A couple of weeks ago one of the most active members in the community moved to Berlin. He contacted us and we met for lunch at a really tasty Korean restaurant in Torstraße. We talked about design, typography, jovoto and especially about product design. His thoughts where so interesting that we decided to interview him and share them with the rest of the community. In the end, jovoto is about the creatives and their ideas, isn’t it?

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Markus Schwarzbauer, I am a German product and furniture designer with an eye for graphics and typo. I spent the last couple of years in London and just recently moved to Berlin.

Why did you move to Berlin?
It is important to me to progress and push my skills further and I believe that my environment has a rather strong influence on my designs. Changing ones surrounding and gaining some new influences and impressions can only be beneficial, in my books. I have to say I have always been impressed by the flair and charm of Berlin. Needless to say, the word in London at the minute is, that Berlin is where its’ at right now.

Why did you become a product designer?
Product design is exciting, because it can improve our lives’ quality, if done right. I appreciate the constraints between initial research or following an idea through to the realization of a prototype. The work is very versatile, as it includes e.g. sketching, computer modeling and of course spending time in the workshop.
I guess after each project, every designer gets a certain satisfaction from seeing their ad in the papers or launching their web page, but for me it’s holding a real product in hands.
I trained as an optician for over 10 years and still more than passionate about spectacles and sunglasses. To combine my technical knowledge and develop my creative skills at the same time simply manifested itself in studying product design.

Whose work do you admire? Do you have an idol?
I wouldn’t go as far as saying I have idols, but there are a few designers, whose work I do admire. I do appreciate classic and minimal design, so Sebastian Bergne really hits the spot with his “cozy minimalism”. I do like a little Grcic every now and than as well. In terms of spectacles, I would say that ICBerlin! are doing a very fine job. I also think that Max Frommeld is definitely someone to be watched this year, since he is not only a dear friend of mine, but also a very aspiring person to work with.

Where do you get inspiration?
Right now, I definitely get inspiration from the fact, that I just moved over from London and am facing a new habitat. Moving into a new flat gives one the chance to reinvent of how one wants to live and which objects one wants to be surrounded with. I recently got very excited about some simple art deco and Biedermeier pieces, which usually isn’t my cup of tea, but I guess the new surrounding entails that.
In general, I get most inspiration from performing mundane and repetitive tasks or simply by taking a train or bus – being stuck in a situation, where I can’t act out seems to get my mind going.

Why did you join jovoto’s creative community?
I was simply struck by the great concept behind jovoto.com. To be able to discuss ones designs with other skilled people from the industry together with keeping total rights on ones designs should be every designers dream, I would have thought? After I got the invitation of a close friend of mine, I knew that there was something different about this design platform.

You haven’t been active on jovoto.com lately. Why?
After the jovoto logo competition, that got me completely addicted, I had a few exhibitions in London. So a lot of work came up for me. Around the same time I made the decision to move to Berlin, which had to be planned.
Currently I am working on the exciting Creative City Berlin and the Deutsche Bahn AG project, which will probably be on the forum in a few days time.

We’d like to thank MSB for a nice afternoon and an interesting conversation! This is one of his submission for Creative City Berlin‘s logo and claim contest: