Chris Jackson is a lecturer in Industrial Design at Massey University in New Zealand. Chris runs design studio Northwards Design and previously spent a time working at Habitat with Tom Dixon. In this interview Chris talks about open source design, the current state of New Zealand design, transitioning from the United Kingdom to New Zealand (in a design sense) and much more. Enjoy.
1. Chris, Welcome to Design Droplets. Thank you for taking the time to chat, could you please give a quick introduction on yourself.
I am originally from the UK and ran my own studio in London working for clients including Marset, Habitat, Innermost, Dark, The Guardian and 100% Design. I also spent a period working for Habitat when Tom Dixon was Creative Director. In 2006 I organised and curated the sustainable design exhibition TEN, then left England and travelled for a year before landing in New Zealand.
I am now Lecturer in Industrial Design at Massey University, Wellington, whilst also developing practice-based research projects with different manufacturers, designers and collaborators from all over the world.
Pythagoras
2. You run a design studio called Northwards Design, can you tell us about some of your latest projects?
I am just tidying up a design for this years TEN exhibition that will be based around the theme of Craft / DIY and a set of plans or engineering drawings that the public will use to make the design. I am also developing an ethical design research project with villagers in Cambodia and a small UK manufacturer. I am in the midst of a new lighting concept for an existing client and developing some older projects for manufacturer, including the Pythagoras stool, which I took to the ICFF last year. In terms of clients, I don’t really like naming names as you can never tell how far a project will get, and if it will make it to the public domain in the current climate.
Time Travel - designed with Paul Stafford
3. You have transitioned from the UK to New Zealand, what is the biggest difference you have noticed in terms of design and design culture? What similarities have you noticed?
I came to New Zealand from running a studio in London, which is a nucleus for design and creativity both in the UK and internationally. Some of the best galleries and exhibition spaces in the world hold cutting edge exhibitions and shows, and it has a dense design scene. I think this is lacking in New Zealand. Without any big tradeshows or fairs there is no really big celebration of design. This is obviously related to the small population and its remote location.
The nearest thing at the moment is the BLOW festival run by Massey University in Wellington, which is a combination of Graduate Degree shows alongside professional exhibitions, guest lectures and talks. Although it is a relatively young event, the program is growing and improving year by year, with great events crossing many disciplines.
There are also some great spaces like The New Dowse in Wellington that have a dynamic, provocative program of national and international exhibits, curated by passionate and insightful staff.
Similarly to England, there are lots of self-motivated shows and craft fairs that are initiated by the independent creatives, that are idiosyncratic,fun and inspirational.
4. In the world of design robust intellectual critique is largely absent, what are your thoughts on how designers and the design world can develop much more robust critique practices?
Good designers are all reflective practitioners. They are often the ones who are most critical about the work, and go through a robust process to arrive at the final conclusion. They will garner opinion from peers, colleagues and any relevant stakeholders within the project. This type of critique happens as a matter of fact during the design process, and is not necessarily broadcast or recorded, but is manifest within the final design.
I think we need to rely on some of the better journalists and design magazines that are still out there who understand design, designers and the process and can write critically, rather than acting as facilitators for advertising.
Within academic journals there is often critique and enquiry into design objects and projects, but because of their location and the manner in which they are written, it is not attractive or accessible to designers or the public. Maybe there needs to be some sort of sphere that sits between academic writing and a glossy design magazine, which is accessible to readers yet provides thoughtful, insightful and constructive critique as a focus rather than a consequence.
Superlow sofa
5. What are your thoughts on the future of design in terms of open source and manufacturing on demand?
Manufacturing on demand is a subject that I have researched within my own work through companies like Ponoko and Shapeways. There are a few interesting points to pick up on. Firstly numbers. You reach a critical mass with numbers in on demand manufacturing, where should you be fortunate enough to receive a large order, you are better to invest in different manufacture process that is more economically viable.
The materials are currently somewhat limited within these online portals, and to my understanding there is not one manufacturer with a series of different techniques and methods under one roof. When you examine Industrial design objects, many of the richest and most engaging are made from a combination of materials that rely on different expertise, and methods of assembly, to make them a reality.
When working through online portals, you can have components sent back to your studio, assemble them yourself, and ship them out again, but this is still only viable for smaller objects, and negates the positive sustainable attributes of the system by adding more shipping to the process when objects are also prone to damage, loss etc
Open source is again a worthy and innovative idea in terms of resources. Reflecting on some of my own projects that use an open source philosophy, it would be interesting to find out some hard data about the actual degree of up-take by members of the public to assess how successful ideas like creative commons licenses are and what effect they have in terms of countering problems of sustainability and their wider contribution to the design community.
