DerekIndustrial Design
How far back can you trace your interest in design?
My interest in design was sparked by my love for art. I was naturally creative and was always drawing and sketching. I was inspired by comic books and Disney cartoons. I wanted to be an animator or illustrator, but then directed my creativity towards architecture as a more "lucrative" option when I entered college. I soon discovered there was a profession that combined architecture and my love for technology into one field of study. The program only accepted 13 students a year, so I immersed myself in design. I was prepared to do whatever it would take to be an industrial designer.
What tools and software do you use?
I use a combination of digital and physical tools throughout the entire creative process. I use a computer assisted design program called Rhinoceros (a form of NURBS modeling) to shape and sculpt my product vision in three dimensions. CAD lets us iterate quickly, make changes and design within the mechanical engineering constraints. I use the Adobe Creative Suite for illustrations and presentations and a Wacom 21UX large format tablet to capture my sketches digitally.
However, nothing is more effective than my favorite pen and sketchbook to capture my ideas. I use a Uni-ball ONYX pen and a Moleskine unlined sketchbook. Sketching and rapid visualization is the most effective way to test and verify concepts before spending too much time on the computer.
Does the technology keep changing?
Technology evolves rapidly and I have to be at the very forefront when it comes to using and understanding it, as it makes me faster and more agile. I see a day in my lifetime where I won't use a typical input device or computer screen. I'll be able to walk around any object I design and see a digital representation in 3D. I'll be able to spin it around, scale it and make any changes to it just like a sculptor would carve away at a block of stone.
Where do you turn for inspiration?
I always turn to people for inspiration. I observe and explore their actions more than their words. I am amazed by the diversity in our lifestyles and how our perceptions are shaped by products. I also turn to nature for inspiration because Mother Nature has designed animals and plants over millions of years. For many of the problems we find in products, nature often has a solution that that I can use in my designs.
How do you stay ahead of product trends?
I am constantly connected to an almost insane degree. I am plugged in and wired almost every hour of the day to my news feeds, RSS, Twitter, magazines and fashion. I draw influence from the past design movements and focus on the trends or styles that are bleeding edge and off the cuff. I look at conceptual designs from car companies. If I find a texture, material or color combination that people don't know quite what to think about, then I'm usually on the right track. It may be the way a line moves along a surface on a bike or the pattern on a street grating. I take it, make it my own and create my own trends.
What's the coolest part about your job?
I'm in the position to create objects as art. You might have a product concept, but until the industrial designer puts pen to paper and creates a physical manifestation of that idea, no one can get truly excited. It's that intimate relationship between object and human that inspires and motivates me. When I walk into a meeting with a prototype and everyone's eyes light up, that's cool. Because I've designed every detail of that product, I have a direct connection to it in the same way a metalsmith or wood carver knows every little bump and change in surface. Of course the ultimate satisfaction is when I see people using the products I've designed to make their lives easier and more enjoyable.
Please provide your opinion on the importance of innovation.
Innovation is key if a company wants to make forward progress and stay ahead of the competition. Companies like Apple, Philips and Tesla can do this well because of the synergy between design and engineering. They fully understand their customers and make little compromises when it comes to making the best product.
Innovation is creating your own connector to make your product thinner. It's making the case plastics lighter by using new composites. It's redesigning a battery to be longer lasting and safer. Innovation cannot happen unless there's time to explore and make mistakes. Innovation means obsessive iteration and prototyping to solve problems that were once thought impossible.
Describe your dream project.
Easy—to design my own car. I want to take an existing car and its engine but design everything else around it: the steering wheel, dash, knobs, exterior, everything. I want a modern electric car that pays homage to the old school low-rider cars from the '70s and '80s. Long and mean with big rims that I will design with a giant letter "D" and the $ symbol so it reads D-Money. I'll put that as the front and rear emblem too!
You design a lot of POWER A gaming products. Do you play? Action or sports? What's your all-time favorite game?
Ha! Yes, my favorite types of games are role-playing games and fighting games. My all-time favorite would have to be Street Fighter because of the fond memories I had when I was younger at the arcade spending all of my allowance money. The arcade was my fortress of solitude where I went to escape and be inspired by technology and art.
You're usually rockin' headphones at your desk. iTunes? Pandora? What style of music fuels the design process?
I listen to a wide array of music from bands like Radiohead, Chromeo, Hot Chip, Massive Attack. I listen to KEXP's electronic and hip hop streaming podcast and weekly radio shows. You can also find me listening to technology, architecture and science podcasts to help me stay afoot of what's next and new. When I'm designing products I tend to listen to more electronic music, like drum and base and dubstep. I like minimal, spacey sounds that make me think about proportions, form and geometry.
How goes the mixed martial arts training at COGA MMA (just down the road from BDA headquarters)?
It's going really great! I've been doing martial arts since I was 10 or so. I've always loved action movies and martial arts movies from the '80s like American Ninja and Bloodsport. Bruce Lee and Van Damme were my heroes and I wanted to be aerobatic and fit just like them. I got my black belt in karate and competed a lot in tournaments. In high school I wrestled while I was doing karate and I was never in better shape.
I practiced Muay Thai kickboxing, Filipino stick fighting, Jeet Kun Do (Bruce Lee's style) for another few years and now that I'm at COGA MMA I can combine all of those arts into a practical sport. I love MMA because it is the most challenging thing I can do physically and mentally. I'm pushed at every level to improve my technique and I use every muscle in my body. There's no excuses, no fouls, no timeouts, no official reviews. MMA teaches me to be a stronger-minded individual in my personal and work life.