Interview with Guido Formenti

Guido Formenti ("GF") interviewed on Friday, 23 March.

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

GF : I've been in the business for about twenty years, and going through positive and negative experiences, I managed to create my personal and particolar style. With my willpower and certainty in my work i managed to keep my style, without let a lot of artist influence it.Despite the lack of support by dear people, friends, institutions or critic I never let me down, always following my way to the improvement and personal realization.

How did you become a designer?

GF : For my beginning we must go a bit back in time, already when I was a young boy I loved wood carving and create something “different”, but staying useful to. With just a tiny knife I use to carv little shapes on a wood stick while I was keeping my father’s animals.With all this years, learning more and more, i was always at work and with my tenacity and inner power I managed to create myself a space in the business, making my passion my job. So I built my workshop, in the nature that is my biggest source of inspiration.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

GF : I use to follow the triangle rule to shape my works and it means to sort of see my design like triangles. I don' t use digital tools but I prefere keep the tradition and i always make project with cardboard or plywood. I usually start new projects in a long time due to difficulties, economic and about time that I need to face.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

GF : It is always exciting create something new. Feel the inspiration pervading your body and your mind is something indescribable, your only task i sto follow it. The satisfaction felt when you finish something you start is simply really gratifying.

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

GF : I would identify myself like an artist, shaped by the tenacy and fantasy always with me. Obviously, I’ve also learned innumerabile technics that improved a lot my abilities as a disigner. The style of Josep Maria Subirachs is the one I keep with me the most. My way as a designer have always been a bit hard and difficult.

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

GF : One of my greatest dreams as an artist is be able to create structure, obviously made with wood, illustratine stylised animals. Stucture that, being a useful object, can be positionated in public places and the people can interact and enjoy them.

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

GF : My advice for new artist or designer, seeing my personal experience, is to always follow theyr own way and own dreams. It also is to stay sure of you abilities due the adversity of life.

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

GF : Unfortunately I feel forced to speak about money, I would advice ( if you don’t already have the possibilities) to stay with some good artisan or/and find good sponsors.

What is your day to day look like?

GF : I would call myself crazy, my days are complitely different one to the other. I use to spend part of the day collecting material for my works around bushes, always projecting new things and in the end make something complitely differernt. I use to work a lot with machinery but sometimes I feel I need a breack, so I enjoy staying in my orchard or enjoy a coffee in my town bar. Other days nothing else matter, just my head on the machinery and the work I’m doing, to the end of it. I guess it change with my inspiration.

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

GF : Most of the time I keep my personal style but sometimes I like to in spire about designes of the moment and I very much like art installations.

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

GF : I realize a design is well done when you can see the perfect mix of art and technique added to the sensations that the artist can send while you’re observing it. Also, it must be a good misture of stability and movement, created by the artist.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

GF : The design start from an abstract initial idea and durino the elaboration it can be edited, changed and improved considerating the technical difficulties due to bilance, stability, utilità and total harmony. When you feel you’ve reach all the things you imagined, you can say the design is ready.

What is your biggest design work?

GF : I can say my best designed work is the one I call “labirinto” (labyrinth). That’s one of my first projects, it was created with the duty of showing a bit my life or even everyone’s life. It wants to represent the “rout” of life. It still is a source of inspiration for me and a message to everyone. I think a true artist put a bit of himself/herself inside his art.

Who is your favourite designer?

GF : Sergio Musmeci is one of the most interesting designer in my opinio, with Zaha Hadid or also Renzo Piano.

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

GF : My favourite city, source of inspiration too, is Berlin. i don' t use music in my creations but I prefer think accompanied by the silence. One of the improvement of being an artist are the freedom to do the work you desire the most.

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

GF : I use to work alone, i like to be with myself while I am creating or designin something, but I also like work with someone. My policy is a bit of semplicità, honesty, sincerity, bright curiosità and a lot of destre to do.

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

GF : i donated few object of design for places of worship or even public park.

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

GF : I believe is good take part of competitions for both the progress and the end of them.During it you can feel the stress for it and the agitation accompanied by the desire of create a good object and improv it to the best. In the end you can feel the happiness of winning or, in the other side, the desire to do your best and try again another time.I think design competitions can be very important and considerable if well created, because they can make you feel the sensations just named and also they can give you the opportunity of meet and know other artists and even the pleasure of get some recognition and “looks”.

Guido Formenti Profile