Andrea Agazzini

Interview with Andrea Agazzini

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?

I was born as an Architect and manager of production plants for renewable energy, in 2019 I tried to make my passion for sports my job, so I integrated the design and sale of a new concept of electric bicycle, I started from scratch.

Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?

We at Agazzini are a small company born in 2015, made up of two brothers, Andrea and Paolo who in 2019 went to try the creation of a line of bikes branded AGAZZINI. Now, more than three years old, also with the help of Matteo, our mechanic and rider, we have grown and reached awareness in the three main segments for off-road, Muscle, Ebike and Motobike.

What kinds of works do you like designing most?

He loves to think about the shapes of innovative vehicles such as sports bicycles but also their components and accessories.

What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?

My sources of inspiration are the great Bike Designers who over the years have brought ingenious developments on the technique of two-wheeled vehicles.

When do you feel the most creative?

When I manage to translate my ideas into forms, in that moment I am satisfied with my work

Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?

In my experience, the fundamental steps for a good project are: THE INITIAL IDEA, from which everything arises, THE EXPERIMENTATION and the actual work, in which the idea must become reality and all things must work, finally the PUNTO, where the idea is gutted in the smallest details to take the final shape.

What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?

A strong and lasting emotion, like having planted a large stone that will no longer be able to move

What makes a design successful?

Its complicated simplicity, its containing complicated concepts and structures in a simple form

When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?

First I consider its constructive impact and its sustainability, then I evaluate the shape

From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?

They are the same as anyone who applies transformations to the planet we live on: full responsibility for thinking about the consequences of his work

How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?

I see design as a scale that can bring our world to safety, or make it fall even further into the abyss of waste of resources: only good designers will be able to choose the path

When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?

Many years ago at the Politecnico di Milano, while you were exhibiting my architecture, I now hope to be able to exhibit my new creations in the world of bicycles

Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?

I think about what could be useful to my clients and try to make it happen as best I can

How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?

I would define myself as a design-practical, which puts utility before form. The shape is a consequence of what I think is useful, so it realizes itself

Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?

Absolutely, everyone is linked to the land they live in, both culturally and geographically. My land is full of mountains and trails and my passion for the outdoors drove me here

How do you work with companies?

It is very tiring to find companies with seriousness, but when I find them, I also form strong bonds of friendship

What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?

I think they need to know about your extra interests, that's the starting point

Can you talk a little about your design process?

THE INITIAL IDEA, from which everything arises, THE EXPERIMENTATION and the actual work, in which the idea must become reality and all things must work, finally the PUNTO, where the idea is gutted in the smallest details to take the final shape.

Can you describe a day in your life?

In the morning I try to deal with the less pleasant questions, then when I'm calm, I start thinking about future designs, with a free mind.

Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?

Finding the way they are most passionate about, without immediately thinking about the result. However, I still consider myself a young man! :-)

From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?

The positive aspects are freedom of thought, the negative ones that too much freedom leads to asking too many questions

What skills are most important for a designer?

Each skill fully forms a person, so the more skills the more you keep the variables under control

Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?

I use wrenches and hammers, measuring tools, paper and pencil, 2D and 3D software and 3D printer

Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?

Time is always the enemy, sometimes I think I work for a few hours and I end up dragging myself until midnight

How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?

small in about a month, medium in at least 6 months, large in more than a year

What was your most important job experience?

Definitely the design of my MotoBike Enduro2, together with the construction of a large electricity generation plant

What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?

I like the design phase very much, but also the experimentation phase in the field, because we realize if what we ultimately thought was reality.

Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

I think the questions were well structured and I enjoyed answering

Designer of the Day Interview with Andrea Agazzini

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?

How did you become a designer?

My path was both from passion and from necessity: in 2018 two of the most important bicycle companies for which I was collaborating went out of business, so I thought about what the concept of electric bike would be for me, and I started at work to make it happen.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

It is very exciting the moment you see the idea taking shape and you understand that from that moment the path is the right one.

What particular aspects of your background shaped you as a designer?

My observing and reflecting on how the objects that surround us are made

What is your growth path? What are your future plans? What is your dream design project?

Definitely the ability to use and get to know the objects I was designing in depth.

What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?

Surely the most difficult job is the inner search to understand what are the true passions that a person has within him, the rest then comes naturally.

You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?

To be successful, you have to work on a project that when you wake up in the morning you can't wait to carry on, and you stay there until 2 am. You are there on the right track.

What is your day to day look like?

In the morning I try to deal with the less pleasant questions, then when I'm calm, I start thinking about future designs, with a free mind.

How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?

Keeping up with what others are doing is very important, but it's better to try something new than to do better something that has already been done.

How do you know if a product or project is well designed? How do you define good design?

A good design must have the pleasure to the eyes, the harmony of the shapes, but also the best functionality you could wish for.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

Inside my mind I have the vision of my 90% versus 100%. I look for that first 90% in the first year of work, and then I attack one piece at a time to try to get close to 100%, which at the moment I have never succeeded :-)

What is your biggest design work?

I think my greatest work is the one awarded this year, the MotoBike Enduro2, because it embodies my vision of an electric bicycle and contains all my experience of technique, sale and use.

Who is your favourite designer?

My sources of inspiration are the great Bike Designers who over the years have brought ingenious developments on the technique of two-wheeled vehicles.

Would you tell us a bit about your lifestyle and culture?

The design that a person expresses represents 100% his personality and his lifestyle, if this is not bound by an external development imposed by other factors.

Would you tell us more about your work culture and business philosophy?

My profession involves designing, making, testing, advertising and selling the products I have invented. So it's a strong swing of super positive days, followed by boring and tiring days, when everything seems to go wrong. I practice my profession for 50% alone and for 50% helped by collaborators, I believe that working with me is easy if you have the same ideas, otherwise very complicated.

What are your philanthropic contributions to society as a designer, artist and architect?

I believe that everyone who lives in this society is responsible for their share, so I think we should all try to reconcile their work with ecological and social sustainability, so that external factors do not have to intervene to mitigate the damage we cause.

What positive experiences you had when you attend the A’ Design Award?

I think that participating in this competition enriches your awareness a lot and makes you focus a lot on the most important parts of your work.