Remko Killaars - Simple yet clever design

Remko inspires his students and us with a view on design that is clever and simple at the same time. Remko is a lecturer with a vision on design and art. “What makes something beautiful?” Remko asks. “And is esthetic value a functionality?” Remko inspires his students and us with a view on design that is clever and simple at the same time. As a designer, photographer and drawing artist Remko is constantly boosting his creative mind. “I have really put my hobby into my job.” But as a designer I missed interaction, which as a teacher I now have plenty. He calls a moment during his study at the design academy as defining in his journey. A teacher said his work was not good, but couldn’t quite tell in what way. “Judging art is really hard. But it has to be transparent.” When we look at the future the role of the designer changes, since technology will make it easier for consumers to take over part of the design process. The designer becomes an advisor. “We need to move from a product orientation to solution based orientation. As Henry Ford once said: ‘If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses’.”

Why astronauts don’t use pencils in space?

“We have the tendency to complicate things, products. What we need is simple yet clever design”, says lecturer industrial product design Remko Killaars.

We need creative, inventive and clever people to achieve that. And a clever product development lifecycle, fed with knowledge of course, but with a clear feedback loop.

“Who of you ever learned to ride a bike? Almost all of us. But who learned to ride a bike from a book?” Thank god no one did! Just one of the many recognizable examples from Remko’s designer toolbox. Like the space pen, especially invented to use in space.

We thrive by learning by doing. Maximizing functions and minimizing costs and problems. Experiential learning. That is exactly what schools and companies involved in product development need to offer.

“Aim for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll still be among the stars…”