Romée de la Bigne
Educational institution: ENSAD, France (2013)
Programme: Object Design
Basile de Gaulle
Educational institution: ENSAD, France (2013)
Programme: Graphic Design
They worked together on a common project called La Gambiarra.
Company website: www.maximum.paris
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What made you decide to become industrial designers?
This is an interesting question because originally, we felt discouraged as designers to work on a large industrial scale. There are already plenty of design objects in the world, and we seriously questioned the utility of designing yet another one, which would eventually contribute to more waste in a landfill someday. Basile and I are both very concerned about the environment and we felt conflicted about becoming industrial designers with this inherent contradiction of product innovation leading to waste generation.
While studying for our Master’s degrees, we actually spent some time together looking in dumpsters on our school campus. We were fascinated by what people threw away. We found all kinds of stuff in those dumpsters: weird machines, furniture (surprisingly, even some very expensive pieces!), brand new materials, you name it. One day, we fished out a bundle of new test tubes from the trash. There were thousands of these new test tubes, still in their blister packs. We didn’t know why they were thrown out, but as a result of the discovery, we quickly came to realize that with a bit of ingenuity, we could transform one man’s trash into beautiful treasures. We had found our purpose.
We became industrial designers because we believe that industrial waste can be transformed from a problem to a solution.
In your opinion, what types of people are best suited for the profession of industrial design? What is a typical industrial designer like?
Industrial designers require two capacities: curiosity and a strong belief in serendipity. We believe that there is no such thing as a “typical” industrial designer, precisely because the industry has had to continually re-invent itself as a result of technical innovations and the evolution of new ways of thinking over time. Industrial designers have to continually adapt to changing circumstances.
