Interviewe mat Tommaso Masera

In 2006 I get a Master Degree in Industrial Design at Politecnico di Milano and start an internship as junior designer in a Studio in Milan. After that I work in Brazil and Italy following an international project for a Brazilian furniture brand. From Brazil I move to Shenzhen to work at “Shenzhen Furniture Association” as design manager following exhibition design and furniture design projects. At the same time I take part to the “Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition” as design director of Design Dome. In 2012 I establish Masera Design Studio: focus on watch and product design, also experimenting graphic and exhibition design.

During the years I take part to several design exhibitions such as: 100% Design London, Florence Design Week, Shenzhen Design Week. In 2016 I launch the first Masera Design brand: Atto Verticale, an unconventional mechanical watch. In April 2017 Masera Design wins Silver A´Design Award for Atto Verticale.

I was always attracted by creative fields as architecture, art or engineering, so when I had to choose the University I was thinking to enrol to Architecture and Engineering University. But finally I found a new university courses (it was in 2000): Industrial Design at Milano Politecnico. I was curious about that, so I decided to start this University and I realized that was very interesting. Year by year design become one of my passions

I choose, and year by year become a passion

I enjoy designing products out of the box, the ones that can break the rules in their market, my last work, the watch Atto Verticale, is one of them. Usually I like design most watch, furniture and exhibition, but I would like to design accessories for bike, and actually I have in hand a concept for a new kind of accessory for cyclist that I would like to propose to someone interested in it.

I’m not a design legend, but a professional that works day by day with passion and enthusiasm. Passion and knowledge are the tools for a designer.

Simply the results that a designer can achieve, and the meaning of his works. It’s very important for a designer makes quality products and not only salable ones. The design has to communicate a language and improve the quality life. For my point of view a great designer is someone that always tries to create something new that can break the rules to show that an alternative option is always possible.

A really good design has an intangible quality and an immaterial longevity (the most difficult to achieve). A good design has to be sustainable, and does not think only about the profit. A successful design product enters in the market to create an innovation, and to break the rules of the market, after its launch the market has to think in a different way. So a good design has to touch the people and let them thinking in a different way.

To be competitive trough products with long-terms vision and meaning. For example when I started the University sustainable design was a very new meaning, nowadays is of one of the goal and the great challenge for industries. Who has a vision and become the first to change the rules putting in the market an innovative and quality product, become a trend maker with the possibility to lead the market or at least run a search about a new vision.

At the same time of daily projects, I’m used to develop new ideas and make a concept even if I do not have a costumer for it. Later when the project is done I can propose to some client or make it by myself and put in the market, as Atto Verticale watch, the brand of my design studio. Actually I already develop a concept for an innovative accessory for cyclist, I hope to find a client for it or in case make a new brand selling this new product.

My dream project is a new luggage for cyclist; actually I already finished the concept step of it. It’s a very new product that can improve the bike use for urban cyclist or even applied for cycle tourism.

I’m very curious. Dissatisfaction is a creative energy that a designer must have, together with technical knowledge. These are the first tools when I start a new project.

I have several master designers of last century as Castiglioni brothers, Ettore Sottsass, Giuseppe Terragni. Nowadays I like many others too but two of them in particular: Cleto Munari and Giulio Iachetti. Cleto Munari was one of the first designers that build his own brand (between 1960 amd 1970) and its concept was very simple: edit the work of designer without any restriction in terms of marketing, he just produce the ideas that his designer friends gave to him. Some of its collection is at Moma Museum of New York. Giulio Iacchetti is designer that I really like for his products and for his thought of design, some of my opinion about design I learned from his writing and publications

Arc Lamp by Castiglioni brothers, because after more that 50 years still very contemporary.

Cleto Munari was one of the first designers that build his own brand (between 1960 amd 1970) and its concept was very simple: edit the work of designer without any restriction in terms of marketing, he just produce the ideas that his designer friends gave to him. Some of its collection is at Moma Museum of New York. Giulio Iacchetti is designer that I really like for his products and for his thought of design, some of my opinion about design I learned from his writing and publications

Be curious and critical with yourself.

I would like to be a musician, a drummer or a trumpet player, the only problem is that I never touch a drum or a trumpet.

