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Q1 Please tell us your brief profile and working career.
Maarten first did a study as Decorater before going to the Design Academy Eindhoven. Jan started a study Constructural Arhcitecture and 2 years of working as a retail designer, before going to the same Academy. After a successful study there. Both worked well with each other they decided to work together immediately after.
Q2 When do you usually get the inspiration for your works?
inspiration can come from anything, yet the environment is the best accelerator for inspiration. Inspiring environments can be a museum of simply reading the magazines. A change in scenery is allways the best way to open you eyes. A change in culture is refreshing and makes you look at things differently. So we like to travel. |
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Q3 What is the concept of your brand?
WATdesign stands for Working Appart Together. WAT is not 1 company but a formation of different creative people, all led by Jan Habraken and Maarten Baptist. The Idea is to do the projects what you like and where you are good at. For the things we do not know we like to have people joining our quest and working together.
By the way we work our designs are hard to categorise, commercial as well as a piece unique, interiors as well as cutlery, leather as well as aluminium. By gathering the right people for the right project we are able to handle almost every design case.
Q4 Please tell us what you are working on currently.
We are currently working on our own productbrand, off course yet to be secret. We have a new Wineglass coming, are designing a fireplace. A Fair booth in Brussels. Luggage tags, gift packages, food cannisters and many more. |
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Q8 What do you think about the current design trend?
Trends come and go. Every good designer is ahead of the trend, already bored or angry with nowadays design. So We frankly don't care about the current trend, we prefer to listen to ourself and be happy with the designs. |
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Q9 What do you think about design industry in your country?
As We just opened an office in the USA I should talk about the desing industry there. But we are still Dutch by heart. WeI once liked the fresh way Droog Design once opened eyes. Yet nowadays the Dutch Design trend is only a sales tool. With that sometimes good design isn't appreciated as it doesn't fit the profile or doesn't approve some hotshot's comment. But still the Dutch liberal way of thinking is a bless for designers. No bounderies, everything is possible.
My first impression from US design is that it is behind, but fastly catching up. The consumer still thinks in convenience. People in the US like to wear comfortable, practical clothes. Hence the hoodies, white sneakers and wide pants. When you take a walk in Milan it is all about beauty, grandma on high heels with giant sunglasses in the subway...So is the design industry in these countries. |
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Q12 Could you tell us the process of working on your pieces?
The process is that there is no process. We like to work out our own ideas. And gather for a brainstorm. With using each others comment you stay sharp and focused. This often goes with a lot of struggles, but when we do agree upon something we go for it. There is no doubt about it anymore. |
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Q13 Which type of project has given you the most satisfaction?
I guess the same clock has given us a lot of satisfaction as it took us 3 years to get it realised. We are designers and no technicians, that makes it sometimes hard to achieve the goal you have in mind but don't have the actual knowledge for.. Of course the first product being release is satisfying as well.
J: selling my coral bench to famous dutch designer Martin Visser was a highlight for me. And for Maarten the success of the Open Air cutlery was very satisfying.
Q14 When do you feel fulfilled as a designer?
For me the most fulfillment comes when after a struggle the solution is there. The final product isn't often satisfying as you have been busy with it often too long. But when you start with the question (like design us a fireplace) and coming up with the idea they never expected, that is great. |
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Q19 Could you tell us anything what you think it’s cool at the moment ?
J: We just found out about the work of Danish artist Peter Callesen. The poetic beauty of its papercuts are just wonderfull. Mayby this is due to the fact we did a lot of cardboard designs and now how hard and beautifull this material can be.
Q20 What is your favorite word or phrase?
What? WAT... |
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Q21 Recently what kind of music are you listening to?
J: On my Ipod right now I have some five star favorites: the Faint, the Knife, Sioen and Ghostland Observatory for example.
M: When I am at work I like to listen to a variety of podcasts and Online
Q22 What is beauty for you?
Beauty is everything that reaches a certain amount of perfectness. This is for a fact scientificly proven. And We do believe this. The most beautifull models are the most symmetric and have the most white eyewhite. This displays good genes and no illneses. Perfect partners, the strongest genes, everything set for survivall.
I think It works with products as well. The most beautifull products last the longest. I believe this was even proven by letting some designers pick and sketch some airplaines. The most beautifull ones where the ones that flew the best.
Q23 Are there any people who inspired you? Who do you respect?
We respect everybody.we prefere to let be inspired by products, not by people.
Q24 Who is your favorite designer? What is your favorite book?
