Samarth Reddy | Industrial Designer.
Samarth Reddy (Sam) is an Industrial Designer by Profession still indulging himself in all kinds of design. He holds a Masters degree in Product Design from Coventry Univesity, United Kingdom. Being associated with major clients like MBRDI, GM, Volvo and GE, Sam has been awarded “Subject Matter Expert” in conceptual design, ideation and digital design many times. He has around 9 years of experience in Design, Research and Pedagogy.
What originally made you want to become a product designer?
I always had a curious mind when it came to how things work around me. I used to research a lot on why anything worked the way it did. I always used to wonder during my college days who gets the first idea? The very conception of a creation? Having this relentless passion for knowing how things worked, it lead me to the world of design. I have never looked back since then.
How would you describe your approach to design?
The product/system or service which is being designed should be simple and intuitive enough to be used by end user. This will be governed by various factors like user centric design, emotional design, color psychology, ergonomics and many more. the process of designing itself is a complex network of methodologies, but these complexities should make the result a simple to use product. All the hard work what we do is to keep the product simple to use and intuitive enough when it’s out in the market. Users are the most important factor in any design.
What has been the biggest influence on your style?
Emotions are something that which makes us human. I see sometimes products being designed without that emotional touch, it will look/feel dead. Yes, it has the function. But it doesn’t connect to the user at the deep level. To make that happen, we need to consider emotional design. Put emotions inside our products, so that they come alive. Emotional design has influenced my style so much that without it I don’t see the point of design itself.
What would you say is your strong skill and how did you master it?
I would say, my strongest point is making connections with known to the unknown. I come up with ideas and these manifestations of creation in my head by connecting a lot of dots. Simply put and I am quoting Leonardo DaVinci himself “Everything connects to everything else”. along with that, I am good at learning I suppose. I learn everything that is there. These are the inputs for my design, it could be a new language, new software program or trying something new. I gather experiences so that it will result me in creating a design which is a manifestation of my experiences and learning.
Other than the above, I am good at digital design skills. And one way to master is to have curiosity and passion. And of course, it requires a lot of patience and practice.
What type of project do you enjoy working the most?
I enjoy a lot when working with a project where there are challenges. Challenges mean new learning and new experiences for me. Lately I have been experimenting a lot with generative design and I seem to have got a lot of liking towards it. It’s a mathematical disruption. Its predictive at the same time it’s not. Very challenging indeed.
Do you have any design rules that you believe in?
Nope. Rules cannot govern design. Although when I was in college my professors filled my head with a lot of rules of design. For a long time, I have been following 10 Principles of Design by Dieter rams. Now I don’t intend to follow any rules. Rules create a constraint in the creative flow. I’d like the process to free from these blockages. The only rule I follow is to not to follow any rule.
What is the best piece of advice that you have heard?
This is rather the most difficult question to answer. I did get a lot of advice from a lot of people. But at that age when everything is new, we tend to blindly follow some suggestions/advices without evaluating where it will lead to. The only advice which I ever considered seriously is from my parents. They said, “Do whatever you like to do”. So here I am, doing what I like.
What can you tell future designers?
Haha.. although I usually don’t advice anyone, I will try to sum it up in few words:
Have curiosity in everything you do, ask questions why is something the way it is. Read books, be it fiction, romance, fantasy etc., read comics, manga, watch tv shows, movies, cartoons, anime, play PC games, Xbox or PlayStation. know what’s happening in the science, travel the world, explore cultures. meet new people, fall in love, break up, fall in love again. Basically, build a library in your head, auditory, visual and experiential library. This would help you a long way when u step into the world of creation.
What is your personal motto?
My motto is simple: Experience, Experiment & Explore