Tom Dixon interview

Tom Dixon needs no introduction. The maverick designer-businessman inevitably appears in the same sentence as the words British and design but if confirmation were needed as to his status, a brief flick through the schedule for this year's design festival would leave you in no doubt. Aside from the gargantuan task of creative directing 100% Design, Mr. Dixon is orchestrating one of the festival's centrepiece highlights, an eco lighting display in Trafalgar Square. We caught up with the man himself to hear more about his ambitious task…

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As the newly appointed Creative Director of 100% Design (congratulations) what have been your intentions and vision for the show?

It's been quite a bizarre procedure actually – it's not often one has responsibility of designing a space to house so many professional interior and product designers. My main concern has been how best to manoeuvre people around it. We've designed the space around the analogy of a city: wider avenues, a grid system, a main square to act as focal point for lectures and prize awards. The Earls Court exhibition spaces can feel very overwhelming with so many people trying to see so much, so it's been our priority to try and counter any feeling of oppression. We've also brought the 'Futures' section of 100%, showcasing tomorrow's talent, over from the East to be with the main exhibition. I think the tension of having everything together makes for an interesting show.

How does it differ in your opinion from other design fairs around the globe?

It amazes me that we've managed to achieve a global reach in such a short space of time with the London Design Festival. Unlike the Italians we don't have the backing or pull of a strong native furniture industry. It's evolved very quickly from a simple lighting and furniture fair into quite a formidable cultural event and something of forum for people all over the world. In many respects more impressive than London Fashion Week that happens at the same time. Having said this though, there's definitely room for expansion.

The Trafalgar Square lighting display - where did the idea come from and what do you hope to achieve with it?

I've been thinking for a long time about the most primitive nature of doing business in the furniture industry, and last year we succeeded in cutting out the significant and slow step the warehouse plays, by giving away five hundred chairs in seven minutes during the design festival. I was amazed by the efficiency of having customers come directly to the factory, as it were. Hosting an event like that in Trafalgar Square opens up design to audiences that might not otherwise be interested or feel they can’t afford it.

With the lighting display, I wanted to explore the same process but along eco lines this time, specifically in an attempt to change the unappealing reputation of energy efficient lighting. So I’ve designed a low energy bulb that looks good. We’ll power 2,500 of them from a low energy power source, and then give them away to members of the public on the final day of the festival.

Are environmental concerns the biggest factor designers are aware of when creating new products/interiors today?

Sadly, not at all. I was really quite shocked in Milan how little environmental issues were addressed – everything was about how big, how gold or how expensive things could be. It will take for the government to legislate eco efficiency into design for people to start taking it seriously. They've already done it in architecture, and as a result architects are way ahead of designers in addressing environmental issues. I think one of the problems in design is there are so many different levels of things to take into account: sustainability of raw materials, carbon footprints, fair trade – it can be very confusing for the manufacturer and also the customer.

You famously haven't had any formal training. When did you viably think you could call yourself a professional designer?

I was a late developer. I went to art school and then worked as a technician, where I learnt about welding and metalwork. I made a very badly formed chair and sold it in the same day and it was a very desirable feeling. I made a dozen chairs after that and felt more inspired than I ever had previously. My time at Habitat was more about creative direction than designing really. I learnt about global sourcing and the business behind manufacturing and selling. Now I have my own company, Tom Dixon, it's a completely new challenge. The landscape changes constantly, often I really feel like I'm starting out for the first time.

You're also the Creative Director of Artek. Do you find it difficult juggling your own Tom Dixon line with this position?

It's a bit of a ying and yang situation actually. The two companies are so different, I find it easy to channel my ideas into separate avenues for both. In many ways I find it more useful to work on two brands for this very purpose, so long as I continue to invest the same amount of energy, time and enthusiasm into both, it's a great position to be in.

Would you ever draw the line at collaborating with or for anyone or anything?

Some of my most interesting departures have sprung from the most unusual collaborations. I don't think I'd design armaments for instance, but I hate the sentiment that one 'shouldn't' design for this or that, as happens in art, fashion and music, I find it an artificially restricting notion. I have a real interest in big business, something I've only realised quite recently, hence I'd like to cultivate a broader outlook on design as opposed to simply being about the creation of an object. In this way, I don't discount any opportunities.

What one product in the history of design do you wish had your name on it?

International space station.

500 years from now, which one of your products has stood the test of time and taste?

I still haven't made it... next year's production maybe.

What excites and/or terrifies you on a daily basis?

The unknown. The beauty of what I've got myself into is that the unknown is both inspiring and terrifying at the same time.