Philippe Starck - "We are God"

When people think about Philippe Starck, it is not only the iconic designs that he came up with, but also the philosophy set behind.

Two things that Starck always addresses are materiality and sense of humor, which combined together in creating the humane but unique designs.

Taking the example of his lemon squeezer as an example. Starck said, "I am very happy with this project because I consider it a big joke to everybody...It is the most controversial squeezer of the century I must say, but one of the most amusing projects I have done in my career." He then talked about the story of the inspiration in designing it, which is the moment when he squeezed lemon juice on the calamari in a restaurant.

Although the product is meant to be fun, Alessi says it has been analyzed extensively.

"There is a very complex theoretical explanation for the project," he says. "The explanation has to do with what semiologists call the 'decorative veil'. The decorative veil is the space that always exists between the function and the design of an object. There is never a complete overlap. In this case, Philippe exploded that little space."

In the diagram above, "Point of view" is the middle point and the bridge between the conceptual and realization stages. Being a designer, on top of seeing the problems there await to be solved, his/her point of view is crucial that directly gives birth to the designs.

Philippe Starck, whether taking the serious side of the environmental concerns, or the casual side of a humorous enlightenment, is able to challenge people's perception towards design and bring up deeper questions to think. He is his own God in persisting his point of view, and we all are.