing on behalf of a local company called Inomo. It was specifically designed in order to introduce a start-up furniture collection that will best describe the spirit, the values and the aesthetic of a brand new furniture company, based in Greece, while at the same time highlight the cultural continuity and craftsmanship connection between the present and the past. It is called Modern Takes and the whole project was conceived as a gesture of Forward Movement, trying to blend minimal design and maximal inheritage. It embodies what i call the Sling Effect; the more you look back in time, the more you advance ahead. Prototype models got client's approval, actually they are on their way for production and i am thrilled with the idea of communicating my designs to the public.

I couldn't really answer this question. Mainly because the "end" of the design process simply doesn't happen. I could refine a project every time over and over again. Deadlines and time scheduling milestones, are "non-finito" moments.

Form Follows Satis-Function. That's my paraphrased motto. Design should be side-by-side with emotions and always trying to practice serious fun.

3d modelling applications made everything easier especially during the phase of refining the details of the design, or reconfigure over and over again the whole shape. Quite recently, 3d printing services prooved extremely useful for prototype modelling evaluation

At first pencil sketches act as a reminder for the basic shape or idea, then Cinema4d for the modelling part, it's the perfect tool for this kind of modelling and Thea Render for the highly accurate material set-up and rendered images and animations, be it early stage visualizations or the final presentation to the client.

i would like to thank A' Design Award for giving me the chance to communicate my designs and ideas to a wider audience. Extensive and intense publicity of my projects was the main reason to sign my latest contract furniture agreement.

Iconpoetry is a design studio that does exactly what it states: practicing serious fun. Because now-days being serious is not fun. It's not fun enough.

Design is an on-going process. It's going through stages. It's about grabbing a word, a sense, an idea and mentally sculpt it till it gets a new meaning. It’s a non-stop procedure, but in certain moments, when the time is right, the process is materialized, a new product is made.

Nothing specific actually. I would say the ones that trigger my imagination on first sight.

My chair. i designed it 10 years ago as a coffee-dining chair. Now the prototype serves as my office chair.The cantilevered back creates a swing motion (like a rocking chair) and gives me a piece of mind so i can consecrate on my projects and it also calms my enthusiasm when a new idea comes into my mind and the time is right to move on form brain-storming to rational thinking.

It was "Eighternity" an urban bench designed for a Spanish company called Escofet.

Anything that can be used in liquid organic forms is most welcome. Lately i am also interested in 3D printing materials / technologies and ecological design as well.

This is not a matter of timing, it's more like a matter of getting the right stimulation that will trigger the creativity process. Those "oh yeah" moments can happen anywhere, any time.

Fulfillment. Each project carries a part of my myself, especially when we are talking about prototypes.

The most successful factor is the one that will makes people smile and urge them to pay attention and interact with the design, that is, spend more time with it. Time is our most precious property. Designs awarded with the gift of time, are certainly the most successful ones.

Interactively. Given the fast that the identification of the problem is the most critical factor in the early stages of the design process, crystal clear communication is essential for a successful design.

Form Follows Satis-Function. Design side-by-side with emotions. That's my "golden paraphrase".

I couldn't really answer this question. Mainly because the "end" of the design process simply doesn't happen. I could refine a project every time over and over again. Deadlines and time scheduling milestones, are "non-finito" moments.

Through my e-mail, george@iconpoetry.com and my contact form at www.iconpoetry.com

Thank you for giving me the chance to communicate my thoughts to your readers.