Designer profile | February 09 | Gregoire Vandenbussche
Each month we feature a designer with remarkable achievements. Our February profile is Gregoire Vandenbussche, industrial designer at Ammunition San Francisco.
Gregoire earned a master's degree in industrial design management in 2006 from ISD France. He is specialized in product design. He now lives and works in San Francisco.
Can you tell us about your past experience and the kind of projects you experienced?
I did my first 6 months internship in 2005 with Rowenta France in Vernon (27), working on vacuum cleaners for Rowenta and Moulinex, it was a really good experience, my German tutor made me work a lot, and I learned a lot, this internship resulted in 2 products on the European market. As I liked the German way of working, I decided that the next experience would be in Germany, that's how I spent another 6 month interning in Koln (Cologne) in a small agency named “Spannagel Design”, the amount of work was a bit overwhelming , but the benefit, was that I worked on every projects, and learned a lot, I worked on various project such as audio headset for Senneihser, faucets and sinks for Blanco, showers, watches, boat, bathtubs, fondue services, beer pump etc.
I graduated in 2006, and decided to start looking for a job in San Francisco as it’s a place where you can find one of the biggest concentration of good design agencies, the life is pretty nice too!
I started at Pentagram design in the beginning of 2007, until the product design partner (Robert Brunner) decided to launch Ammunition, a new design consultancy where I have been working since then.
2|"imagine the home in 2020" Electrolux Competition, 2005
What kind of projects do you have the chance to work on these days? Do you have a specific methodology at Ammunition?
Ammunition Group LLC is constituted of the ex-Pentagram team. Our main focus is on the consumer electronic, computers, cellular phones and other devices, but we also have a graphic design and web design \ interactive department.
We work in 3 phases,
- Analysis and Ideation
- Refinement
- Finalization \ manufacturing support.
I can tell that the way we work is a little bit different from the methodology we learn in school, as we present pretty defined concepts from the first phase (as the work is not completely “blue-sky”, our clients need a good vision of what they are going to get in the end)
What is the main principle that guides you when you design a new product?
I try to give the best experience to the consumer. Which is always challenging, in our job we keep looking for the best compromise between technical constraints and the best possible design features (As it happens a lot that you are given technical package to build around).
2|Faucet for Blanco designed @ Spannagel Design in 2006.
What is your ideal working method? Do you have opportunity to actually work this way?
Each project needs it’s own method!, but basically, for me the best one would be :
- Analysing the fact and problems, with consumer testing and by using the product yourself, looking without asking question is a good method too; you can learn a lot as people tend to not act in a natural way when you ask them something specific.
- Searching roughly for concepts, fast sketch on paper, trying to mix stuff that are totally opposite or really similar to find new ideas.
- Defining your concepts with a more realistic approach, drawing at full scale, adjusting proportions, taking care of technical data, manufacturing prices and techniques.
- Developing one concept, going into detail and proportions as sometime one millimetre can change the perception a lot!.
- Following the explanations of the engineers, trying to find better and sometime cheaper ways to obtain what you where thinking in the beginning. Showing them how you are thinking to manufacture your design.
What do you consider to be your best experience so far?
My first product out, seeing people using a product you work on and appreciating it is one of the best feeling you can have.
What do plan to do in the future?
When I will feel ready, I will create my own agency, need to find where, with who and when !
Can you introduce to us what you consider your best projects?
2 | Klok,The skin of Corian Design boom competition 2006
One of my favourite project is the clock « Klok », it was in my head since I started design school, just needed the right moment to come out, I developed it in 2006 for a Corian competition, the shape is totally defined by the mechanism, using modern techniques, you don’t need to have a centre axle, but representing the time on a circle still make total sense, obviously this clock is not made for people who want precise time, as there is no graduation on it, it’s more about a discreet decorative object : people who want precise time already have watches!
2| Klop ashtray, brief "measure" 2005 published in various magazine and design blog
My second favourite project will be the Klop ashtray, and it makes even more sense now that more and more people try to stop smoking. I tried to show smokers that the effect of cigarette is not only on themselves but mostly on their environment and peoples around them, trying to make people realize that smoking in a place where other people live is a really selfish act. The idea is as people smoke and use the ashtray, the cigarette smoke is filtered by the plant leaves, tar and other chemicals progressively gluing the surface of the plant leaves as it does on lung, asphyxiating it. People have also a certain intimacy with plant as they are living with them and depending on them. It’s ultimately their choice to leave it die or taking care of it. I like it as well as it’s in continuity with some work I did at the start of my design studies using plants (HLV vacuum cleaner for Electrolux competition in 2005)
Tell us a mistake that you learned from?
When you work too fast, and have to redo everything as the client change his mind! If you work too fast, clients will also think that doing a design is just as easy as clicking on one or two icons on a computer!
Which products or designers do you find inspiring?
My favourite designer is with no hesitation Naoto Fukasawa, perfect proportions, simple but “wow effect” solutions.
What is the future of industrial design in your opinion?
I hope industrial design will be part of all companies in the future, as companies will start to understand that having a good design is also a way to keep \ gain clients and make them appreciate their products. As new products and technologies emerge, as well as trends and peoples habits constantly evolve, I really don’t think that industrial design can disappear.
Which technology will influence the most the way we work as designers?
Rapid prototyping will progress a lot, allowing us to use different materials and finishes, as well as allowing manufacturing change without tooling cost, let see in 50 years !
Who are your favourite artists?
As I really listen a lot of music while working, it’s mainly musician and bands that inspire me and give me energy at work, electro \mix for rushes (CCS \Fisherspooner \ Ladytron \ Wax taylor, but also Air \ Darkel, etc..), , rock\independant when I have more time ! (the Clash, MGMT, the Doors, Metric, the Beatles, Black keys, The Thrills, Arcade fire…etc!)
Finally one Last question, what is the best piece of advice, to give to design students?
I will speak like a old Shaolin monk, but: Work hard to obtain what you want, as it will become easier when you like what you are doing!
And please, work on proportions! Lot of good idea ruined by bad proportions, just try to draw your concept in different dimensions, you will quickly see which one is the best.
Thanks for you time Gregoire.
Discover Gregoire portfolio : www.greg-garden.com
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