Industrial Designer Jamie McLellan spoke at the June 2014 CreativeMornings exploring what ‘Minimal’ means to him in creativity and design, as well as the role it plays in our lives
Leonardo Da Vinci once said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Whether it’s embodied in an artwork, a lifestyle or a piece of furniture, refined minimalism can be a magnificent thing. It can also be incredibly hard to successfully pull off. The difference between elegant simplicity and an empty room can be hard to perceive. But Industrial Designer Jamie McLellan is internationally renowned for regularly the art of minimilism throughout his incredible career.
Jamie attributes his success to a consistent set of guiding beliefs and a strong sense of purpose, with every design ultimately becoming an object that those involved are passionate about, want to use and to live with.
About the speaker
Having lived in Italy, Hong Kong, London & New York and worked in China & India, Jamie is now back home in New Zealand, where he runs a small product and furniture design studio, based out of a boat shed, just minutes from downtown Auckland. His clients range from established brands to small, highly innovative start-ups. Virtual networks of skilled collaborators and craftspeople are critical to the success of all projects and allow the seemingly small design practice to be prolific in its output.
The output itself is hugely varied, spanning lighting to luxury water craft, bicycles to beer taps, furniture to woollen footwear. However, uniting all his projects is a common thread: refined simplicity.
Favorite quotes from this talk See all
It's about keeping everything minimal and having this maximal element.
I think of myself as more of a Maximilist.
I do believe less is more, but to a point.
I do like to strip things away to the bare essence of a structure but it's once I'm at that stripped away point I can't restrain myself, I have to maximise something, find a detail and dial it up.
Photos from this talk See all
Hosted by
Designworks
Level 1, 36 Lorne Street
Auckland, New Zealand 1140
Date
Partners
Curative
Coffee Supreme AKL
Antipodes
Little Lot
AUT
Photographer Aria Taylor
Videographer Reagan Qiu
