Jury-GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN / Published on January 25, 2021
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Patrick Abbattista
Founder & CEO
DesignWanted
Milan, Italy
PROUST QUESTIONNAIRE – PEOPLE OF DESIGN VERSION!
What prescient youthful memory relates to your present career?
For as long as I can recall, I loved designing. Every moment was a good one to draw since I was 2-3 years old.
What are three basic rules you learned from your mentors?
■ Make informed decisions;
■ Always put yourself in others’ shoes to understand their perspective;
■ Focus on one macro goal at a time.
What project launched your career?
A design blog that a childhood friend of mine, who is grew to be a designer, had made in 2008. He asked me for support on the marketing side and this made me (a marketing guy) enter into the world of architecture and design.
Do you listen to music while you work and what music is that?
It really depends. If I am doing something which is kind of repetitive (almost never!), yes. Otherwise, I prefer silence to better concentrate and go faster.
Do you work in PJs or three-piece suits?
Half way 🙂 I feel comfortable with jeans & tie.
What is your current design state of mind?
I am working to design my business’ next steps. Thinking of products we will launch, marketing strategies to support it, customer service and growth.
What living designer/architect do you most admire?
For reasons which go beyond just design aspects, I’d say James Dyson. Jonathan Ive, for his contribution to a business too. They are actually united by their impact on a business, company and society.
I also like Thomas Heatherwick very much for its unconventional solutions.
THOMAS HEATHERWICK
Discover
Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
What past designer/architect inspires you the most?
Master architects Frank Lloyd Wright and Zaha Hadid.
What is your most marked design ability and or quality?
I see Design as a method and apply it to my business/marketing strategies, which means designing new digital products for the design community and companies, or designing a process.On a general level, I think I am good at finding new solutions having pretty clear the goals and context.
How would you like your designs to go down in history?
An attractive, magnetic design, which mixes functionality with aesthetics. Something that people find really useful and don’t buy just because of marketing.
What peer quality do you most value?
The ability to put themselves in the customers’ shoes. Designing is an altruistic affair.
Which project is the epitome of your work?
DESIGNWANTED,
my magazine.
it’s where I am putting all my efforts, thinking of how we can have an impact on the design & architecture world while improving people’s life.
How are your country of belonging’s values reflected in your work?
Inspiration comes from where I live, Italy. Complexity, beauty, innovative individuals, they are all part of what we do.
What always inspires you?
Nature always inspires me. As do successful entrepreneurs and their stories.
If a spell were to transform you into an object, by all means, what would you like to be, and why?
A lamp, because it brings light. It can be turned on and off as needed, but electricity is already part of it. Just a touch, an idea, the right situation, to turn it on and change the environment, the mood of the people..
What is your favorite place in the world?
The world itself. I love feeling part of it.
What design or architecture project do you wish you would have thought of yourself?
I am very practical…
I’d say the iPhone for its revolutionary story.
If you could host any three guests, past or alive, over for dinner, who would you choose and what would you dare serving?
Steve Jobs, to learn from his ability to focus. Thai food.
Napoleone Bonaparte, to learn from his strategic mind. Italian food.
Jack Ma, to learn the meaning of resilience and Chinese approach to business. Italian food.
STEVE JOBS |
NAPOLEONE BONAPARTE |
JACK MA |
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Source: Steve Jobs : Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com Napoleone Bonaparte : François Gérard, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Jack Ma : Foundations World Economic Forum, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
