LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Cesar Augusto Idrobo Giraldo ("CAIG") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

CAIG : Completed my bachelors and masters in industrial design and accessory design respectively at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

CAIG : It was the perfect combination of art and technology.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

CAIG : It was my choice.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

CAIG : Lately, I've been working on footwear since my masters is in accessory design.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

CAIG : Read more and make more.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

CAIG : Good designers create cool ideas. Great designers make cool ideas happen.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

CAIG : If it stirs my soul, then is good design to me. If a product performs at the level of my expectations is also a positive aspect that I value.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

CAIG : Good design is good for your life. A good design can avoid accidents, minimize the negative effects of a repeated task, save time, save a life and make a meaningful positive impact in society.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

CAIG : I would love to design interiors for self driving cars. What would that look like?

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

CAIG : I'd like to work on a project that is truly far our such as bringing 4D printing to footwear manufacturing where the shoe would assemble itself.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

CAIG : A brainstorming technique that helps me unlock new ideas.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

CAIG : Issey Miyake, Marcell Mrsan, Zaha Hadid, Ayrton Senna

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

CAIG : I enjoy Bradley Bower's work. He uses technology and digital

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

CAIG : A footwear collection that I carried out from design to execution in only ten weeks. It's not always about what you deliver, but at the speed you can accomplish something. 7 prototypes in only 10 weeks is working at the speed of light compared to the pace the footwear industry operates at.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

CAIG : Read more and make more. Sketching ideas on paper are just ideas on paper. It takes a new meaning when you make the effort to bring them to reality.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

CAIG : I was thinking of being a mechanical engineer, but my artistic skills are already further along since I've been doing it since I was a kid. So, I'd probably had become a painter.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

CAIG : Design is the conversation that happens in your brain before you make a decision.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

CAIG : Marcell Mrsan has been one of the most influential mentors in my career as a designer and as a person. Also, most of the faculty in my school as well as classmates had a huge impact in my journey to become the designer I am today.

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

CAIG : Persistence.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

CAIG : Time management.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

CAIG : You need more than portfolio. Strive to present fully working prototypes. It takes your work to a whole new level.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

CAIG : Algorithms in footwear design. Expect a blog or a book sharing my experience how I've applied parametric design in shoes.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

CAIG : They expect answers. Either is a new shoe style or a solution to a problem. I strive to provide the best answer I can at the best of my knowledge.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

CAIG : Good design helps us focus on what's meaningful in life which are the relations in our daily lives. Design can improve experiences where the people learn about something new; therefore, it allows them to make informed decisions later on and/or pass it on to someone else. A good example would be a design stand that provides healthy choices for lunch at a school and students are exposed to what they are eating and why is important. Design is all about bringing awareness.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

CAIG : Incorporating algorithms in the process of footwear design.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

CAIG : Any project where I have had full control of the design process because it allows me to exercise every area of me as a designer.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

CAIG : I'd like to see more design thinking into more industries and education.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

CAIG : It depends. It can take from 5 days to weeks or months. I wouldn't like to spend years in a project because the market moves to fast nowadays.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

CAIG : It depends on the project's objective. Sometimes you don't have to start from scratch. I strive to work smart and not hard, so I do research about what has been done already to avoid repeating work.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

CAIG : "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." - Ziglar

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

CAIG : Design sets trends.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

CAIG : Technology helps me accomplish that extra percentage of work that I can't either do or it would take me extra time. I use technology more towards the end of a project to help me execute a well polished concept.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

CAIG : Rhino 5, Grasshopper and Adobe's Creative Suite.

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

CAIG : It's a powerful role. It can break or make a design. So, choose wisely.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

CAIG : How it was made.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

CAIG : I want to find out who did it and why, what and how he/she did it.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

CAIG : I do believe in collaboration. There is a book called, "The Power of Two." that talks about how behind every genius mind, there is someone else. Designing is not a one person's job. It's a team effort. That why they say, "team work makes the dream work."

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

CAIG : Marcell Mrsan, Jordan Taylor, Bradley Bowers, Theo Gough

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

CAIG : The Method Method by Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

CAIG : Ayrton Senna.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

CAIG : Awards are a visual result of my hard work. t's not hard to be famous, but it shouldn't be the reason why you become a designer.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

CAIG : Color: Sage. Place: Savannah, Georgia. Food: Chicken and rice. Season: Spring. Thing: sketchbooks. Brand: Harry's men's grooming products.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

CAIG : This is how hard details and presentations were emphasized during my academic studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design. For some reason, a professor of mine would always catch the smallest misalignment of pictures in a presentation slide. That bothered him... so it bothers me now too.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

CAIG : Learning what makes others successful.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

CAIG : Yes. I started drawing and painting from a early age. Then during school, I'd take advantage of any art programs, projects or courses. I tried to be the best drawer in the class. Playing with Lego also contributed to the development of how I understood space and mechanics.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

CAIG : Hopefully we'll still be here on planet earth to begin with... but I hope good things happen.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

CAIG : Design what you make and make what you design.

LEGENDARY DESIGNER

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