Interviewe mat Frédéric Gooris

I graduated from the Hogeschool Antwerpen in 1998. In 1999 I moved to Milan and obtained my Master-in-Design at Domus Academy. The next 5 years I gained experience working for Philippe Starck and Stefano Giovannoni working on a very wide range of projects for internationally renowned companies such as Target, Alessi, Laufen, Magis, , Lavazza, Nissan, and Siemens.In 2004 I founded Studio Gooris in Milan. Clients include Alessi, Seiko, China Southern Airlines, Qantas, Minotti Cucine, Ferrero, Nespresso, Levis, JCPenny, among others. Besides being a creative mind, I am also a driven entrepreneur. In 2009 I co-founded Bombol, a company for the most exciting, innovative kids’ furniture. In 2010, the midst of the financial crisis, I decided with my wife Paulina to move family and company to Hong Kong.

I have a strong desire to improve the world around us. So many small problems that with just a little creativity are easily solved and change things for the better.

I definitely choose to become a designer and went 200% for it.

I design all sorts of products. In general, I love the type of products that haven’t really evolved for a long time. Kids furniture is a good example, so we really have a lot of fun reinventing these.

Forget about the designer as a star or a legend. It should not be the goal. Be passionate about what you do and don’t be afraid to fail. You only have to be right once to make a real difference.

A good designer makes design that is appreciated by other designers. A great designer creates design that is loved by an audience that is much much wider than that, in other words, a great designer is a narrator that speaks a language easily understood by ordinary people like you and me.

Great design is a seamless integration between an immersive narrative and meaningful innovation. In other words, delivers increased benefits compared to its existing piers and is attractive to a large pool of potential customers. Ultimately, it has contributed to the evolution of the product category.

We tend to think that the world will not change, that evolution stops with us. Truth is that we are just an infinitely tiny step in an evolution that has been going on for millions of years. Good design provides answers to our ever-changing needs, enabling us to take the next step. Put very simply, good design enables us to evolve as a society.

I love to do the most ordinary everyday objects, the kind that touches millions of lives. A small improvement or a smile can add up to a big contribution to society.

I haven’t work with glass or crystal yet. That is one of the materials that fascinates me a lot.

If I told you it would not be a secret anymore, would it?

Achille Castiglioni is probably the guy I look up to most. The way he managed to infuse industrial products with humor and poetry is unparalleled.

I think the best design are so normal to people that they don’t even realize somebody designed it at one point in time.

The Escape suitcase is definitely up there. The project was not about the product but how to deliver a different travel experience for today’s business travelers. Reducing range anxiety for mobile devices and increasing work efficiency while on the road forced us not to redesign but to completely reinvent the carry-on.

Stop designing for your own portfolio and step out of your comfort zone, every time again. Design for the end-user.

An architect. Not far off…

Design is the answer to everyday problems that everybody already knew, but nobody really formulated yet.

Paulina, my amazing wife. She never stopped believing in me, even in times when I stopped believing in myself. Thanks to her I managed to battle my way through the years when I earned little or no money and stay focused on developing the skillset that make me who I am today.

A combination of things. First my education as an engineer thought me to stay pragmatic and humble. Second my formation in Italy that thought me to dare to dream big and how to translate these dreams into a reality. Finally, the many bruises as an entrepreneur that thought me the harsh economic realities that as a designer I tended to ignore.

There are many things that can derail a project or compromise commercial success. Learning the pitfalls is probably the one thing a designer must learn.

In the most time efficient way to get the concept across. One of my most successful presentations was with a model of yarn and barbeque skewers, no renders!

More projects that tie in with new business models. We put much more emphasis on how to create business though dreaming up the future.

To create one, just one object that is so successful and so widely used that people don’t even realize it was ever designed - let alone they would know by who.

People can easily identify the problems and tend to have a good gut feeling on how to solve them, but can rarely find the correct answers. Truth is, the answer is often in the way the problems are formulated. A designer must be able to take in all the aspects of the problem (technically, emotionally, economically, etc…) and find single solution that seamlessly brings together all the answers to the individual problems.

We tend to think that the world will not change, that evolution stops with us. Truth is that we are just an infinitely tiny step in an evolution that has been going on for millions of years. Good design provides answers to our ever-changing needs, enabling us to take the next step. Put very simply, good design enables us to evolve as a society.

The Bombol project. It is about so much more than the product. We actually started by designing a new disruptive business model, and that set a number of unique constraints to the design of the product. The result is very innovative products that are suitable not just for parents but also for the hospitality business – a new market. The first product is de Pop-Up booster received an overwhelming positive reaction due to its high wow-factor.

The Bombol project. It is about so much more than the product. We actually started by designing a new disruptive business model, and that set a number of unique constraints to the design of the product. The result is very innovative products that are suitable not just for parents but also for the hospitality business – a new market. The first product is de Pop-Up booster received an overwhelming positive reaction due to its high wow-factor.

