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Interview with Danielle Trofe |
Home > Designer Interviews > Danielle Trofe |
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Danielle Trofe (DT) for A’ Design Award and Competition. You can access the full profile of Danielle Trofe by clicking here.
FS: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
DT: I actually didn't find myself in the design industry until just the last few years. I attended Florida State University where I received a double Bachelors degree in marketing and entrepreneurship. Post-graduation, I worked in the marketing department of a DC-based non-profit. It was then that I realized my desire for creative freedom and the simple gratification of working with my hands. I dropped everything and ventured to Italy where I received a Masters degree in interior design at the Florence Design Academy. An inspiring course in furniture design narrowed my design focus and propelled me to seek out all available product design resources in pursuit of this newfound passion. Upon returning to the U.S., I moved to New York City to intern for EcoSystems, a small, Brooklyn-based, sustainable furniture design firm. It was there that I learned the importance of smart, eco-friendly design and its ever-evolving role within the industry.
FS: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
DT: I just launched my own design studio, Danielle Trofe Design, this year, located in Brooklyn, NY. The solo design studio focuses on social and environmentally responsible design.
FS: What is "design" for you?
DT: I design furniture, lighting and other products using a function-forward, sustainable and socially responsible approach. My designs usually encompass a minimal and organic aesthetic with an aim to promote a cleaner, clutter-free, contemporary world.
FS: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
DT: I always find myself leaning towards lighting concepts, but all my designs have a common theme centered around function. I don't just want to make a chair for the sake of making a chair. I want to make a chair that solves an existing problem and operates to satisfy people's needs.
FS: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
DT: My favorite design is a tree floor lamp I hand welded in a class. It's the first piece I ever fully realized and I constructed it over several months. It was such a gratifying project and it stands in my living room today, fully functional.
FS: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
DT: My first commercial-oriented product design was the Ribbon Barstool. I created this piece while in school and it's still what I consider to be my "first-born." I'm still trying to find the right fit with a designer/furniture company. I'm honored that it received a Runner-Up status for the A'Design Award.
FS: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
DT: Anything organic or found in nature and used in a new way excites me. While the Aquarius in me gushes over technology-driven, sustainable energy sources. So I strive to marry both natural materials with smart, clean technology.
FS: When do you feel the most creative?
DT: Some of my greatest inspirations have come to me in the last few seconds of lucidity before slipping off to sleep. It's strange I know, but I dream in design. Also, running in parks and taking walks in nature have always had a way of getting my creative juices flowing. I often end up returning home with a pocket full of leaves, sticks and other organic materials I found inspiring along the journey.
FS: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
DT: Relief, enthusiasm, criticism, pride and a strong desire to drink a glass of wine.
FS: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
DT: This is the most important question we as designers can ask ourselves at this point in time. What is our role and responsibility in a global climate of declining and stressed natural resources, a conditioned human environment to consume, and a planet in peril from excess waste and pollution? Designers have the power to change consumer behavior. We have the power to design and produce products that are sustainable, made from recycled and reused materials, have a product end of life that is recyclable and are produced not in excess but to satisfy a demand based on need and function. Designers must take ownership that we are responsible for the production of objects, that for the most part, are a permanent fixture here on this planet. This responsibility will lead us to find smarter, cleaner solutions that eliminate clutter and excess from our lives. It is a very powerful and beautiful position to be a maker of objects that people use and enjoy everyday, but with this privileged career comes social and environmental responsibilities to self, consumers and the planet.
FS: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
DT: It's always evolving, as is life. I believe the future will be less about owning physical objects and more about experiencing and sharing technology driven concepts. Communication design is and will be a great future field.
FS: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
DT: Nature is my biggest inspiration. I was born and raised just outside of Austin, Texas (USA). We grew up playing outside on the ranch everyday, climbing trees, collecting leaves and insects, and wading through creeks. It was from an early age that I formed a deep connection and appreciation with natural elements. Most of my work is inspired by plants, trees, flowers, anything that encompasses a natural, organic element designed by the greatest artist of them all, mother nature.
FS: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
DT: I currently reside in Brooklyn, NY (USA), where I've begun to be influenced by the urban atmosphere. I'm experimenting with a more industrial aesthetic and have a true intrigue for repurposing found objects in a new modern way.
FS: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
DT: 1. My first welding piece, a tree floor lamp made from steel with exposed Edison light bulbs 2. An Ango Nest table lamp made from rattan 3. Hive's CUCME screen 4. A side table I picked up off the curb and refinished 5. And strangely... my coral dresser drawer knobs from Anthropologie
FS: What is your "golden rule" in design?
DT: Walk away from a design and come back to it later with a fresh perspective and positive energy.
FS: What skills are most important for a designer?
DT: Patience.
FS: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
DT: 3dsmax, Rhino, welding, sculpting, design magazines, museum exhibits, trade shows, product design books, Transmaterial books, DESIGN WEBSITES & BLOGS ARE A MUST!
FS: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
DT: iCalendar and a lot of open tabs on my web browser.
FS: What was your most important job experience?
DT: It's funny, what I consider my most important job experience is far from design related. To pay for school, to live in NYC, to bide myself time to design on the side, I had to work many jobs including tending bar, waiting tables, and even dog-walking. It was working late hours, long weeks, several jobs one after another and managing to come up with the energy when I wasn't working to work on my own designs that taught me the value of perseverance. To get the career and life I wanted was going to take sacrifice, determination and drive. The design industry is a beautiful industry, but it can be daunting, critical and saturated. You can be one of the most talented, intelligent designers out there, but if you can't persevere and stay driven when it gets tough, you are never going to succeed in it.
FS: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
DT: I develop alone for the time being but am open to future collaborations.
FS: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
DT: I'm currently working on a lighting series that would raise Bob Marley from his grave.
FS: How can people contact you?
DT: Please contact me via email: danielle@danielletrofe.com
FS: Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to interview you.
A’ Design Award and Competitions grants rights to press members and bloggers to use parts of this interview. This interview is provided as it is; DesignPRWire and A' Design Award and Competitions cannot be held responsible for the answers given by participating designers.
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