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.

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Industrial designers require two capacities: curiosity and a strong belief in serendipity.

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Thinking of those most important challenges facing your generation, do you believe that industrial design is part of the solution?

Industrial design is both the problem and the solution.

What do you most love about industrial design?

What we love most about industrial design is that every little detail can have a huge impact when it’s scaled up.

As an industrial designer, what is your biggest dream?

Our goal is to eradicate industrial waste. In France alone, industrial factories produce 350 million tonnes of waste every year. We have a lot of work ahead of us.

How do you see yourself working with Icsid to design for a better world?

We would love our work to have an influence on communities of young designers around the world. We hope to inspire young designers to start companies like ours, and are open to mentoring any designer who is interested in replicating our business model. We want to create an army of designers around the globe who are motivated and will strive to turn waste into beautiful design solutions.