I recently stumbled across a few eye catching designs while on one of my favorite social network sites for Artists and I just had to drop the Artist a line. Miguel Duarte, of Tucson, Arizona is a very talented guy when it comes to rendering new ideas a concepts for consumer products. Here s what he had to say to a few questions we gave him.

The Wall Magazine (TWM): Where are you from?
Miguel Duarte : I’m from the hot, desert “hell” of Tucson, Arizona; but don’t worry its only a dry heat.

TWM: What school(s) did you attend (if any)?
Miguel Duarte: I went to college at the University of Arizona in Tucson, yes I am the shy type who was afraid to branch out of my little habitat. Even though I didn’t pursue or obtain an “artsy” or design degree, I’m looking forward to going back to college for Industrial Design.

TWM: How long have you been doing your thing?
Miguel Duarte: Well, eh… This question would expect very different responses depending on who was asking and what they saw me take part in, but I will go on the safe side (safe because I could always talk my way out of a vague statement). I have been doing “my thing” for my entire life, or maybe for about 10 years… No, Scratch that. I’ve been doing this even while in the womb. Oh what a confusingly dark, wet time that was. You know, trying to find an acceptable medium and sufficient lighting in a place like that could stress out a little guy, eh fetus. At least I didn’t have to worry about rent or meal expenses.

TWM: How did you get into it?
Miguel Duarte: As a little boy on track to being a socially-acceptable, mentally healthy “Man”, I was very much interested in loud, fast “dream” cars and also curious about how “things” worked. I always enjoyed drawing; Mix that with an ever increasing mental list of characteristics I liked in consumer products, namely cars at that time, and I had myself on track to designing my very own personalized creations. Oh, and the comment on me being curious about how “things” worked should not be accepted with what you had imagined my “thing” was. I know how “that” works; Well, I’m pretty sure I could call its next move.

TWM: Are you a gamer?
Miguel Duarte: Yes! Of course I would like to say that I was there at the beginning of console gaming, but no, I wasn’t. Though, my parents did get me and my brother a Sega Genesis. I am being distracted [right now] by my nephew playing Uncharted on my PlayStation 3 and being reminded of college when I really wanted to continue gaming, but I really had to get my paper finished. Eh, who am I kidding, that paper wouldn’t have been started yet! Yes, I game.

TWM: What programs do you use?
Miguel Duarte: For computer-aided design I mostly use SolidWorks. I’ve gotten to the point where I can now, for the most part, design something close to what I had envisioned. I dabble in other design and rendering software, because as you know there is always more than one way to skin an animal that whines for food every waking moment of its life. I should resist the urge of digressing. Back on track, every program has its strengths and it can’t hurt to have a diverse array of program skills.

TWM: What is your design process, or is everything out of thin air?
Miguel Duarte: My design process begins with: Oh wow, this (cool technology-filled gadget) is great! Next, I choose from the following: What makes it great? Why is it so darn ugly? Or, calling it great was said with a slight, witty note of sarcasm; which then leads to wonderment of what is actually needed in essence or what doesn’t quite work? This is what I’d call Step 1a. That leaves Step 1b, which entails that I just couldn’t sleep and I thought something up in all those hours in order to be efficient with my time, or I kept processing aspects of an idea which led to me suspending sleep for a couple of hours. Alright after an idea has burrowed itself deep, I sketch out rough ideas with whatever pen, pencil, chalk, or paper I can find and work through spatial/physical form problems that come out of hiding. Then finally I load up a CAD program and shoot up a render. The software usually may bring up more problems in design or he render may just lead me back to sketching up a version 2.0.

TWM: Where do you plan on going with it?
Miguel Duarte: I “plan” on using what I have done up to this point in a portfolio for application into a design school. From there and after finding employment, ooh ooh, the renders may become actual prototypes.

TWM: What type of artist do you consider yourself? What does that entail?
Miguel Duarte: I guess I would consider myself a “designer”. Well, at least in the works shown here; you know I also occasionally draw “representations of the physical world”. When using paints, graphite pencils, or charcoal sticks I see myself as more of an “Artist”. I believe the limitation which separates a designer from an artist is that a designer must mind practicality, physical constraints, and how these can affect the overall balance and usefulness of what is envisioned. Not to mention they may cause your initial, beautiful, sketched idea to become unbalanced and awkward.

TWM: Are you affiliated in any art guilds or organizations?
Miguel Duarte: No, but this may be because I’m not yet a professional practitioner. I do love opportunities to be social and gain access to professional networks, so I could see this changing.

TWM: Have you worked with any big brands?
Miguel Duarte: Not professionally, but of course I would be open if they took an interest. Right now I see myself more in the position of: Hey I’m a fan, here is what I see as the progression of your product.

TWM: What’s your next project?
Miguel Duarte: Just yesterday I had an idea of what I see could be a realistic solution for future transportation. The idea didn’t leave much room for an artistic form-factor and I am looking forward to the challenge. Beyond that, I really do love designing furniture and am always sketching out new ideas. Furniture has a simple use, needs to have a particular form, has been stylistically reinvented for ages, and is limitless in design. They just lend themselves well to creative practice.

TWM: What/ if any advice would you give to young designers?
Miguel Duarte: Hmmm, well this type of “work” should never feel like work and should always lead you to willingly lose sleep.
Learn to see “form following function” as not necessarily being a bad thing, but more of a cheat sheet to having something that will function effortlessly.
The last bit of advice I have at the moment is more of life advice, but could be applied to design as well. Know when planning is necessary in life. Set goals, know what is needed to reach those goals and be sure to have an idea of your timeline. This is in order for you to both know that you are on track and that your goals will not get lost as dreams you once had before you learned of “real” responsibilities.

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