Minimals Toys by Sebastián Burga

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DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?

SB : At one point throughout the evolution of Minimals, I realized that, besides the ironic interpretation of traditional toy industry, the main principle was the concept of "collecting".

DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?

SB : The creative challenge was to make one unique modular code that would be recognizable in every character, even when each has different characteristics depending on the animal they represented.

DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?

SB : I want to reach the point of producing Minimals industrially in 2 formats: small collectible toys to have in your desk and big decorative pieces to have in your living room.

DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?

SB : From the first drawing of Minimals in the Mauerpark (Berlín) to their first exhibition in La Despensa (Lima), around 3 years. ( first version http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.148433851921375.31382.148412435256850&type=3 )

DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?

SB : It was commissioned by myself I guess.

DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?

SB : I would accept to sell the production rights as far as I can manage all the artistic direction as the top designer.

DI: What made you design this particular type of work?

SB : When I arrived in Lima with this proposal, I realized that it was the perfect artistic scene to do business with them since there is a good market for childlike art and public that uses art as a vehicle to pullout their inner child. So I decided to go on designing Minimals as my first comercial inversion.

DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?

SB : My partner Claudia Hermosilla (aka Mona Herbe) & I gave shape to the Minimals bipersonal exhibition in La Despensa on December, 2011 ( http://www.ladespensa.pe/?p=2085 ). Since then, she has been my main consultant for any decision related to them.

DI: Who is the target customer for his design?

SB : Any kind of collectors.

DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?

SB : Maybe there're no difference except from the fact that Minimals synthesize better all the classic formulas of the toy industry. It's like using german rationalism in order to reach childish empiricism.

DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?

SB : The name "Minimals" derives, at a time, from the word "Minimalism" and the contraction of "Mini-Animals". Certainly, they're set out to expose the essence of toys through eliminating all non-essential forms, features and concepts.

DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?

SB : Programs like Blender, Adobe Photoshop & Adobe Illustrator.

DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?

SB : “I don’t know, I just want to have them all!” says my inner child.

DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?

SB : As I said, there was active collaboration between my partner Claudia Hermosilla and I and it is important to recognize all her contributions as an experienced designer.

DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?

SB : Technology allowed me to design all the Minimals in a 3d program called Blender. It allowed me to make about one thousand changes in their particular designs before I build them.

DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?

SB : I started by searching anything related to toy collections, giving special attention to all the classic & repetitive archetypes. In my facebook art page "The Chita's Clitoris" we have one album dedicated to them. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.228676647155256.58430.184334104922844&type=3

DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?

SB : The most difficult part was to find an effective, fast & cheap process to build these toys in wood with an industrial finishing in duco paint, in particular, since they were all handcrafted.

DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?

SB : I had never heard about this competition. I hesitated a bit at first specially after seeing the nomination fees. However, I sold one "Herr Bytes" (the krokodil) so I guess they ended paying their own nomination.

DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?

SB : With the Minimals I learned more about design software and all the mechanics involved in serial production design.

DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?

SB : I remember very well how these characters came up as my only alternative to survive in Berlin. I was an artist who had no income or alternatives at that moment so I started selling silly drawings of animals in a local flea-market. Afterwards, I realized that Minimals were the one creation conceived out of necessity as well as my most promising project of design. So, how is that for a coincidence?