Interview with WIlliam Volcoff
I wore several hats for many years: managing my own design agency, doing business development and being the creative director behind each projects, mentoring and training my team while improving my…
Designer Interview
19 October 2020
I have first studied Product Design in ENSAAMA, Paris before moving for another BA degree in BIAD, Birmingham in the UK. Then I moved to Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland to get my Master in Strategic Design & International Business Design Management. I started my first design studio right in the middle of my studies (during my sophomore year in Paris) and kept on going like this for 6 years before opening a new office in Shanghai in 2011. I didn’t want to become a designer, it just happened to be the only job where people were happy I asked so many questions.
WOLKOV is a boutique agency that focuses on high-quality products development and strategic partnerships to develop innovative design proposals. We cooperate with local SME’s and global players to develop innovative products, new brands and experience-centred retail spaces.
Design is everything because everything is designed. Design is the result of a thinking process to go from a current situation to a more desirable situation. You can apply this thinking process to theorize services, create a new product or plan a new space layout.
Simple product with tangible added value. Nothing cosmetic and superfluous. I really enjoy the project that connects product with brand and retail space. Developing a holistic design proposal is very rewarding intellectually for the designer as well as economically for the company.
A pair of chopstick made of bamboo. So simple yet so versatile. I just can’t imagine a way to improve this item. It has reached its climax form.
A pair of shoe sole for a skateboard shoemaker company based in Paris, France. It was fun because we designed a bit in the morning then went out skating all afternoon in the company warehouse.
I really like wood but have so few opportunities to work with it so far. My favourite platform to work is my 3D software… I’m not so much online actually. Too much influences inhibits creativity and it’s good to be selfish sometime. In terms of technology, I work a lot with 3D printing for all our prototypes.
At night, alone. Bainstorming sessions are nice but somehow, I need the whole day to prepare my brain. Usually, the idea comes at night and I need the daytime to implement it and refine it.
Ideation and fine-tuning. I like the initial burst of ideas that defined the whole vision. Then I enjoy the last stage of finalization. The development phase is less interesting as we usually have to make a lot of concessions to match client’s constraints.
Responsible. It’s not really an emotion; it’s more like a state of mind. What we design will have an impact on earth and on us, human so let’s keep this in mind while we are creative. I have more emotions while being with my kid. Design is not a religion and I don’t feel my soul elevated while designing a bottle of shampoo... in some project, it’s actually the opposite.
Proud yet not as good as you might expect… I always feel the final product could be improved and I can’t stop noticing details that could have been improved, given I had more time or budget.
Sales. It’s sad but a design that doesn’t sell well is a failed design. Design only works if human buy it or use it.
Functional aspect first, then the emotional message suggested by the form and other surface treatment. Packaging and other communication are all rather meaningless if the product itself has flaws and is made of mediocre materials.
Designers have very heavy responsibilities. Designers are the key to make all businesses more human-centered. We live on a close environment (our planet) with limited ressources. It’s about time we think globally about the entire production chain, from the idea till the second life of our products. Designers are responsible for this strategic thinking and should always push/educate their clients toward more eco-friendly products/services offering.
The design field is evolving at different speed depending on the market: the emerging country needs design for basic cosmetics skin on their products while "sleeping economies" like in Europe or U.S used design to leverage their brands in consumer’s mind. Somehow, mature markets are pulling designers toward more responsible purchasing behaviours. It’s noticeable with the tremendous growth of “bio-based products” and the development of short distribution networks.
I don’t do exhibition, I do design. Exhibitions are for artist who wish to make a statement. Designers works for companies, if they want to make a statement they ought to do it under their name, as an artist.
Everything feeds me: movies, books (lot of sci-fi books), manga, softwares…etc. I always keep my mind open to suggestion so I can easily be inspired. I found a neat trick to get inspired: don’t look for inspiration. Keep the task in the background of your head for a couple of days and let your brain process it. Without realizing, you’ll start to find inspiration in very mundane things and soon you’ll make very creative connections.
My design style is heavily influenced by my years spent in Finland. I like simple shapes that carry strong emotion. I'm always trying to remove things, button and decoration: simplify the design to amplify the message.
