Interview with Aliki Rovithi

Aliki Rovithi ("AR") interviewed on Monday, 19 March.

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

AR : After graduating from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a degree in mathematics, I received a BA (Hons) in industrial and product design from the Middlesex University (AKTO - Athens branch). Foant Asour -my colleague-attended the Arabic high school in Athens and received a higher diploma in industrial and product design from the Middlesex University (AKTO - Athens branch). In 2007, we founded the Athens-based, award winning, creative studio DEDE DextrousDesign. We have participated in numerous design exhibitions in Greece as well as SaloneSatellite 2010 in Milan, Tendence 2012 of Messe Frankfurt and Biennale Interieur 2014 in Kortrijk, Belgium. Out work has been featured in prestigious design publications worldwide and has also been presented at the Design Show of the Canton Fair 2011 in Guangzhou, China, A’ design award exhibition 2012 in Como, Italy and Chennai, India, Torino Design Week 2013, INDEX 2014 in Dubai, UAE and SaloneSatellite 20 years of new creativity 2017.

How did you become a designer?

AR : We decided to deal with industrial design as we both realized - each at a different stage in his life - that we feel strongly about the need to communicate our ideas.Through industrial design, we have been given the opportunity to realize these ideas by understanding people and their needs, cultivating our creative thinking and using humor and conceptual approach as powerful designing tools.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

AR : With every new concept or idea, as a raw material, as it kneads and evolves, we try to design - in addition to the form or function of an object - an inherent emotional bond between the user and the object, which will last in time. We prefer computer aided design and renderings, but as pleasing and rewarding the above process is, the moment of realization of the prototypes is equally challenging. The moment you are enthusiastically watching everything you have thought, designed and imagined to become reality, while at the same time problems arise which need to be managed quickly and aptly.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

AR : We both regard design as a user- centered and experience-oriented process. Dealing with a design project is a complex, cross-disciplinary process, and although our different interpretation of things might initially lead to disagreements, these exact disagreements boost our creativity and motivation! As the design process matures, fluid communication, mutual understanding and constant knowledge exchange deepen and enrich our collective effort. After all, we are delighted that the nature of our profession contributes greatly to the level of moral satisfaction and self-fulfillment and therefore contributes positively to the quality of our lives.

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

AR : Although we did not know the existence of this profession as children, now that we "grew up," many of the elements necessary in our profession, such as imagination, the unorthodox perception of things, playful mood and humor, nourish and activate the child inside us. Furthermore, our childhood's interest in science and drawing was in accord with our love for construction and experimentation, still to this day.

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

AR : Our dream design project, which we have already conceived, but do not possess the resources to implement, is the humanitarian aid package with integrated vegetable seeds, "The HAP Project". It is a box made of recycled / recyclable cardboard, with embedded vegetable seeds. After being torn to pieces - each side contains a different type of vegetable - the packaging shall be buried, to create a garden that will supply each family in the refugee settlement with fresh produce. This will improve their poor nutrition and will help restore mental serenity through their work with land. HAP minimizes refuse volume and helps save a large quantity of fresh alimentary aid foodstuffs. We do really hope that a large packaging company operating within the framework of Corporate Social Responsibility will be interested in implementing - on a large scale - the production and distribution of these packages that can drastically contribute to improving the physical and mental health of our fellow citizens around the world that have been hit by natural disasters, war, violence or persecution.

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

AR : We believe that the creative process is a prominent and complex activity of human existence. Every young person who wants to be involved in this process through industrial design should have his eyes open, be inventive, love and understand people and their needs and systematically cultivate his natural curiosity by looking at things in depth.

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

AR : We strongly believe that there shouldn’t be a segregation between “design” and “environmentally conscious design”. Each design practice and manufacturing process should respond to the social, environmental, and economic challenges that our planet is facing. Consuming as little natural resources and raw materials as possible, according to the "dematerialization" approach that our times require, has been an ongoing concern of ours since the beginning of our involvement in design. All of our products are made of long- lasting, recyclable or low- impact materials and we prefer types of wood that can be harvested from sustainably managed forests. Furthermore, every piece of our large size furniture is designed to be collapsible, enabling flat packaging and thus the reduction of its carbon footprint.

What is your day to day look like?

AR : Our daily routine is that there is no daily routine! Each project requires a different approach, involves varying and dissimilar stages of design and implementation that hold for us many surprises, sometimes pleasant and other times unpleasant!

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

AR : Nowadays, current consumer behavior has moved away from real human needs and focuses on the individual and the prestige he enjoys from the use of specific products. The aesthetics of everyday objects acquire special dimensions as it satisfies the psychological and emotional needs of the consumer and thus promotes the quality of his life. In this context, we stick with our own personal design style, but always keeping in mind the latest design trends.

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

AR : Really good design aside from its conceptual background, provides a context for interaction and features functional qualities as well, to facilitate our daily lives in ingenious ways. It is also a drastic way to approach people and inspire them to think under a different light.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

AR : Although we carry an artistic background as well, as industrial designers we have to operate within the strictly commercial and profit- driven requirements of mass production. These exact requirements, may force us sometimes to deliver products differentiated from the ones originally designed. Thus, we use to keep an open tab in our minds, because we love to explore different materials, either traditional or technologically advanced, implement new and unique manufacturing techniques and express our thoughts in alternative ways across a wide range of creative media.

What is your biggest design work?

AR : We love to attract positive consumer behavior by designing and developing large-scale interactive installations for major brands and organizations. The fact that makes it so special is that along this process, we manage to offer integrated, innovative and unique design services, providing effective solutions coupled with professionalism and timely execution. Overcoming any obstacle and making a brand memorable to an extensive audience is our biggest challenge.

Who is your favourite designer?

AR : Dutch design is our favourite. It has evolved very quickly into a pioneering force in European design, and while it is simple and functional, it never lacks experimentation and humor. We also believe that Afroditi Krassa, a Greek-born, London-based designer created some of the most significant and category-defining hospitality design projects of the past decade, infusing every space with timeless value.

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

AR : Although my design partner Foant Asour and I share a similar approach to creative problem solving, he is the analyst and I am the synthesist. Foant dwells into any occurring problem, and faces every detail separately by implementing alternative solutions, away from boring and worn out design schemas. I, on the other hand, take a step back, attempting to obtain an overall view of the bigger picture and its context in order to perceive it from novel perspectives. After all, when two minds are engaged in the same task, they accomplish a common goal at a significantly faster pace.

Aliki Rovithi Profile