Interview with Design 3

The Hamburg-based agency Design 3 is successfully providing design services to international clients such as Loewe, Deutsche Telekom, Melitta, LG, and Panasonic. It was founded as a branch of Moggridge Associates (later called IDEO) in 1987. Since 1992, the company has been independent and managed by the owner Wolfgang Wagner. In an interview with red dot, the design team of Design 3 talked about the award-winning design of the “Connect 37” LCD television by Loewe.

Who is the target group the “Connect 37” LCD TV set was developed for and what was your inspiration behind it?
Design 3: The project briefing by Loewe was very precise, and can be summarised fairly accurately under the heading “brand rejuvenation”. Our task was to create a product which was high-quality and a new interpretation of the TV set at the same time: simpler, younger, more communicative, and with innovative installation options.

What technical features does it offer and to what extent have these influenced the design?
Design 3: The “Connect” features an interface for multimedia applications (DVD player, digital camera, MP3 player, multimedia PC, etc.) and is therefore above all aimed at younger users who are enthusiastic about high-tech. This is exactly what was also to be expressed in the design.

How do you approach a new project and where does your inspiration for concept and design come from?
Design 3: Actually, we don’t have a standard recipe; the approach is different for every project. The most important aspect is to find the right mix of logic and gut feeling.

What is your definition of good design?
Design 3: Simple, attractive, easy to use, durable.

Since 1987, more than 250 products designed by your studios have already been launched onto the market. What has been your most exciting project to date?
Design 3: It has actually been the “Connect” for Loewe – simply because the seemingly simple is so hard to achieve.