Design means quality, and quality is a dynamic concept, a constant improvement. Dissatisfaction is a creative energy that a designer must have, together with technical knowledge. These tools are the base to design a quality product, where the quality is not only the material longevity, but also an intangible quality: the products that go beyond their function have a longer life. Design has to satisfy not only the need but also the emotion of the consumer, a high quality product should not necessarily be useful, or more precisely, it is useful everything that helps us to live better, emotion included.

To describe the meaning of design for the next decade I borrow a concept from David Grossman. “In the beginning, designers were serving producers and producers were interested in growing consumption as much as possible on the short term .What we feel is that it’s important to make a small change from designers being servants of the producers with the producers deciding what is good for their short-term benefit to the designers serving the end-users to think about the long term. It’s a little change in words, but it’s a very big change in the way that designers see themselves and the way that the general public sees the designers"

Year by year I met very interesting people, everyone one teach me something different, and I was very attentive to detect teachings that can support and improve my works.

The dedication that I put every day in my work, together with passion and curiosity.

First of all I’m not a design master, but just a designer that starts to see the results of his works. I did not faces obstacles but I faced situation that let me grow up and find solutions

With passion and believing in their ideas

I’m working on a new watch that has in one of its components a new material never used in the watches. Another project I’m working is a exhibition for a design event.

I just realized one of my goals: Atto Verticale my own brand watch. ...................

I do not what people expect, but I expect to improve my works, let grow up my brand, and create design product that can communicate value to people

The designer’s responsibility must serve the end-users to think about the long term, it’s a very big change in the way that designers see themselves and the way that the general public sees the designers, as David Grossman said.

Actually I’m working on my brand watch Atto Verticale, with new versions, develop new market, and promotion: a very interesting challenge and a new adventure.

Few years ago I designed some exhibitions that gave me a lot of satisfaction, especially one that was a booth for a mattress company that use eco-friendly materials: the booth was made most with this material, and the result was not also very beautiful but right for to show a sustainable company and its products. Now my last product Atto Verticale gives me the most satisfaction or several reasons. It's my own brand, I follow the entire project in detail: from the concept to the production, the branding, the distribution model, open the market and find new markets, photo shoot, promotion and so on. Is a great experience for my carier, not only as a designer but also as entrepreneur, that face me all the process to build a brand and distribute the product in the right way.

A more attention to the quality of design in terms of sustainable, immaterial longevity and intangible quality.

The future of design is in the designer hands, more that in the brands or in the market. The design role is always to think in a different way and let the market follow the new rules that the design writes. In the last period of time the design follow to much the market rules that are more and more focus on short-term benefit and profit. Designer has to change this trend, taking risk and go ahead with their idea. One option for the future of design is that the designer makes its own production and brand, putting in the market new strong ideas and products that can impose questions.

Depend on the product, and on the communication with the client. Usually from concept to engineering it takes around 3 weeks 1 month. For exhibition 1 week more the set up.

First step is the knowledge about the product in terms of history, materials and production. Second step is to explore new possibilities and verify the feasibility.

I do not have one, but I can say: be lost to find the way

For sure design sets the trend. Design is a trend maker, not a trend follower. When the trend will set the design, the design is dead.

It’s one of the tools that I have to consider, but not the only one or the most important

My design studio works with pen and marker pen, Rhinoceros, Solid Works, Adobe, video editing. I'm connected with people around the world through several social media. One of the best technologies is meet people face to face, talk with people, listen the people, be updated not only in design news.

They have one of the main role. The color can change the perception of a product and personally I like colorful objects: colors give live to a product. The materials, and knowledge of materials, is basic to design a good product in terms of feasibility, market and final user approach. The ambient is the scenario where the product lives.

What is the next future for design. We are living radical changes in design industries.

Sense of beauty, proportion, new solutions and sustainability

I believe in co-design between designer, producer and distributer, if this three actor works together to achieve the same goals there is the possibility to make a good design

Design is a bridge between all the actors involved in the creation of new products, and designer has to communicate with all of them. Personally I like to interact with people with technical knowledge that can help me to find the right solution or confirm my idea.

One of the last one that I read called: What is Italian Design? The seven obsessions

I can mention the last one: What is Italian Design? The seven obsessions

With John Fante, one of my favorite writers, and of course Caravaggio, a rebel that changed the rules becoming the first modern painter hundreds four hundred years before the modern art

Actually A’Design Awards is my first international award, and it’s not easy have a product that can be a potential winner, but when you are sure about your work you have to believe in it.

