DGM discussions with Benjamin Hubert

The 2018 Design Guild Mark holders were announced in March and among them was the AXYL Chair, designed by Benjamin Hubert for Allermuir.

Benjamin is the creative director at strategic industrial design agency Layer.

We caught up with Benjamin to find out more about his work and influences.

Who is your design hero?

We admire the work of Dieter Rams and his committed discipline to a series of principled values that have become the bedrock of what most people consider modern design.

When did you first decide you were going to be a designer?

I made a decision at the point of leaving school to start university and pursue a career in design. It was a decision between pursuing art and design – with the more rational problem solving part of my brain winning out.

What was your first big break in the industry?

There have been moments in my career so far that mark turning points or a launch pad from which the direction of my work and career has changed or developed. In 2010 I decided to quit my day job as a designer at an agency and launched a series of products at London Design Festival, with a manufacturer/brand behind each one entitled ‘a year in the making’. It was an epic task but it won awards and gathered a lot of attention, which I used to start the first incarnation of my studio.

What do you enjoy about being a designer?

The complexity. It is a delicate balance between business, relationships, understanding people, art and science.

What is the most frustrating aspect of your job?

The complexity. Splitting my time across all of the different aspects of the business – it is the challenge that I relish but can also contain some frustration if you don’t get the balance quite right.

Which design are you most proud of?

It’s normally the one we are working on – so it changes often, but if a piece of work helps somebody and puts a smile on their face in the process that can be a very rewarding experience.

What influences you?

Everything. Our antenna In the studio is always out, albeit with a filter on normally! We are very open minded to a wide range of inspiration. At the centre of this is people, how they live, behave, ritualise things etc. It drives new opportunities to create design that is truly beneficial.

Is there a product you wish you’d designed?

No, although there are many I admire. We are fortunate in the studio to be working very broadly across a wide range of products – what we welcome and desire most though is new challenges.

For more information about Benjamin and Layer Design, go to www.layerdesign.com