Interview with Conor McDonald

with emphasis on my background and skills as the central focus, conor mcdonald creative is a design consultancy with expertise in industrial design, interior architecture, manufacturing methods and design program management.

for me, design is the creative process of consideration as it is applied to problem solving.

any sort of work where i feel the application of my process will result in a new and interesting outcome.

i don’t have a favorite, but the platner chair is something that i look at with great appreciation. the piece is modern but not stark, easy in form and completely radical in its technique.

logos for a construction company when i was still in college.

i don’t have favorites. i try to not be bound by a specific material and consider the efficient use of a varying range of materials central to my design process.

when i’m not sleeping.

i try to begin each project by recognizing its “stickiest” detail and attacking it head on. with this approach, the process gets easier as you go rather than being knocked off course at the last second.

a frantic need to complete the design in an efficient and highly considered way.

like i received a gift that i really wanted.

when there is an emotional connection.

whether or not the design successfully serves the function it was intended to.

to insure that design remains a driver of both cultural and financial growth.

i see the design field starting to realign itself, moving back to creating high quality work rather than trying to make ironic objects.

my design is the outcome of my experiences. i’ve been fortunate to travel extensively and work in varied environments, broadening my knowledge of manufacturing techniques. each opportunity has given me a better idea of how things happen and how the process can be used. this exposure is the basis for my work.

my style is the outcome of my experiences, i filter everything i encounter and apply the gained knowledge to each challenge.

in the capacity of a creative consultant, touching on product, marketing, manufacturing and engineering, with emphasis on addressing their design needs.

i think there is a tendency for companies to work only with designers who have experience in the field directly related to their project. i’m not sure that this notion is healthy. i think that a fresh perspective can be often be advantageous.

design is truly a constant presence of my every day. in those moments when others daydream, i designdream.

consider the business of design with the same critical thinking that you apply to your design process. marketing an idea can be as difficult or more difficult than formalizing an idea.

the positive is that you get to live a full and satisfying life that incorporates design theory into your daily ritual. the negative is that it’s a very non linear way of making a living.

design isn’t about rules. everybody could do it if there were rules.

the ability to observe and listen.

i’m never without some means to sketch. i tend to first develop designs using more traditional drafting tools, then go through a series of physical and digital modeling.

i never stop designing or thinking about design. when it’s as all consuming as this, the issue isn’t having time to think about the design, the issue is the time required to keep several designs on track, at once.

it depends on the complexity of the project and my knowledge of its intended market.

would you design a tattoo for me?

working manual labor for my parents’ company as a child. it’s very easy to become jaded as a designer until you remember what it was like to stack hay bales for days on end.

any sort of work where i feel the application of my process will result in a new and interesting outcome.

i am currently invested in several different projects; some in furniture, some in illustration and others in medical devices, moving everything forward as much as possible.

i design alone, but work with numerous craftsmen to realize and prototype ideas.

via my website.