Interview with Ruma Design

Ruma Design ("RD") interviewed on Monday, 4 May.

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

RD : My experience as a designer, like the rest of the team at RUMA, has been very varied, but mostly focused on car design. We have worked in large companies such as Seat, Volkswagen Konzern or Ferrari; In countries like Sweden, Spain, Italy or even China.

How did you become a designer?

RD : I always dreamt about creating something different, to imagine new shapes and volumes from the architecture to fine arts and applying all that to technology and cars design.

What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?

RD : Our style is clean, we try to shape the volumes with purity, seeking harmony, where function is the most important. Being a designer is a multidisciplinary facet that mixes art and science, aesthetics and technology, and in this sense our premise is that form follows function.

Which emotions do you feel when designing?

RD : Each project is different, it is like a song or a movie and you immerse yourself in it as if you were living it from the inside, giving your design the expression you want to transmit. Emotions can be very abstract, sometimes there is a conflict between opposite feelings creating an internal war that is resolved through my creations.

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

RD : A lot of people has influenced me along my professional career. It is important to appreciate the good work of a chief designer or a colleague but it is also important to learn from other people’s mistakes Working at the Ferrari design centre in Maranello, Italy, was a crucial experience that shaped me as a designer. But starting our own design studio, and becoming our own bosses may in the long term become the most important step we ever took.

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

RD : Starting our own design studio, and becoming our own bosses may in the long term become the most important step we ever took. Our plan is to grow our team and be pioneers in the hi-tech industry

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

RD : You must remain constant, always try your best, be motivated and train your talent. It may sound cliché but there are no shortcuts.

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

RD : We are an up and coming company with incredible talent and experience and our hard work is paying off in different ways. In RUMA we say, don’t fall in love with your designs, there is always a way to improve it.

What is your day to day look like?

RD : I start the day charging up my batteries with a couple of toasts with olive oil, tomato and iberic ham and wash it down with freshly pressed orange juice; then I take my bike and ride down to the studio, where I meet the rest of the team. After a long day of work, I like to hit the gym to unwind. Once I’ve had supper I like to relax with a book before sleep.

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

RD : We feed our creativity with trendy design books, magazines, several on-line platforms and design communities. The best designers create design trends, the rest of the world follow those trends.

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

RD : A good design is when you find a beautiful shape that follows and helps the function; innovating in technology and materials, optimizing its complexity and adding new values to the current market.

How do you decide if your design is ready?

RD : When all the technical aspects are objectively completed and our artistic criteria are subjectively satisfied.

What is your biggest design work?

RD : A luxury premium Swiss watch that will be launched among this 2020 where we mix a beautiful balance between materials, technology and Swiss precision, with added values like the accurate and innovative treatment of the surfaces never seen before.

Who is your favourite designer?

RD : There are some ‘genius’ like Daniel Simon, Luigi Colani, Sergio Pininfarina, M.C. Escher, Zaha hadid and some others that inspired us for years

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

RD : RUMA is a Spanish firm based in Madrid. The character of the people in this country is known by everyone; the Mediterranean way of living, the passion people put in art and design, from Picasso to Dali, From Gaudí to Calatrava, From Buñuel to Almodovar. This country has given so much that is impossible not to be creative in this exciting environment.

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

RD : One of our best values is the flexibility with which we attend our customers. The interaction is fully organic in order to create strong links of collaboration with clients and partners seeking to get the best of the project.

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

RD : Design is about rethinking life, about making things better, smarter and nicer. It is on us to optimize the design of every single object that surrounds us, making them kinder and more sustainable and helping people improve their lives. The RUMA team has hosted open-door conferences as well as free events with students of several Universities, meetings, interviews, etc. to help expand the philosophy of design and the importance of sustainability

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

RD : Winning A’ Design Award was a welcome new experience since it values us as a studio and recognizes the quality of the project. We are proud of winning this Award.

Ruma Design Profile