From their beginnings in Co Wicklow in 1984, Design Partners have become market and thought leaders, with studios in Eindhoven, San Francisco and a new expanded space in Bray. Their work is in the collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and ranges from sleek consumer goods to lifesaving medical devices. Founder and chief executive Brian Stephens talks about how design is at the heart of everything.
“I learned about architecture when I was a kid, but I was always more interested in the things inside the buildings. When someone told me you could get a job designing those things, I couldn’t believe my luck. Many industrial designers have a similar story. I studied in the UK, and then worked at GK Design in Tokyo for two years.
I set up Design Partners with David Morgan, just as the Kilkenny Design Workshops was closing – we saw an opportunity. We had to learn how to do many things, like setting up a model-making workshop, so we evolved in a different way. This makes us different to other firms internationally; we work more intuitively, and a lot faster. Speed is very important in this world – that and having an international focus.
Staying in Ireland was partly a personal decision – it always felt right. Irish people’s ability to be creative is clear – that’s served us well, and enabled us to be persuasive in an international setting. There’s no reason why you can’t work from anywhere in the world – with the right people.
The three things we’re showing at Liminal demonstrate how ubiquitous design is, and we’ll also be unveiling some new technology that illustrates just how smart products are becoming. Year of Design is a great platform to exhibit around the world, but I want to use it to communicate to CEOs of Irish companies that good design is a really effective business tool. It’s going to take more work to make design central to the flow and strategy of companies and organisations.”