Interview with Mikhail Chistiakov

My studio is engaged in industrial and object design for customers around the world. Starting with porcelain (this is our favorite material) and ending with plywood.

n the process of the evolution of professional development, this word meant quite different things. At first it meant a beautiful form, then a solution to the problem, then a beautiful idea. Now it is rather a complex of several factors such as shape, ergonomics, response to the needs of society, sustainable production. The perfect design is the perfect balance of all these factors.

The very first project was a manual dental X-ray. Now this project seems a little naive, but it is still relevant. And it is still used in clinics.

Of the materials, these are porcelain and wood. and in technology, research in the field of 3-d printing of artificial intelligence and the reuse of materials is especially interesting. Working with these technologies, as it were, opens the veil to the future.

On a trip and in discussions with colleagues. Brainstorming, discussions with like-minded people allows you to give birth to great ideas.

First of all, I am looking for new entities, additional layers of meanings of the subject, so that the design is not limited only to appearance or commercial success. I strictly follow the proportions and usability of objects. I also try to agree with the production technologists so that the solution is reasonable and technological and of high quality.

First of all, this is the excitement of the search, when a new and non-trivial solution may arise at any moment.

At first, after the project is implemented, it always seems that something else can be improved. But as time passes, pride comes from the fact that the world has become a little better.

My last exhibition was held in Moscow. Plywood objects of my project Fanera.Design were exhibited on it. This exhibition is a reflection on sustainable production, and a creative rethinking of the use of industrial waste. Now an exhibition of my porcelain works is planned. Possibly in early 2022.

Travel, ethnographic expeditions, nature observations. The strict and precise beauty of the northern edge of my country inspires and constantly pushes new ideas.

I live and work in Russia. It is a country with rich traditions of wood processing, ceramics firing, as well as culture, architecture and crafts. Therefore, this whole cultural layer inevitably affects my work. And although some design features are very distinctive and are not always accepted by people with a different cultural code, in general, the appeal to ethnic motives is very interesting.

Do more with less.

Empathy and curiosity

Project work requires strict time management, deadlines at all stages. In this case, project management methods from IT technologies come to the rescue. For example, compared to the classical approach, the agile approach to development can have more control over the project management.

As a rule, on average, a project takes six months, with design research, approvals and the launch of production.

How much does it cost? And why is it so expensive?

PJSC Aeroflot, SDI Gifts, Pirkenhammer Manufactory,

This is conceptual design, sketching. When hundreds of ideas are born and developed on paper in the form of simple sketches. Never again in the design process is there such a concentration of meanings.

The directions of metamaterials research, sustainable production, 3D printing are very interesting for me.

It very much depends on the project. Complex industrial design projects cannot be done alone, you need the interaction of designers, designers, managers, technologists. And I have a team that I attract for this kind of projects.
Another thing is creative projects of subject design. Here I can develop a project on my own from start to finish.

I try not to disclose details of current projects. But it will be a series of plywood art objects.

The easiest way to do this is via mail m@chistiakov.design