I live in Shanghai, China. This megalopolis is just a heaven for designer as it is a blend of very old traditions and excessively futuristic thinkings and styles. My European background gave me some stability to organize my life in this chaos but the best way to live there is just to follow the flow, don’t fight it.
Usually long term relationship. Some companies are my clients for over 10 years already. I like to bound with the CEO or owner and discuss the vision. If we match each other vision, I’m much more inclined to follow a step-by-step process and to help the company reach slowly their strategic goal.
Select a profile that matches your company spirit and vision. Past experience in a similar field is not so important. Good designers are flexible and can adapt their thinking process to any new field.
I don’t have a defined design process. Each project is a different challenge with a different problem. I adapt my design process to the specificities of each client. Some clients require extensive research and few propositions based on the insights gained while other clients need something fast to convince their investors. As a designer, we are here to support the company we are working for, not to bend them to our design process no matter what issue they have.
There is not such a thing as a”design item”. Everything is design and design is everything. My favorite objects do not have design labeled on them:
#1 - A pair of hopsticks. This is the most versatile and simple kitchen utensils you should always have.
#2 - A pencil (2H works best for me). Simple and very reliable creative tool.
#3 - A large wooden table. Working/Dinning on a wooden table feels just right.
#4 - A precision knife, to make models and cut things.
#5 - A paper clip, to keep things organized.
#1 - A pair of hopsticks. This is the most versatile and simple kitchen utensils you should always have.
#2 - A pencil (2H works best for me). Simple and very reliable creative tool.
#3 - A large wooden table. Working/Dinning on a wooden table feels just right.
#4 - A precision knife, to make models and cut things.
#5 - A paper clip, to keep things organized.
Wake-up at 6 am and eat a good breakfast
Shower and get dress.
Read news and other non-design-related topics.
Check emails and start working.
Sketch during a meeting or conference calls
Sketch a bit more during renderings and team discussions
Dinner with family, reading time with kid…etc.
Nothing amazing.
Shower and get dress.
Read news and other non-design-related topics.
Check emails and start working.
Sketch during a meeting or conference calls
Sketch a bit more during renderings and team discussions
Dinner with family, reading time with kid…etc.
Nothing amazing.
Never stop learning software. They are like language: the more you learn the more you can express yourself under any circumstances. They are tools so train yourself to master them. Hard skills are very valuable. Anyone could have a great idea, how to make it real is all about hard work and hard skills.
We have to please the client so sometimes we have to make concessions that go against our true belief. On the bright side, we often meet people with power who entrust us to make big changes. Then, it is up to us, designer, to take the opportunity and work hard to make things happen the way we envisioned.
Never be please with your first idea. You can always do much better.
A nice mix of hard skills (sketch, prototyping, software mastery) and soft skills (empathy, extrovert).
Besides pencils and paper, I’m using Cinema4D software for all ideation phases. It’s like sketching in 3D. Then for refinement I would move on to Solidworks. Rendering are done on various softwares depending on the type of render needed: Vray, Keyshot or Octane. Of course, also in the toolbox is the Adobe Suit.
I’m rather proud of that. I’m never late and I don’t procrastinate. Good planning is key. Also, I make sure clients are involved, reactive and clear in their feedback. Good communication is key to save time during the design process.
Depends on so many aspects and situation. I developed design in a couple of hours that were produced the next day (remember I live in Shanghai so everything is fast). At the same time it tooks me 6 years to develop my first watch.
How much to do this design?
Designing my own product, sourcing my own suppliers and signing contracts for my own production.
Fissler, Cartier, Croissant de France, Keysheen, IchiMore, Monami, Volvo
Change is making me happy. Always doing the same type of design is quickly boring.
Keep serving our clients. Keep developing the watch brand and the watch model to enlarge the collection.
I’m starting to set-up collaboration with artist on special limited edition of watch models.
I’m starting to set-up collaboration with artist on special limited edition of watch models.
Team work. Always.
We are designing a full range of fitness equipment for a newly established fitness brand. The work is very rewarding as we have full trust from the founder.
email > william@wolkov.cn or phone call > +86 135 8561 8347