[THE INVESTOR] Bringing all things together regardless of industries will be the dominating philosophy of future design, said a renowned British industrial designer.

“The philosophy of the future is ‘convergence,’ which is the title of my show next year at the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Converging one with the other, from environmental issues, material resources, new additive technology, digital design, to core human values of why something should or could exist will dominate the design industry in the future,” Ross Lovegrove said in an interview with The Korea Herald. 

Inspired by meticulous consideration of his surroundings such as the logic and beauty of nature, the 58-year-old design guru has pursued a trinity of technology, material science and organic form.

Lovegrove has led a large number of projects with global companies such as Sony, Apple Computers, Kartell, Tag Heuer, Renault and Issey Miyake. He is renowned for the design of the Sony Walkman cassette player.

At the sixth Herald Design Forum on Nov. 8 in Seoul, Lovegrove is planning to discuss how design ideas can be inspired by everyday life and how familiarity with design does not always lead to mediocrity, but can move and comfort consumers.

While projecting that the future economy is about innovation, design and technological progress, Lovegrove highlighted that designers should be part of the conversation from the initial stage of developing products or services, to achieve real design convergence.

“As proven, designers can be great entrepreneurs forging the new economy. Designers should be invited to sit at the board level in determining industrial strategies instead of being commissioned for (a) one off project,” he said.

Defining design as “emotional intelligence,” Lovegrove stressed the role of those in the profession.

“The role of designers is to maintain an open landscape of possibility, to be the agent of biodiversity and to enrich lives with ideas which move people forward to a coalescence of humanity and the earth,” he said.

“Designers should also design metaphysically in order to develop efficient systems for resources use, not only for three-dimensional objects.”

For him, the top priority in design is simple.

“It is to design less but better. It is to embrace reason and to move people deeply from the sculptural presence of my design.”

While spending his childhood near the sea, he was able to be embedded in nature. While living in the city these days, he never forgets to be surrounded by his main inspiration.

“The environment and people you associate with is everything of my inspiration. I leave for the Galapagos next month with Richard Dawkins to discuss the earth and evolution so that my design can maintain its deep nature and earth centricity,” he said.

By Lee Hyun-jeong/The Korea Herald (rene@heraldcorp.com)