Karim Rashid. © Financial Times ‘How to Spend It’
‘Jack of all trades, master of none’ is the English saying that prescribes specialization. Fortunately, not everyone takes the advice and the design world has been enriched by a number of highly–gifted individuals, usually working at the intersection between art, fashion, architecture, interior- and product design. In today’s world, New York-based Karim Rashid immediately springs to mind. Rashid’s mantra is “We must evolve, we must innovate, and we must change,” and it is this creative restlessness which drives many of his multi-talented colleagues such as Marcel Wanders, Patricia Urquiola and others. Let’s not forget the earlier pioneers, however, such as Eileen Gray, Gio Ponti Florence Knoll who roamed freely between architecture, fabric, carpets, furniture and interior design shaping the course of design in the 20th century.
Eileen Gray. Early 20th Century furniture. © DEZEEN/Zeev Aram
In his article Polymath Interpolators: The Next Generation of Designers (Napier University, 2007), Paul A. Rodgers argued that “a new emerging generation of designers is needed to tackle the many different challenges facing the design profession,” and he describes this designer as the “hybrid designer.” He explained: “designers no longer fit neatly into categories such as product, furniture and graphics; rather they are a mixture of artists, engineers, designers, entrepreneurs and anthropologists.”
Today, 13 years after Rodgers’ article was published, it’s safe to say that this is becoming the new ‘design’ normal. Few of today’s great designers could be considered to be specialists in just one discipline, most are making their name in multiple design fields or have ambitions in that direction.
Philippe Starck, table and chairs, © wikipedia | Lemon squeezer. © Black by Design.
Ecole Camondo graduate Philippe Starck excels in art, architecture and product design across the broadest spectrum. Over 1 million copies of his famous plastic ‘Angel’ chair have been sold neatly illustrating his goal to bring ‘design’ to the masses. Famous now for every thing from staplers to superyachts and bathroom fittings to 5 star hotels, wearable technology and more, Starck is perhaps today’s consummate example of the design polymath.
This is not just the domain of men. There are many great women who excel in multi-discipline design.
Chairs: Patricia Urquoila / Rug: Esti Barnes. © Topfloor by Esti / Sonar Batroom Collection: Patricia Urquoila. © Dezeen.
Spanish-born Patricia Urquiola trained as an architect graduating from the Milan Politecnico in 1989. She opened her studio in Milan in 2001 having learned her craft from some of the greats of Italian industrial design such as Achille Castiglioni and Vico Magistretti. A partnership with Patrizia Moroso led to the design of the Step Sofa debuting at the Saloni in Milan in 1998.
Amidst all of these accomplishments, she had a stint at Lissoni Associati, beginning in 1993, where she developed furniture for Italian giants Cappellini and Cassina. Her achievements range from hotels such as the Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona to metal ware for Georg Jensen, home accessories for Louis Vuitton, terrazzo floors for BMW and most recently, a bathroom collection for Laufen.
Building by Zaha Hadid, © selo-uk.com
Zaha Hadid was one of the world’s most celebrated architects, constantly pushing the latest technologies and materials to create boldly contemporary, organic and free-flowing designs. Her work included the Beijing Airport, and the critically-acclaimed Aquatics Centre for the London 2012 Olympic Games, with its instantly-recognisable swooping roof.
But besides creating some of the world’s greatest buildings, Hadid was also a celebrated painter, furniture and home accessories designer, working with some of the world’s most renowned design brands, including Alessi, Vitra and B&B Italia. She had an endless portfolio of products: from furniture to footwear and even jewellery, prototype cars and yachts.