Design is an experience, design shakes feelings, design as an addiction, these are the three significant features that best describe industrial designer Clement Eloy. His domain of knowledge is quite vast regarding the processes and feasibilities of product. He observe the world with his camera, gets inspiration from people, nature, lifestyles, ways of life …all those pictures which create his own trends.
Wanna know more about his latent abilities, well, you’ll have to scroll down from here,
1. How and when did you first become interested in design?
Clement: I first became interested in design when I was a young child, when I understood there was someone, or a team, behind each product. When I grew up, I didn’t know the name ‘designer’…I wanted to become an inventor! One of those with a big helmet, whose house is full of delirious systems. I built curious things, like a big alarm clock system to wake up in the morning, with a cup of water falling on my head, music, and coffee which was boiling (even if I didn’t like coffee at this time…). Then my favorite class was the art one…One hour a week! There is a big lack of classes to develop creativity and creation in the French educational system, that’s a pity. Children are not encouraged to reflect by themselves, to build their own personality. I finished my studies in the traditional way and then moved towards a five years industrial design education.
2. Clement you have designed ‘Bikelite’, ‘Aphrodite +&-‘ ‘Acova Intimity’, ‘3pm’ ‘Snow bag’ the list seems to be endless, now here, I’d like to ask, from where do you derive your source of inspiration?
Clement: From people. Customers are the best source of inspiration. They are everywhere, I am a customer, my family is, friends, people around me and everywhere else. It’s really interesting to observe and analyze people habits and way of life, which keeps on evolving. There are so many things to learn from the use of a product. There are many ways to use a product, to observe its conveniences and defects. Add a big part of dream (and why not fun) to this analysis to start a great brainstorming. Bikelite and Acova Intimity are team projects, what makes brainstorming even more interesting.
3. What is the concept behind Lucifer – Auto Match Igniter?
Clement: The main idea of Lucifer is to simplify the use of matches. Lighters became more convenient and easier to use but anyway, matches are magic, I love the use of matches because it’s a magical way to create fire. You just strike it and it burns. What go wrong with matches are the box and the way we use these. To take a match from Lucifer, you turn it upside down, and once the match wood is outside, the match’s head will be jamed by the gratter, pull the match to strike it on the orange gratter part. The match is automatically lighted. Lucifer can be waterproof; to bring it on a trip and you just need to refill the container when empty. I wanted to keep and increase the magical effect of matches and to highlight the box/product in a kitchen or in a restaurant.
4. How far you think, your product, ‘Dotted line’ is convenient for the use of consumers?
Clement: Dotted line is a cup to drink your coffee or tea. I wanted to create a cup that could be piled up, as a glass with basic lines. What interested me when I thought about this product was the fact that we use to personalize our own plastic cup, to tear it up, to chew its edge…Stress or boredom can be responsible of that. Dotted line is a ceramic, already teared, cup. The dotted line can evoke the idea that the cup may be handmade and during its manufacturing process, someone followed the dotted line to create the handle. Finally, I like the idea that everyone can find different meanings to this dotted line.
5. Clement is there any kind of evolution in your work?
Clement: Of course, my work evolves, changes, as people needs do too. There is a constant evolution, with a beginning and no end. Today what I really like is to design products closed to the final customer, products with this detail that makes it friendly. When someone looks at a product, if he imagines himself using the product, or even if he just smiles, my goal is reached. This person is living an experience with the product. Concepts are evolving with people mentality, Hotdoll, for example, arrives right on time. Five years ago it would have been thrown back because the idea was premature. My work keeps on evolving.
6. Which of your projects has given you immense satisfaction?
Clement: I would say Lucifer. This project was exciting to create, from the brainstorming to the final render. When I start a product, I’m satisfied about its idea. If not, I don’t start it and it stays in my ‘ideas book’. Then, I have some satisfaction when I see how people react toward the product. The deal when you are a designer is to design products for consumers and not for you.
7. Any contemporaries in your field whom you want to outdo?
Clement: I don’t want to outdo anyone. I don’t like the idea you can outdo another designer or another designer can outdo you. Design is not a competition in which winners are needed. What makes design interesting is the variety of styles, of cultures and points of view. I like the stuff of many designers’ contemporaries or not.
8. Do you think there’s something you’re most proud of so far, one particular project that came off really well?
Clement: I think I’m not proud of one particular project, of course I’m satisfied of projects I’ve done, but I’m just proud of the fact that people like these. It is the best reward I can have of my work. Feedbacks of my projects permit me to evolve, and as I said before, I keep on evolving.
9. What’s next up the charts?
Clement: For the moment I’m working on a range of packaging for a cosmetic brand. In a few weeks I will introduce a new project online. And I have some products to develop, for which I need to find a manufacturer and distributer.
10. As you tread ahead in life, what do you expect from yourself and what excites you the most?
Clement: I expect from myself to make consumers live experiences again and again. I think the most interesting thing in daily life is to live things that make life more exciting. I expect to make smile persons who use products I’ve created, or just simplify their acts. That’s what excites me the most. That’s what I’m looking for when I’m using a product.
11. Any words of wisdom, you’d like to leave for our readers? Also, we’d like to have your views on Coolbuzz.org?
Clement: Enjoy! And believe in what you do. It’s a great way to stay informed about what’s new in design, technology, brands… Innovations are going so fast, it’s exciting!
Quick bits:
1. Describe yourself in one word?
Clement: Idealist, maybe.
2. Who would you like to design something for?
Clement: James Bond, a spying product.
3. Your favorite design magazine would be:
Architektur & Wohnen (Germany), Axis (Japan), Blueprint (UK), Domus (Italy) or Intramuros (France)
Clement: It’s important to have various points of view. I don’t have a favorite one, Intramuros is the one I use to read.
4. Mac or PC, why?
Clement: PC because I have always been working on it. But I am an admirer of the Apple brand design and global design. They built a real user-friendly identity while Microsoft built a professional (and ‘complex’) identity. PC doesn’t mean ‘personal computer’ any more…
5. Describe your style, like a good friend of yours would describe it.
Clement: Design for feeling and experiences.
6. If you had to walk in another man’s shoes for a day, it would have to be?
Clement: I feel great in mine. If I can’t walk in my shoes for a day I will walk in my socks!
Before signing off, I’d like to thank Clement for sparing out time for this fantastic interview and would like to wish him luck for all his future endeavors.