Interview with Benoît SEPULCHRE

Benoît SEPULCHRE ("BS") interviewed on Thursday, 23 May.

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

BS : I spent 5 years in technical school quite difficult because I was angry with the French school system. But I managed to get into one of the major design schools in Europe called the ISD Higher Institute of Design. After 5 years of study and more than 14 months of internship in companies of all sizes, I started my professional life as a product designer at the largest kitchen manufacturer in France SALM with the brands Kitchens SCHMIDT and Cuisinella mainly. After 2 years in the world of furniture, I chose to create at the end of 2002 my own design agency: the PRODUCT Agency. For more than fifteen years I work in many sectors of activity. So I realized projects for the sports and leisure industry for the company SALOMON for example. I realized packaging in the agri-food sector for the DAUNAT group. But I have also produced products and brands for smaller companies in many areas such as furniture or home equipment ...

How did you become a designer?

BS : Like many children, I had many ideas for jobs. . . There was a farmer, technical draftsman, airplane pilot, teacher, engineer. . . In short, at the technical high school I had facilities in drawing and technical creation but as I was dislexic I had some difficulties with some other subjects. . . . So a friend of mine told me about a design school. As I was and I am still very curious of course I became interested in this profession. I read books on the decoding of product design, I met a designer to make sure that this profession was right for me. However, I had never learned to draw sketches before, but the people at this design school said that it could be learned like anything else. But the artistic side was not developed in me, but it was below my personality because my mother said of me that I loved beauty and that I had a good taste for art and aesthetics. The culture of design and architecture has come with books and experience. . . .

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

BS : Before starting, I always have the priority to do a market study, a benchmark of the products that exist. . . Then I always have to put myself in the user's shoes in order to identify with several points of view (phsycology, ergonomics, functional,. . . ) the development axes. . . . In my creations I often try to create a paradox in order to have enough difference with the rest of what exists. . . A kind of French Paradox! Concerning the drawing, I always start with sketches with my mechanical pencil. Quickly after the drawing I use 3D software like SolidThinking Evolve to go faster and have quick files to communicate. Development must go fast on the simple aspects because there are always more complicated parts that can take a long time. It is then necessary to carry out tests, prototypes to validate before launching the large production investment. The development phase up to production is always evolving because with each project the experience acquired allows us to progress. . . Each project is a beginning nourished by previous experiences. . . . I consider that we are not inventing anything. . . we are just assembling the fruit of our history, our culture, our experience.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

BS : I don't have any special emotion to do my job. . . . Just an excitement to be able to create or improve a product or service, that's good. It is then above all the dimensions of the user experience that are the most important for me. Then after weeks or months of work it's to have the final prototype in front of me. . . It's like a birth! Then it's the fact of talking about the product that's interesting because there's no one else who knows best this new product to talk about it!

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

BS : Some great architectural designers or engineers are examples for me. So I like Jean PROUVÉ, Le Corbusier, Frank Lloyd Wright, Alvar Aalto. . . The foundations of modernism are essential to my culture, but nature is for me an infinite source of inspiration. . . Indeed I live in the centre of Europe in a region rich in forests, nature, lakes, mountains. . . Thus I always use 7 phases of a product's life cycle to find improvements in order to reduce its impact on nature and man. Eco-design is at the heart of my work as a designer. It is unthinkable as a designer to see man saw the branch of the tree on which he is sitting!

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

BS : I continue my collaboration with the Four Grand-Mère company and I continue to support companies in the development of new products and services. . . I am always listening to companies that want to be better than others! Soon I will launch two product brands on the French and European market in the world of personal equipment (in less than a year). . . However, I have bigger projects in the world of residential capital goods with a construction system for buildings that are not more sustainable, but more sustainable and environmentally friendly. . . .

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

BS : Knowing that you are good is one thing. But as long as we are not recognized as such, it is useless. It should not be considered superior to others because it does not do good for a good professional. However, it takes a lot of patience to find the project that shows the world its skill level. It took me almost twenty years of work, loneliness, difficulties, learning to achieve an international price in my job ... But it will not change my habits to take a lot of my time to listen to read, watch the world to know what needs to be created to improve it as best as possible.

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

BS : Design is a very vast discipline, complex but simple at the same time. This is to make simple to solve problems. It is not in 5 minutes that we can become a designer! For my part, more than 5 years of study and a lot of patience and curiosity allow me to be recognized as a good designer. Many aspects are known as psychology, ergonomics, economics, art, architecture, technologies, processes, marketing, ... However no obligation is necessary for a company to create a new product or a new service ... Yet it would be very useful to the man that it changes. Too many people think they are good designers, but can have done so much training to become a designer. Where is the mistake? So it takes a lot of requirement.

