In the midst of one of my regular projects I found myself wondering to what extent ‘great’ design influences us. I stumbled upon an artist that, not only do I admire, but I totally respect. When given a brief by a client, a designer’s natural urge is to make it look beautiful, but beyond this some struggle to reach the big ‘F’ - Functionality. Of course any element of design is beautiful within its own right, but to create something that is not only beautiful but also serves its purpose in the outside world surely deserves a little respect (it’s not always easy capturing the attention of such a diverse world).

I love this designer’s work not only because he fights against the ‘less is more’ rule but also because there is not an inch of conformity in sight. In some of his pieces it isn’t always clear what the inspiration is but without a doubt it hits the  ’save’ button in my memory. And, for me, my memory is the essence of my idea of functionality. A brief’s main success criteria is surely for the commissioned work to capture its target audience. For me design isn’t always about an obvious message. It’s all very well something looking beautiful but if it doesnt inspire the audience to pass on any kind of message to a fellow human being then what use does it serve?

Evgeny Kiselev (the featured designer) not only captured my attention but he made me feel inspired, he made me feel the need to pass on my knowledge of his existence and ultimately buy his umbrellas! www.ekiselev.com