Starck denounces design, on the hunt for new career

Posted by: Jeannie Choe on Monday, March 31 2008

According to an interview with Germany's Die Zeit weekly newspaper, Philippe Starck is ashamed of ever taking part in product design and plans to call it quits as a designer within 2 years.

"I will definitely give up in two years' time. I want to do something else, but I don't know what yet. I want to find a new way of expressing myself ...design is a dreadful form of expression."

Claiming that design is officially dead, Starck predicts future designer types to fulfill the roles of the personal coach, the gym trainer, and the diet consultant. (And here we thought a sedentary life of Doritos and Solidworks was our calling...)

As Starck finds a hole to crawl into, his explosive statements will probably stir the design pot, at least once around ...and we can't say we're not pumped to witness his career twist in a couple years. If it involves being a fitness guru, will his workout studio and exercise videos be well-designed?

thanks sandy!

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Sometimes the best thing you can do (for yourself and the world) is to stop making landfill... er products.

If he calls what he does "product design", than I am ashamed of being a product designer myself.

An early April Fool's joke maybe?

He isn't a typical designer - he's a celebrity designer... BIG DIFFERENT... its like having Paris Hilton design me a f'n juice squeezer hehe. He's a joke.

Why are we listening to this guy any way???

If he doesn't believe in the worth of what he produces he should quit immediately.

totally an april's fool day. I am going to go and check google.com now.. see ya all.

What's funnier? The joke or that Core fell for it?

It is nice to see some one like Starck is still able to read the signs of the times and seek other ways to express himself.

This is like the design-world equivalent of seeing Lindsay Lohan's vagina in a magazine: embarrassing, confusing, and so painfully, obviously, and desperately planned for publicity.

Lame.

"design is a dreadful form of expression"

I was under the impression art was more of a form of expression, maybe there lies the problem.

Oh my God, what will we do without him? Industrial Designers everywhere will just curl up in a foetus position and sob. We will soon cease to exist.

I can feel it starting already....can't... lift... my.... Wacom...pen....

While this is probably an April Fool's joke, I do think he's got a shot at being the next Michael Bay.

Stark does what he has always done best; package all his hot air into useless objects. this shouldn't reflect on the rest of the ID community who are on the front lines of turning our wasteful commodity based economy into a more human/eco friendly one. if he can't figure out how to help solve the problem then he should leave.

It could be truth, remember his TED TALK www.core77.com/blog/videos/philippe_starck_why_design_8293.asp