Philippe starck free essay sample

Philippe Starck is a very well known product and interior designer. He was born in Paris in 1949, but eventually branched out to the United States with his creative intelligence. He designed furniture, vehicles, lights, and shoes all the way to hotels, restaurants, and bars while also cooperating with other famous designers such as Alessi, Microsoft, and Virgin. As a designer, Starck does not only design to follow the trend or to benefit from the enormous amount of profit that he makes from his designs. Starck has a philosophy that encourages not only the concept of less is more and civilization, but the desire to promote â€Å"a new relationship between the producer and the consumer, and between products and the consumer. † (Starck,1999). Starck published a book called Philippe Starck Subverchic Design in 1999. Before publishing this book, he surprised many of his fans by declaring that he will stop designing after launching his last set of products called â€Å"Good Goods. We will write a custom essay sample on Philippe starck or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † In this book, Starck mainly talks about his new â€Å"Good Goods. † They are the latest products most recently produced by Starck. It ranges from bottles, clothings, and sunglasses to utensils, chairs, electronic gears, and vehicles. His philosophy with this is the pure goodness of people and the products. Good Goods are not produced by people who make dirty money such as tobacco companies or alcohol producers. They are not involved in any way with religion so it stands clear from biased opinions and viewpoints. Instead they are made with care by people who are paid fair wage and products sold at fair prices. I think this is a good beginning to promote the idea of the relationships among the producer, the consumer, and the products. It gives a clean foundation with a clear stance of what Starck desired that the consumers should understand about his products and designs. Starck’s Good Goods are also not sold in any type of stores or physical shops where people can walk into. This is another way of preventing greedy people wanting to fulfill their desire for rich money. If the products are actually sold in stores, they will be sold at higher prices to pay the rent for the stores themselves. Instead, they are sold online where people do not have to pay the extra and the consumers can purchase them at reasonable prices. Thinking from the consumers’ point of view, Starck’s effective way of selling his products online seems pretty successful. It’s evident that he does not want to make â€Å"dirty† profit, but just the profit that he deserves and does not go beyond what he deserves. It is very straightforward that he does not want his products to be bought by consumers because he wants the money, but because he wants to make others’ lives better and more convenient. †With my new proposals we put people first†¦it is the people who profit. † This is one of the statements that he stated in his book that caught my eyes and inspired me. Only the experienced can consider what the consumers need, their benefits, their budget, and their desires all at the same time and make them compatible without failure. His efforts show that he designs by thinking from the consumers’ perspective rather than his point of view. Another theme that Starck wanted to promote through Good Goods is the idea of less is more. He wanted to use minimal material for his products, but still find a way that could elongate the lives of his products. This also encouraged the idea of recycling and being economically effective. Before this concept of less is more came into his design, he began to associate this theme in his eating habits. He felt better and happier when he consumed little amounts of food every meal instead of stuffing himself until he was full. Then his habits changed as he became a vegetarian. He began to consume less and less meat and soon turned away from meat consumption totally. His thoughts also changed as he began to think that eating other animals was a sign of barbarianism. As a person who took the concept of being civilized against one another very crucial, Starck limited the use of leather in his products. He did not feel the need to kill other animals or lives on this planet to promote his business and design. I think the idea of using materials that don’t need to be produced by killing other animals to make his designs and products is a way to show 100% innocence. I also think it gives the consumer a feeling of goodness without guilt while using or wearing his products. I first stumbled upon Philippe Starck from a second year architecture student at Virginia Tech named Mykayla Fernades. We were having a conversation about the relationship between interior design and industrial design and Mykayla introduced me to Starck by mentioning his book. I was very interested in him and checked some of his books out from the architecture library. My favorite one was the Philippe Starck Subeverchic Design because it was very direct in explaining his products as well as the philosophical points behind his design. Mykayla had some opinions and criticism herself about Starck because she is also a very big fan of him as well. â€Å"Good Goods are important because it is a strong statement of how important it is to be deliberate with your design choices. Trying to please everyone ends in a weak design. However, being specific gives way for a richer design. With Good Goods, Starck made it clear that he wanted a better world for his son. He wanted to begin paving the way for others to follow his lead to ensure that his son would live in a healthy world. Also, Starck states that the Eames inspire him. The Eames are known for having good quality and durable products. Because these are the things he believes in and finds important, he shows it in his designs (Good Goods being a product of that). † (Fernandes,2012). I think Starck’s philosophies are very successful in his designs. He has achieved everything that he wanted in his designs. His products do not only satisfy his desire and what kind of message he wanted to portray, but he sees the fulfillment that his consumers feel after using his products and that’s what makes his a successful designer.