I would like to have a coffee with a “Sicilian Cannolo” in a Mediterranean city in front of a blue see in July, reading a Corto Maltese comic.

I like to see the product that I design, when I see the prototype is very grateful.

Of course not, I was dreaming to be a basketball player.

I have an international background, after working in Italy, Brazil and China; I set up my design studio in Honk Kong in 2012. Since 2005 I worked in different areas of industrial design, also experimenting graphic and exhibition design. This experience in several countries gives me the possibility to explore different design fields, markets and cultures increasing my curiosity: the main characteristic of a designer for my point of view. I was always very curious, design satisfy me and my curiosity. The dissatisfaction is a creative energy that give me motivation to do this job and explore new solutions.

Masera Design, established in 2012 in Honk Kong to be near to the world’s center of watch component manufacturing, keeps its hand on the pulse of the most recent updates on the manufacturing possibilities, new materials and technological innovations. The design studio core business is watch design, following all the steps from the concept to the prototype, also works in product and exhibition design. In 2016 Masera Design launches in the market its first brand: Atto Verticale, an unconventional mechanical watch. A design studio that believes in its concepts, has a strictly knowledge in production and distribution can realize its ideas and sell directly in the market, trying to break the rules. This is the vision for my design studio, in other words the designer serving the end-users.

Design means quality, and quality is a dynamic concept, a constant improvement. Dissatisfaction is a creative energy that a designer must have, together with technical knowledge. This tools are the base to design a quality product, where the quality is not only the material longevity, but also an intangible quality: the products that goes beyond their function have a longer life. Design has to satisfy not only the need but also the emotion of the consumer, an high quality product should not necessarily be useful, or more precisely, it is useful everything that helps us to live better, emotion included.

To describe the meaning of design for the next decade I borrow a concept from David Grossman. “In the beginning, designers were serving producers and producers were interested in growing consumption as much as possible on the short term .What we feel is that it’s important to make a small change from designers being servants of the producers with the producers deciding what is good for their short-term benefit to the designers serving the end-users to think about the long term. It’s a little change in words, but it’s a very big change in the way that designers see themselves and the way that the general public sees the designers".

I enjoy designing products out of the box, the ones that can break the rules in their market. A brave product that challenges its competitors in unconventional fields. For me sabotage is one of the goals for a design product. My last work, the watch Atto Verticale, is an example: in the hyper-connection era, I design a watch with a mechanical hand wound movement, assembled on colored aluminum case with an unusual shape. I try to break the rules, the main risk of this watch was the hand wound movement: media and lifestyle say to us that we have to be connected, smart oriented and technological victims. But we need also to be unconnected and find our time, a old school movement in a modern and colorful case was an experiment that I made to live the future in a different point of view. The first market feedback are positive: people like the idea to have a hand wound watch, to have a special product that is in contrast with the daily life standard.

I have several, master designers of last century as Castiglioni brothers, Ettore Sottsass, Giuseppe Terragni. Nowadays I like many others too but two of them in particular: Cleto Munari and Giulio Iachetti. Cleto Munari was one of the first designers that build his own brand (between 1960 amd 1970) and its concept was very simple: edit the work of designer without any restriction in terms of marketing, he just produce the ideas that his designer friends gave to him. Some of its collection is at Moma Museum of New York. Giulio Iacchetti is designer that I really like for his products and for his thought of design, some of my opinion about design I learn from his writing and publications

It was a glass coffe table for an Italian brand, that I designed when I was working in Milan for a design studio.

Most of all I like color lightness. Material that can have texture or natural material that you can touch and smell.

When I have to find a solution, when there are limits in a process the designer has to be creative make the limit a value.

I like to follow all the design process, the design is a bridge between all the actors involved in the creation of new products. The concept step is the most exciting, the sample step the most satisfying.

A mix of emotions that end in the calm after the storm. The quiet is very important to make a good design.

Same emotion as a child when receives a gift for his birthday: surprised, happy and that trembles to open and use his gift

When has a intangible quality and a immaterial longevity (the most difficult to achieve). A good design has to be sustainable, and does not think only about the profit. A successful design product enters in the market to create an innovation, and to break the rules of the market, after its launch the market has think in a different way. So I good design has to touch the people and let them thinking in a different way.y.