See the figure of the designer less as a star for marketing purposes and go back to experimenting to foster true innovation.

I think the field of Design will broaden. In a world where many jobs will be replaced by AI, design thinking will be more important than ever.

It can range from 6 months to 5 years.

We generally start from what the ideal product should be, the utopia. Once that is fixed, we look for ways to convey a clear narrative, so the product can “talk” to the public. It sounds quite easy, but in practice we start from lots of “half ideas” that then through many iterations slowly merge together into different concepts.

Stay curious and don’t be afraid to fail!

I come from the Italian design school where the ideal is timeless design.

Technology can be very helpful in quick visualization or defining the final design. But I am a firm believer in developing products through quick-and-dirty prototypes to get proof of concept as soon as possible. If technology can help create these fast samples it is most useful, but many young designers put a lot of effort in presenting their concepts the best way possible through incredible renders rather than focusing on the quality of their concepts by fact checking them.

Illustrator for 2D, Alias Design for the 3D and for the rest a good old-fashioned toolbox with hammer, tweezers, Dremel, etc…

Materials, colors and shapes are to designers what letters and words are to writers. They are message conveyers. Designers and writers are translators of emotions and use these tools to transmit their narratives.

How come nobody ever thought about this before?

Well done! Chapeau! My respect!

Yes I do. The ideal design partner is somebody who is trained as a designer but works as a product developer, that comes from a similar design-thinking background. Rather than competition, such a collaboration works as a catalyst.

My masters Starck and Giovannoni had a very deep impact on my formation as a designer.

I love books that tell me the history of a product category. By understanding the past and present day of an object it becomes easier to envision the future.

My 12 years in Italy were very defining for who I became as a designer. I was interacting with true master designers on a regular basis and the insights you get by just chatting with them is something money cannot buy.

Achille Castiglioni.

First, I don’t consider myself famous at all. There is this myth of the triumvirate fame-design-money as the ultimate goal. Truth is if you want fame and money, design is probably one of the last places where you should start. But I do consider myself successful in the sense that I can just put on my jeans and t-shirt in the morning and go to the studio to do what I love to do. Despite the long hours I still have plenty of time for my family.

Anything that is unexpected and pleasantly surprises me. I am always looking for new experiences.

At one point in the beginning of my career, a customer asked me in Skype if the 3D files of a plastic chair I sent him were good to create a “modl”. It was prototyping stage, so I said yes. Next thing I knew, I had photos of the USD200.000 “mould” in my mailbox. We got lost in translation…

When somebody I never met tells us how much they love using our stuff. The fact of having brought some joy to someone’s life through our work is the biggest motivator of all.

It was obvious I was going to end up in the creative field, but nobody knew what was going to be, not even me.

A thousand years from now is very hard to predict. At the rate we are messing up it is not even sure we’ll get that far.

But yesterday I went to the Primary Years Project Exhibition of my eldest daughter, and I was literally blown away with creativity of the solutions they proposed for problems they detected around them in society. I felt true hope that they might be smarter and more respectful to the world they’ll inherit. Human kind might actually have a chance.

I have always been a tinkerer, taking things apart and try to put them back together. After my Design studies in Antwerp, I obtained a Master-in-Design at the Domus Academy [Milan] in 1999. My working career started at the studios of Philippe Starck [Paris] and Stefano Giovannoni [Milan]. In 2004 I founded Studio Gooris in Milan and in 2010 I moved family and office to Hong Kong.

Studio Gooris is originally founded in Milan and now based in Hong Kong. It has built a reputation of fusing innovation with narratives. Our clients vary from global multinationals to innovative start-ups that work in a vast array of different sectors. Rather than specializing in a specific area, Studio Gooris prides itself to be a design studio at 360 degrees that is active in aviation, sanitary, illumination, health and wellness, eyewear, watches, baby products, retail and interior design.This is a conscious choice: it allows us to think from the user’s point of view rather than from an industry’s perspective, doing things the way they have always been done. By being exposed to a large variety of typologies of products and production techniques it is easy to do the cross-pollination of ideas and technologies to foster innovation and be disruptive, always mindful of the user as the protagonist.

A dream turned into a reality.

I design all sorts of products. In general, I love the type of products that haven’t really evolved for a long time. Kids furniture is a good example, so we really have a lot of fun reinventing these.

My favorite design is probably TinTin’s rocket. Very iconic and it made people believe anything is possible.

A chair for a Shanghai company.

No particular favorite, but what we learn in one field we try to apply in other areas. Crosspollination is the catalyst for innovation.

In the bathroom or during running.

The concept! If the concept is not a bullseye, the project will run into trouble further down the line.

It’s a rollercoaster of frustration and excitement.

Mixed emotions. Happy, proud and relieved the design is finally there, but also a bit sad as the excitement of the unknown is gone. I am always attracted to what hasn’t been done yet.

