Issue No.22 - International Edition Polo De’Marco Magazine - International Edition | Page 129

IVAN VENKOV
product design & creative direction
Your father was an artist. How
did you get into the concept of
product design and what was
it that you wanted to get into
luxury?
G
rowing up in my father’s atelier,
the decision to try my own pursue
of art was a natural process and
I remember trying out my own
first compositions at the age of
thirteen.The transition to design – specifically
what we call luxury design was natural as well.
Sculpture is the most complex medium in art,
because you have to present a narrative in three
dimensions. This has also resulted in pursue
of more intricate executions and concepts in
design.
You’re product design is very
meticulous - in particular with
your glass year and crystal. What
is the most opulent design that
you have ever produced?
The most opulent so far, except for the various
concepts and items that are in production right
now, I would say the most successful is the
creation of the complex sculptural crystal glass
decanter for ACC (Achievement Cigar Company),
which is a company based in China and USA.
They have their own plantations for tobacco
leaves in Equador and also sell and manufacture
other high-end designs. Their most expensive
range of private reserve whiskey – forty year
old edition, which is what this decanter is filled
with, is sold to their private clients, mostly in
China. The decanter is acid polished crystal
glass, with the top hand plated with platinum,
which gets a natural patina over time. The
center is embellished with a bronze emblem,
upon which concrete age of the whiskey is
written (can differ in different editions)
In your bio - you state that
“most new products require
strong identity and branding
for correct positioning on
the market”. How do
you conceptualise
your design
to make it
different?
This is a more complex
matter that it might seem.
One needs to be informed
not only on what is being
done in the world of design,
but even more importantly – on
everything else. You need to be
well informed on all aspects
moving the contemporary
world,
politics,
technology, culture,
you need to keep your
finger of the “pulse”
of things. Generally
speaking, the more
information you have,
the more effective
you can be at making
correct decisions and
that goes for design
as well – that is the
macro aspect. The
micro aspect is then
look-ing at what is being
done in the concrete market
and trying to find what is
missing or what makes the
most sense, regarding target
group and cost of the product