Open source makes better sense in the context that it was conceived because technology and software are in constant flux and development, so having a means where skilled individuals can develop a product in a dynamic and diverse way is logical. A product designer works toward an end goal, where the function and use is embodied in the objects physicality. There is not the same amount of opportunity to maneuver in terms of personalising or adjusting it for an infinite amount of uses and needs. If the user doesn’t like the product, they won’t buy it, and if they are not a designer, then having something manufactured for them self can appear daunting, even prohibitive.
In both these models, marketing and promotion is the link between the concept and it’s take up by the public. Promoting products through the internet, blogs and a personal website, which is how many crafters and designers using manufacturing-on-demand portals operate, is a very transient thing, and has a very short life-span in terms of longevity of exposure.
For a manufacturer to accept a design into their catalogue they need to see value and long-term possibilities within the project. The product is promoted in different ways, tradeshows, exhibitions, magazines etc, experiences and images that stay around in people’s conscience for longer. There is also the opportunity to develop the product to a more refined level. Should technical problems develop, the manufacturer can resolve these through the life of the product, making it more engaging, useful and sustainable.
I think there is lots of potential in terms of combining technologies and design when dealing with open source and manufacturing on demand. It has worked best for me as a prototyping platform and to get ideas off the ground quickly. I’m sure as the field evolves it will provide further opportunity to innovate and challenge the industrial status quo.
Skyline
6. You currently lecturing at Massey University in New Zealand, how does this inform your design practice?
Feeding off the students enthusiasm and different perspectives on design is probably the major attraction. They are always looking and practicing at the cutting edge, so this is a great thing to be around, and sometimes inspires my own projects and thinking.
I am also very fortunate to be surrounded by experts and leading practitioners within a number of creative fields which affords me the opportunity for collaboration and to build new relationships that may have not happened anywhere else.
Pandora - Designed with Peter Mac Cann
7. You have designed and brought many unique and successful products to market, what advice would you give to other designers who are aiming to do a similar thing?
I think people need to think about what they want to do and what they want to achieve. I once asked a student why they studied design and the response was ‘I want to be like Tom Dixon’. Of course this is fine, but there also needs to be an appreciation of the cultural context and history that great designers and business people like Tom, Jasper Morrison, Ron Arad, Patricia Urquiola et al, came through, and the fact that many of us are mere mortals! I think reality TV has a lot to answer for in terms of certain aspirations.
Products have been the ultimate goal for many designers over the past century, but this mindset is changing rapidly. We now talk more about experiences and systems, multi-disciplinary practice and collaboration. Design thinking and process is as important as producing an object – and much more sustainable! We are now asked how we can translate design thinking into solutions for an ageing population and to solve problems within the health services. Designers are working in all sorts of margins that were never previously considered and the ground is fertile for new approaches and business models that utilise design methodologies and our unique perspectives on the world.
Metropolis
8. You have collaborated on a number of successful design projects, how important is collaboration in design?
I think collaboration is very important in contemporary design practice, as it broadens your view and understanding of design, and it’s many facets. You can only have so much personal expertise, so collaboration means you can go down avenues that you would either be unconfident of, or incompetent in. Collaboration also speeds up the design process, as there are less mistakes and backtracking from shared knowledge.
Collaboration is also a good way to build a far-reaching and eclectic design network. As design develops, you never know how you maybe working in the future, where or with whom, so developing a good network is also vital to developing your career.
At the same time, not everyone can collaborate. I have met a number of people who are so obtuse or hard to get along with, that you know that it would be very difficult to work with them. You should have a good feeling about collaboration. You need to put your own ego aside and be open to new ideas, opinions and really listen to what people are saying. I often collaborate with people who are friends and who I have respect for. If these people are not initially friends, then we generally end up as good friends by the end of the project.
3x3 Lamp
9. What are your thoughts on the current state of design and innovation in New Zealand?
There is something in New Zealand called ‘the number 8 wire mentality’, which is a reference to the ‘can-do’ attitude of kiwi’s being able to make anything from a particular gauge of garden wire. I think this has developed into a great spirit of innovation in the country, which is polarised in the film industry through the likes of Weta Workshops.
Companies like Formway Design have developed a great philosophy and design acumen and bring innovative products to the world market. There ‘Be’ Chair is the latest of these projects, which is also sold under licence through Knoll. There are also smaller companies like Wishbone studios who are developing unique and desirable ideas.
Chair 53
10. Chris, thanks for taking the time to talk with us here at Design Droplets. Do you have any final thoughts or advice for Design Droplets readers?
Thanks for the considered questions. I think the biggest piece of advice is to persevere, have faith in yourself, and don’t pander to what you see in magazines or the latest trend. Build a body of work that you are confident in, rather than designing for notoriety. The work is the most important thing……..and be nice to each other!
Check out Chris’ studio Northwards Design and Research and Object a space for his conceptual, design research initiatives.
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Thats a cool interview and interesting to hear what he has to say about NZ Design industry. We also wonder why its so quiet. Our national org DINZ.org.nz needs to here people like Chris out.