J: The most favorite book for us are our sketchbooks of course! Our favorite designer is hard to tell as said we like the products not the designers. Of whom most are unknown. The designer of the paperclip for example. |
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WATdesign is a young team founded by Maarten Baptist and Jan Habraken. Both graduated at the Design Academy Eindhoven under supervision of Gijs Bakker (Droog Design).
WAT stands for Working Apart Together, which is our philosophy. By working together with other creative disciplines like fashion design, architects and artists we are able to form a perfect team for each job. All led by Maarten and Jan to keep a constant input and spokespartner for our customers.
And that it works is shown, by our already impressive line of clients like: Michelin Besteck, Kikkerland, Margriet, TNT post, DSM, ILSEmedia, Goods, Royal van Kempen and Begeer, Golden Sun (HongKong), PALAU and many more.
Just recently WATdesign opened their first office in the US to provide the US wit the same quality of design.
(J: Jan Habraken, M: Maarten Baptist) |
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Q5 Why did you become designer?
J: I allways was very creative when I was very young. As I also liked math and science I first wanted to become a fighterpilot. As I am to tall (6'3") I started a study constructional architecture, which is both creative as well as scientific.
Yet my feelings towards the creative side were stronger so I started a study at the design academy Eindhoven. From day 1 there I felt at my place.
M: For me the same. Since I was young I was allways different in the way I looked at things.
Q6 When you were a child, did you want to become a designer?
When you are a child you have the most craziest Ideas what you want to become. One day fighterpilot, the other day firefighter. The only remarkably different one was that I once said I'd wanted to become a millionaire says Jan. |
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Q7 Which stores carry your products in Japan?
I actually have no Idea. I can tell what stores around us sell our stuff, but it's hard keeping track of all retailers. As we often have products designed for other brands they don't tell us where they sell it to. |
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That says it all. The consumer is king, in the end your product is a succes by them. As said thought the climate is changing and designers are changing their views. Powerhouses like RISD unfortunatly haven't yet gotten the point and should take a look at the Design Academy Eindhoven. (and viceversa) for example.
Q10 What do you feel important when you are working on your pieces?
We love added value in our designs. This can be a story or just a technical solution for an everyday problem. Like our clock ZER00:00, the most simple digital clock in the world, just a PCB and a battery, not even buttons are used. You plug it in at noon, nothing else. That is what makes you bond with the product, you have experience your product. Often we like to apply a certain degree of cleverness. A cardboard fair booth makes things beautiful and cheap at the same time. |
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Q11 Could you tell us your working schedule like?
J: I have a bit of a 9-6 mentality. Of course you're always busy in you mind. But I like to prefer to keep strict hours so there's a solid base.
M: I'm always busy, get up early and go to bed late. Often this is due to the fact I am a little bit chaotic and therefore not always efficient. |
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Q15 What do you do on your day off?
As a designer you have never a day off. When you are always confronted with designs and products. I guess that is why most architects refuse to live in their own homes. You are always confronted with your own faults.
Q16 Are there any places or countries you would like to visit?
Maarten just came back from Tokyo, I love to go there as well. I am really curious. And always high on my list is Iceland. I am really curious about the vast amount of geissers snow and rock. Maarten is in for a long week of snowboarding, but a nice Island with palm trees and blue water sounds appealing as well.
Q17 Is there any event that are you going to?
J: I just wrapped up the stuff for the Giftfair in NYC and we are planning to go do the Milan Furniture fair. We have a great spot at zona tortona and will be showing a lot of new stuff. |
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Q18 What is your favorite cuisine? Could you tell us your favorite restaurants?
Our favorite cuisine is hard to tell. As in music every cuisine has some nice things. I guess we like the japanese, italian and french cuisine the most. My favorite restaurants, Ebisu in NYC, Spice Market in NYC, Avant Garde in Eindhoven. And the most of all I miss my friettent (typical Dutch take-out deep-firie place) for a kroket or fikandel.. |
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Q25 What is your vision in the future?
My vision on short term is that we are going back to basics. The use of basic materials. We are in cyberspace all day and want to come to earth litteraly. Off course this goes hand in hand with technology. Our goal is to rebel and question this predicaments.
Q26 Do you have any advice for the young?
Do what you like the most. Joy is the best stimulator for everything.
Q27 What is your goal?
In the near future our goal is to set up a line of WAT products. And high on Jan's wishlist is that he'd love to design a restaurant, a club and a whole building. We love to see our products in the MOMA that's another goal. As well as being able to work from anywhere in the world and setup our camp at different places every year.. |
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