Consumers have evolved a lot in the last few years
We spoke with Paolo Pininfarina, Manager of the Pininfarina Extra, the Turin-based company, which operates in the fields of industrial design, furniture and arcitecture. Pininfarina Extra is a part of the Pininfarina Group, which has led the design world for over 75 years and is best known for designing and producing cars.
Paolo Pininfarina was born on 28 of August, 1958 in Turin. In 1982, after graduating in Mechanical Engineering at Turin's Politechnic University, he started working at Pininfarina. In 1983 he trained at Cadillac in the US and at Honda Motors in Japan. After managing many succesful projects he was appointed as Managing Director of Pininfarina Extra srl in 1987. He has been a member of the board of Pininfarina SpA since 1988, and in his Quality Systems Management role, has contributed to the company obtaining ISOTS/16949 certification, released in July 2003. Between 1999 and 2004, he was a member of the Scientific Committee of the Turin European Institute of Design and in 2001 he become an Emeritus Founder Participant of the ADI Foundation for Italian Design.
|
|
|
The Pininfarina company is one of the world's leading design studios for design in the automotive and collective transport area. When did Pininfarina realise that the opportunity to design other projects beside cars had such good potential?
In the middle of the eighties, after more than 50 years of design and manufacturing activity in the automotive sector, we developed a vision to invest the cumulated knowledge and know-how of the Pininfarina company in the various sectors of the industry. Therefore Pininfarina Extra was established and I became its Managing Director. What is Pininfarina Extra’s share of the total design-work conducted by Pininfarina today? Are industrial, furniture and architectural design projects still growing?
Pininfarina Extra represents about 25% of the total turnover of the design sectors of the Group; However both of the creative teams are made-up of about 20 designers each and therefore we can assume that now about half of the creativity is expressed in the non-automotive sector.
What is the philosophy of your work at Pininfarina Extra?
Of course we always keep our roots in our mind. We know that Pininfarina Extra belongs to an industrial group that is focused on design, engineering and manufacturing in the automotive sectors and we share a lot of attitudes and procedures with our holding company. This is certainly our DNA. On the other hand, our skill and experience in new fields is gradually growing and we are establishing an increasing level of independence.
You have been collaborating with Gorenje since 1990. Some of the projects were never realised and some are still in progress. How would you describe your partnership with Gorenje?
The partnership with Gorenje is about 15 years old. In 1990 we wanted to enter the domestic appliances sector, which we considered to be a logical extension of our design know-how and brand, due to the very many similarities with the automotive sector in terms of materials, technologies and manufacturing processes. At the same time, we started talking to Gorenje with the view to establish a long-term, fruitful partnership. The initial project had reached pre-production by 1992, but unfortunately the project was terminated as a result of the imminant war. In 1998, after the situation in Slovenia had settled, a new project was embarked-upon with even more enthusiasm and dedication. I would describe our partnership with Gorenje as strategic, as we have always shared the same vision of the future. Also I appreciate very much the fact that, thanks to this partnership, the recognition of the Pininfarina brand has grown considerably in the Eastern Europe.
In the last decade Gorenje has been progressively designing household appliances with an elaborate sense of individual lifestyle and taste. How do you see Gorenje's development in the field of the design in the past decade?
Gorenje’s product lines have gradually evolved, from the image, 10 years ago, of solid, basic, reliable products to more sophisticated, technological and individual products. This evolution has been a gradual response to a more demanding market and I think that Pininfarina has contributed to this progress, not only with our co-branded range, but also by defining a sort of benchmark for the internal Gorenje design team in their process of generating new products.
What was your design vision on the one side and expectations on the other in the 1998, when designing the first line of Gorenje Pininfarina household appliances, with your Pininfarina sign as a co-brand name? In short, what was the story behind design of the first line?
The objective was quite clear: we wanted to create a high-class design, with a strong identity and personality in each one of the 3 categories (oven, refrigerator, washing machine) to attract the attention of the market with our co-branded proposal.
|
|
|
Gorenje is launching a new line of Gorenje Pininfarina household kitchen appliances all over Europe. Was designing the new line of Gorenje Pininfarina appliances more demanding than the first time? What was the main challenge and what is the leading point of the current design outline?
I can see the difference between the situation in 1998 and now: at that time our partnership had no previous experience and there was probably the need to shock, to surprise the market. Now our relationship is consolidated, our presence has been very well accepted during the years and we are aware of the success that we achieved with our first line. Now we have different, more sophisticated objectives. The market has matured too: it is demanding a more elaborate message. This is the real challenge of the new project for Gorenje. The design of the first Gorenje Pininfarina range was focused on eye-catching details. The second range is focused on straight lines with minimalist details. Are both designs trend-setting?
In general, I agree with you, but I think that defining the design of the new range as minimalist is somehow simplistic. I would define it essential and innovative and, above all, elegant. I am not sure that this is the real present trend: I know that this design bears the hallmarks of our most successful projects. It is 100% Pininfarina design and it has the potential to become a trend setter.
The new Gorenje Pininfarina range has been described as a design that will last. What is your view on design trends? How do they come-about, how do consumers accept them and how do they end? Do you think that Gorenje and Pininfarina have managed to create appliances that will become iconic classics?
My view on design trends is that designers have to know what’s happening around them, but they have to put in their job a balanced level of innovation to create advanced products that will last. If you establish a new trend, the success may not be immediate; it may take some time for the market to understand your message. But if your design blends the classic with the innovative, then success is more likely to last. The previous Gorenje Pininfarina range was launched in 2000 and was still successful after five years: a considerable amount of time in the contemporary market.
Gorenje endeavours to offer technologically advanced and innovative products with recognised design, inspired by the needs of consumers. What is your understanding of today’s consumers and what is your winning combination for a desirable product image?
As I said before, consumers have evolved a lot in the last few years: they are asking for improved performance and quality, they support eco-compatible products, and more and more they look for style, elegance and innovation. We are working everyday here, at Pininfarina, to satisfy their growing needs. |
