Did you want to become a designer as a child?

Actually, as a child I was dreaming of becoming an architect. I got introduced to product design at a much later stage and was immediately drawn to it. A house is only drawn and build once. It also always remains a house. Product design is so much broader. Serial products, faster rotation, learning effects… When I was a child, I enjoyed most creating something out of duplo/lego blocks, or constructing a highway. Once finished, I would not keep on playing. Everything was quickly taken down to make something new or to improve my creation. I didn’t like to colour between the lines and I still don’t like doing that. I find that rather boring.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

You are born as a designer. You can compare it with a chef that always thinks of food, or a sportsman that watches sport when not practicing or that comes up with tactics for improvement… During my trip around the world I took loads of pictures. This images are my source of inspiration. They help me to define the problem by looking at it from another point of view. They are also an inspiration for the design of new products. I do not only get inspiration from my world trip, but everywhere I go. 

How do you start a new design?

It all depends on the product you plan to design. We always start with a comprehensive design briefing. It is important to know and to determine in advance what you want to achieve. Depending on that you will start focusing on cost price, ease of use, producibility, …