What is your day to day look like?

BS : One of my normal days: Raised around 7:30 in the morning, breakfast and put in order for the day ... The work starts around 9:30 with at least an hour in the morning of finding sources of professional information. From 13:00 to 13:30 lunch break. Return to work until 19:30 at the latest. In the evening, it's back in my house where I cook often with my 2 children and my wife ... I need 7 to 8 hours of sleep to be OK the next day. But design does not have holidays, it's always active in my mind.

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

BS : I follow the trends by going to trade shows, following design blogs, being aware of the news in general. A lot of time in the day is needed to have enough information ... but you have to keep time to create too. However I think that the design must not follow the modes. The modes changes but the good design must remain and last in time. Good design must be timeless. There are also trends in terms of technology and services ... but I am among those who think that programmed obsolecence must end for products that are not more sustainable but more durable over time.

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

BS : A good design must solve problems, but it must also please. and to please, you have to create a little surprise or what I call a paradox. But at the same time, it must be in harmony with man and the environment. . . So all this is quite difficult to assess. . . it's a question of balance, some yes, some no. Being new, providing solutions, being sexy, not harming the environment, that's what a product must have in order to have a good design for me.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

BS : To begin, there is always a brief and scenarios to define the product. Then when the product is drawn there at a time or I have to tell myself if I can still have a better answer. If the answer in my mind is "no," then I know the design is ready. If I think I can improve it but it changes the Brief, then I also know that the creative work is finished too. But in some cases the product has an ability to receive improvements ... This is also what makes it more durable!

What is your biggest design work?

BS : I usually say that my latest design is the best. . . But for once, it is true that the design of the ALFRED outdoor wood-burning oven is a great success. From a technical point of view, he uses each material to his advantage. Many materials were needed, metal, concrete, glass, cast iron, composite, wood, space insulation materials. . . From an aesthetic point of view, it takes the design codes of outdoor cooking products with a modern vision and as close to Scandinavian design. . . and finally it provides new services to its users while allowing to save renewable energy. . . I am proud of this success, even if it took not always listening to the company's managers to achieve this success. This success allows me to continue to create other products for professionals in the kitchen and for lovers of outdoor cooking. . . It will be great too. Stay tuned.

Who is your favourite designer?

BS : The masters of design I love and inspire are great architects / designers / engineers like Jean PROUVÉ, LE CORBUSIER / Frank Lloyd Wright / Alvar Aalto ... Many have participated in the creation of a modern design. In the 80s, there were designers who helped the design to have more visibility, I think Philippe STARK. in 90, I really liked the work of Jonathan IVE for Apple with the first iMac ... It was amazing to make this change in the world of computing. However, for the last 10 years, he has started to go around in this market ... Currently, there are designers who do cool things. But I regret that some are not humble enough. The most important thing is to make the world better and help humanity survive its modernity.

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

BS : I live in the heart of Europe, in France, close to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. My culture is very international. Being open to the world allows you to listen to and read the best directions for future development. It is essential to make good design. In our society, it's design that helps solve problems. But society must leave more space for design. Awareness of the dangers of human presence on Earth begins. Design is here to make our lives better.

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

BS : I already worked as a team, we were up to 5 people with trainees. But now, I prefer to work alone with freelancers and subcontractors to meet all my needs. It is not easy to have employees because there is too much change in the amount of work, not enough, or too much. Since design is not mandatory for businesses, this is not stable. Perhaps the challenge is to require companies to hire good designers, as there is an obligation to work with an architect to design a building. So a good designer had to master many things like ergonomics, psychology, art, marketing ... but first of all you have to be very curious and love others.

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

BS : My designer income is not big enough to be like the rock star ... But I would never do that! I prefer doing the right things with my work. So I consider my action as the most useful. I also give classes to share my knowledge and help young designers and creators to become better. Currently I participate to the creation of an InnoDesign Institute in France with international students.

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

BS : The A Design Award was for me a solution to have an internationnal recognition of my work. It allows me to communicate with my clients. It also makes finding new customers easier. After a first recognition with the price of the French design Observeur du Design, it is the continuation of the approach ... It is also good for the commercial development of the product which is distributed internationally

Benoît SEPULCHRE Profile