Interview with Matthias Broda

Matthias Broda ("MB") interviewed on Monday, 19 March.

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

MB : Started as a student in 1983 at TU-Berlin for Aerospace Engineering, but I was bored and changed to work behind the scene of the Renaissance Theater in Berlin I think that was 1986, after closing party of a play from Jean Marais, I had some drinks to much and was kicked off(((, but directly changed to museumstechnik and started as a workshop manager, I learned a lot and worked with Wood, Metal, Glass and building Spot and Floodlights.we developed in ther workshop a modular system , we used it in Exhibition for very different use, as stairways, Roofs, heavy duty pedestal, walls.... the modular system was a department of museumstechnik, we decided to form a new company called Sysem180, and I think it 1994 when I became managing director of this company))) I mean it was a one man show at this time, but we made a lot of different works and in the year 2000 I had about 10 employees))) we won the the IF design award as best of category))) and tried to develop the modular office system. In 2003 ZARA Home noticed us in an exhibition in Madrid and after nearly a year we started to design office furniture for them, later for nearly all they chains of Inditex, we started to work for their ideas to develop a perfect furnishings of their ZARA Home shops. 2011 I became father again and I decided to change my life a bit to get more free for my daughter, I left System180 and started a project with the university to develop the first wooden ebike))))) and here we go

How did you become a designer?

MB : I am more driven by constructions, than by design, I always liked to construct new things and find solutions for special situations, the design just was a solution, driven by my construction.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

MB : I got no fixed process, but most of them followed first drawings, then mock-ups, than drawing and first prototype.I like renderings for selling the new products it makes it easier, the abstraction degree is low and very close to the new product.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

MB : I feel very impatient, I prefer to work as long as it is possible to get solutions or just to know if I can go on or have to start from from the beginning again)))) that's always funny)))

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

MB : I think important is to have patience, what I always loose when I start working(((( But I do not surrender, maybe this is even just more important, if do not have patience like me)))

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

MB : I do not know if I got the power and the knowledge, but I would love to construct a new small electric Town vehicle, with as much sustainable material as possible.

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

MB : I think that is to difficult, because people got very different working ways to get solutions, I just can talk about my way which works like get fast a 80% solution than never 100%, than start from these 80% again get your 110% solution, finally I prefer to make mock ups, than drawing every little detail, before I will know if it works.

What is your day to day look like?

MB : My work today is to built up customized e-bikes, built up different wheels, try new things with tube laser cutter))) which opens again new possibilities for constructions.

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

MB : I do not follow design trends

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

MB : for me a good design is something that works fine in all direction, has to be compatible with his environment and has to be constructed with as few resources as possible.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

MB : I think my designs a never ready they are going to be developed and redesigned, as we do it know with the bikes

What is your biggest design work?

MB : some System180 Projects as geodesic Domes in Italy or Austria and all these ZARA office and shop furniture but most of all I liked my wooden ebike)))

Who is your favourite designer?

MB : Buckminster Fuller

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

MB : I like Tarifa (Spain) as a very inspiring little town, all that stuff around the nature the 2 oceans, I was working in my holidays 1989 for a roof constructed by an Californian Architect out of tree trunks, bamboo and reed, it was fantastic)))

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

MB : Normally I work together with a company or students of a university project. Of course I like to work together with other people, I am not able to do all by myself and I do not got the enough knowledge, so I like to work with the universities and you should have a lot of inspiration to get the people crazy for your project)))

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

MB : I like to help the TU workshop for Bamboo Bikes, I constructed some frames for their glueing works and did lasercutting works for them of their drop outs for the bikes. I also had some projects with the design thinking school HPI in Potsdam and finally I accompanied courses of UDK Berlin and helped then with their projects, but you can always do more that is for sure.

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

MB : Finally you feel your work was acknowledged)))) and I have been proud of my work anyway but it makes you even more proud))) and it gives you a very good reputation, what you can't buy anywhere, that makes it essential!

Matthias Broda Profile