Prague Design Week highlights design process from prototype to finished product
The third annual Prague Design Week 2016 kicked off in the Czech capital this week at Kafkův dům (Kafka’s House). Organisers of the event, which features more than 90 exhibits by established firms, graduates and up-and-coming designers, say they want to highlight both variety in design as well as elements of the process itself, how an idea goes from being a sketch on paper to a prototype to finished product.
“The central aim of Prague Design Week is to put on display a rich mix of different types of design that there are. We think that the word design has been a bit overused today, with one problem being that too often people think that good design is only synonymous with posh or expensive items. What we want to show it that good design can also be found in many useful and normal things.
“The exhibition features many items, including design in the automotive industry, jewellery, furniture and other items. At the Design Week, you can also see how designs come together and can watch some being made on the spot. That is one thing we think makes the week different from other design events in the city.”
What do you have from the automotive industry?
“Specifically, it is the work of a designer who has worked on creating prototype designs, designing the shapes of vehicles, the actual body, using modern materials such as carbon fibre.”
So right away there, the big picture… what are some other items on view?
That aspect of seeing how an item is produced is very cool. How does one go about exhibiting at the venue during the week?
“Well there is of course a selection process upholding a certain overall standard, regarding aesthetics and so on. We have a jury or group which oversees what is exhibited. Even some firms or products we like very much don’t get exhibited, for example, some jewellery if we already have similar items, there has to be a balance. So there is a selection and not everyone who applies can be chosen.”
“That is not a simple question. Using modern technology, I would say it is easier to become a designer but to become a good designer is still a totally different question. It is very easy to design on your computer and your prototype can be printed out by a 3-D printer, but there remains a lot of process between making this and a real-world product that will serve a future customer. That process, we think, is still pretty complicated and you have to overcome many obstacles. And that is what we are showing. So I think, in some respects, there is a golden age, certainly when it comes to the internet and so on.”
“The theme is handicrafts and craftsmanship. Also, the detail which goes into every product on view and the ecological aspects as well.”
Czech TV reported on the event and one cool aspect is that you have a contrast between traditional and newer methods, pointing to the manufacture of wooden bowls versus for example 3-D printing. There was an example of a shoe being printed...
“That is certainly one way of seeing things although the process is in itself not that different, it is just a question of who is doing it. There are similarities. One is, is that there is a lot of work before we get to a finished bowl or shoe.”
In other words, you can have an idea that you will sketch out but it still has to meet real-life conditions…
“Exactly.”
“What you mentioned at the end is where I think the near-future of 3-printing is. The idea that we will all soon have our own 3-D printers making things in our own homes won’t be a reality for the next few years or is a few years away.”