A successful design is able to reach a wide audience and makes a tangible contribution to society by solving real issues.

Does it serve a purpose? Does it have a reason to exist compared to what already exists?

We tend to think that the world will not change, that evolution stops with us. Truth is that we are just a tiny step in an evolution that has been going on for millions of years. The responsibility of a designer is to provide dreams of how society could evolve, and back it up with valid proposals. Put very simply, the designer must facilitate society to evolve for the better.

I think the design field will broaden. In a world where many jobs will be replaced by AI, design thinking will be more important than ever.

My last exhibition was in Shenzhen with IDA (Italian Design Association) during the Shenzhen Design Week.

Curiosity feeds my creativity. It’s the little things that surprise every day where I find inspiration. To most people, these little things often pass by unnoticed, until you point it out. When they stop and look, they are equally surprised! I frequently use these little “discoveries” and make them more evident in my designs.

My design language is versatile and eclectic. It will adapt to the DNA of the brand I design for and to the narrative I want to transmit. I don’t focus on a single style to build my portfolio. That is why we make it a point to truly understand our customer’s brand experience. For Alessi you’ll see a very playful language, while for Rollogo it is very minimal and elegant. I feel more like a translator rather than someone who imposes his personality onto his customers.

I am from Belgium, studied for a while in England, did my master in Italy, worked first in Paris to later return to Milan and now it’s Hong Kong. Being exposed to a multitude of cultures is a must to able to identify narratives that will work for various markets. And if you want to create a truly global product you need to transcend cultural boundaries. From that perspective, to end up in a global metropolis like Hong Kong is an enormous added value.

We work very closely with the companies, almost like if we are a part of them.

As the designer I have no idea of what I will deliver, but I know what I will cost to the company. It is a big leap of faith for the company. The professional track record and a good personal relationship provide good guidance for choosing a designer. A good relationship is very important to help overcome the difficulties which will surely emerge along the product development process. As for the track record, a friend once told me that if you think a professional is expensive, try an amateur.

We generally start from the utopia or what the ideal product should be. Once the goal is fixed, we break it down in steps on how to get there, a roadmap if you will. We also look different narratives, so the product can “talk” to the public. The right narrative is the onethat blends seamlessly with “ideal product”. It sounds quite easy, but in practice we start from lots of “half ideas” that then through many iterations slowly merge together into different concepts.

The ’64 VespaThe electric carThe crystal glasses from my grandparentsThe coffee mokkaThe Mah-Jong Sofa

In the morning, I put on my jeans and t-shirt to go the studio. After an hour or two of tedious emailing, I get to do what I love to do: dream up stuff and figure out solutions. With music in the background of course. Towards the end of the day I go home to spend time with my family. After the girls go to bed most of the time I go back out to sport or to do networking.

Don’t be afraid to fail. You only have to be right once to make a real difference, and maybe be successful.

The positive thing is that I am always doing my hobby and never at work. The negative side is that it not easy to make a living as an independent designer.

Never fall in love with your own ideas.

To reset your mind every single time you start a new project. Forget the preconditions in your mind and in the industry, to be ready to question everything.

Adobe package, Alias design, hammer, Dremel, paper (a lot), my library…

Reduce the presentations to a bare minimum and go after proof-of-concept as fast as possible through quick-and-dirty prototyping. Understanding what is important at which stage of the development is crucial not to lose time with things that will change anyways.

It depends. It can range from 6 months to 5 years.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Probably the food service for China Southern Airlines. It was such a complex project because of the multiple end users (the cabin personnel, the cooks, the catering personnel and the passengers), the complex infrastructure (base station and outer stations). There were just so many variables that it took me 3 months to wrap my head around the problem, and still we had to maintain a coherent brand feeling from economy all the way to first class.

Alessi, China Southern Airlines, DeSter, Ferrero, Sun Hing Vision Group and Seiko to name a few. Then there are the edgy startups like Rollogo, Ave Concept and Bombol.

I love to do product design, preferably the most ordinary objects that have the potential of touching the lives of millions of people. It gives true meaning to what we do.

We are moving more into the entrepreneurial direction, “Business Design” if that is how you can call it. We look at opportunities in the market by dreaming up hypothetical ideal products and figure out if there are better business models together with experts in the field. It is more work up front, but it gives us very clear goals and guidelines for the creation of disruptive products, rather than looking how to simply improve existing products. Our company Bombol is the first project of its kind, and the next brand is already in the pipeline. It is very exciting because it pulls us out of our designer comfort zone and it enriches our team with so much experience that is very valuable for the daily design consultancy jobs as well.

A mix of both actually. When we get a brief, we all recluse ourselves in our cocoons for some time. After a while we show each other what we came up with, mostly “half ideas”. Through the discussions it becomes clear which half ideas/ideas move people the most and puzzle them together into meaningful concepts.

I want to talk about all of them, but I can’t…

E-mail (info@studiogooris.com) or phone (+852 3462 3504)