Interview with Michael Thurnherr

The Swiss designer Michael Thurnherr from 2ndwest is responsible for the “Compact” coffee capsule machine by Delizio. He started his career at Vitra, where he was involved in projects by Antonio Citterio, Alberto Meda, Jasper Morrison, Philippe Starck, Marten van Seeveren and Michele de Lucchi. He lectured at Berlin University of the Arts (department of industrial design) and at the HSR Rapperswil (department of mechanical engineering). Michael Thurnherr has been selfemployed since 1998.

The Compact is a coffee machine that is targeted particularly at first-time buyers. Against this background, on what aspects did you place particular emphasis?
Michael Thurnherr: On simplicity – simplicity in form, content, function, communication and operability. In all its complexity, this principle represents the major characteristic in our design strategy. So-called “simple” design solutions hold a high degree of responsibility and persuasive power, characteristics that meet the demands of increasingly critical and design-savvy consumers. Following this approach, our initially “small” coffee machine turned into an extremely compact one that features two knobs and a lever, promising to be most easy to use. In a sensuous and easy-tounderstand manner, its form and colour design reconciles European coffee culture with a modern portioning system.

How important were ecological considerations when designing the Compact?
Michael Thurnherr: Very important! From a formal perspective, a higher visual ‘half-life’ value prolongs the lifecycle of a product. Ecology begins also with the size of the coffee machine: the smaller it is, the less material it uses, the less packaging it needs, the less volume it requires in logistics, the less garbage it produces, and so on. We saw to it that all connections are detachable and that consumables are configured such that they can be replaced with few turns of the hand. The finish is as natural as possible in order to guarantee purity of material and thus recyclability. The highest ecological requirements are always an integral part of our work.

The manufacturing costs were to be as low as possible – what means did you use to achieve this?
Michael Thurnherr: Combining, minimising and omitting if possible – these were our methods. Also fewer buttons, fewer unnecessary features, plastic parts in off-tool quality, and so forth. Furthermore, by reorganising the technical components we were able to reduce the volume by 30%. To us it is also always important to optimise the development process, which with the Compact took only nine months from the first concept to the final product for sale on the shelf.

What defines good design in your opinion?
Michael Thurnherr: Reliability, purpose, fun and simplicity... Good design has to provide concrete solutions for real problems in terms of content and function, solutions with an added value that can be experienced.

What design would you like to realise in the future?
Michael Thurnherr: We are interested in people, their needs and possibilities. From this, we derive solutions that not only convey meaning but would exclude nobody from using them. We consider the effects that the demographic development of our society has as one of the key framework conditions in the development and design of future products and services. Backed up by facts and years of experience, we offer competent implementation of innovative design processes following our credo of “design for the public.”