Very first thing that I consider is the aesthetics according with the proper use of materials. The compromise between aesthetics and sustainability in more important that the function itself.

The designer’s responsibility must serve the end-users to think about the long term, it’s a very big change in the way that designers see themselves and the way that the general public sees the designers, as David Grossman said.

The future of design is in the designer hands, more that in the brands or in the market. The design role is always to think in a different way and let the market follow the new rules that the design writes. In the last period of time the design follow to much the market rules that are more and more focus on short-term benefit and profit. Designer has to change this trend, taking risk and go ahead with their idea. One option for the future of design is that the designer makes its own production and brand, putting in the market new strong ideas and products that can impose questions. On my hand I made it, with my new brand watch Atto Verticale.

My last exhibition was in April of this year in Shenzhen, during the design week. Next one I want to do when my studio Masera Design will launch its next own watch.

Qualitative research: to have a huge knowledge of the history of the product that you are going to design, with this research you can predict the future. Be curious, understand the past, read the present and design the future creating something that is not already done. Look around a take reference from other fields.

The style is a thinking aptitude, more than a matter of shapes. So the style of a design born after several considerations such as material involved, sustainability, production skill, and so on. The style is a good compromise between aesthetics and sustainability. My approach to design is to sabotage, create a product out of the box, and explore the unconventional

I'm living in Shenzhen, and I came back to Milan two or three months in a year. Living in Shenzhen make me the opportunity to be near the production and the concept has to be near the production. It is a very nice city that is growing up, and where design is growing up, many designer are working here, and also many designers from abroad are visiting their client or their supplier

The companies that I work with, know that my studio can develop a full package, from concept to engineering for production and even 3d printing or mockup sample. Most of the companies I was working on selecting me because I can create alternative products.

Companies have to select the right designer for their need and their perception of design. Designer and company are partner in the project. The designer before start to work with a company has to know the identity, values, and skills, potential, most as possible of the company, to be part of the team. The company after make decision to work with a designer, have to trust on him, and go ahead together.

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Research to understan, sabotage to create, technical skills to enginnering, follows to prototyping

rco lamp (Achille e Piergiacomo Castiglioni for Flos), Merdolino toilet brush (Stefano Giovannoni for alessi), Bialetti Moka Dama, Cleto Munari Carpet, a German drafting machine from 1930 made by unknown

I wake up around 7.30, shower, coffee breakfast at home, take subway to the office, read during the trip in subway, coffee before go to office, talking or meeting with the team, check email, follow the projects, eventually meet clients or suppliers, meet friends or other designer friends for entertainment and to be updated, dinner.

Always be curious, self-critical, do not follow in love with the first idea, change the point of view, do not be satisfied, the sketch is nothing without knowledge of material and production, if you see a red chair it's the time to do a blue one!

Positive:

_ You can do this job only with passion, it's not just a work it’s your main activity

_ Always you can learn something new

_ You can meet many interesting people

_ You can see and touch your work

Negative:

_ You will not sleep or take lunch sometime

_ You will be obstructed from someone

Change the rules, be unconventional

Dissatisfaction as a creative energy together with technical knowledge.

Meet people face to face, talk with people, listen the people, be updated not only in design news. My design studio works with pen and marker pen, Rhinoceros, Solid Works, Adobe, video editing. I'm connected with people around the world through several social media.

Managing the priority let your team grow up and follow some task under my supervision. Sometimes I like spend time in details or secondary items, that are not so important, but maybe they will be important in the future.

Depend on the product, and on the communication with the client. Usually from concept to engineering it takes around 3 weeks 1 month. For exhibition 1 week more the set up.

What is design for you?

The watch Atto Verticale, for several reasons. It's my own brand, I follow the entire project in detail: from the concept to the production, the branding, the distribution model, open the market and find new markets, photo shoot, promotion and so on. Is a great experience for my carier, not only as a designer but also as entrepreneur, that face me all the process to build a brand and distribute the product in the right way.

Ezio Smart Wear, Wenger, Faze-In, SIFE, SZ Creative Week, Charger Link

I like the creative process that is not only the concept step, but actually is in every step when you have to find the right solution

My next is developing new version of Atto Verticale and let the brand grow up. Masera Design is producing also another model launch in the market very soon.

I'm working for an exhibition, to set up a pavilion to make a design events. It's in the very beginning step, where we are working with the client to define strategy and general concept.

info@maseradesign.com