Maude Fafard, a new in-house designer at Kotmo, has already developed several custom projects since her arrival in September. She began her career as an entrepreneur for the company Garnotte, which develops colorful, minimalist, and original concrete accessories. She already has an eye for detail and a keen creativity that she integrates into her work. Very few companies specializing in promotional items integrate industrial designers in-house, and this is kotmo's great strength. We meet several types of clients, all with very varied needs. Some want to order products from our catalog that we have developed in recent years and are very satisfied with them, others like to offer us their ideas to take our projects a little further.
Custom client projects require a very long development process, lasting from 6 to 12 months. The material to be worked with, the budget, and the concept to be integrated must be taken into account. We therefore wanted to conduct a brief interview with Maude Fafard to present all the work behind the development of a custom trophy.
- What is the first thing you ask a client?
First, I ask him what it highlights, why the trophy is being awarded. Then, I try to understand what value we want to put forward and if the client has a specific vision, I want to get as much detail as possible to understand it.
- What challenges do you face when developing a trophy?
I haven't been working at kotmo for very long, so of course one of the challenges is taking over a project that has already been started. I have to get it back in my hands. Also, during the first meetings with a client, I want to be able to translate the information they give me into design constraints. The object must be durable and, both in terms of appearance, have a certain elegance to the object, but at the same time be made from responsible materials. You have to know how to convey these values and constraints through an object.
- How do you find inspiration for a concept?
Inspiration is multiple, it comes from everywhere: the angle of a building, the curve of a light fixture, the rhythm of a staircase. It's true that you have to take into account the constraints of a client's brief, but it's important to seek inspiration from artistic and architectural fields to nourish your concepts.
- Do you see any similarities between this type of product and those you developed before?
I think the steps are the same, there's always the start-up meeting phase, design ideation, prototyping, production. Design phases that overlap regardless of the project, it's easy to find that in them. There's also a notion of sustainability to take into account in the choice of materials and in the shapes that are similar. It's really the material that is put forward, like what I did before.
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What makes you most proud after developing a trophy?
The client's reaction when you exceed their expectations. I tell myself that at that moment, it's truly mission accomplished! I also always try to surpass myself for each of the projects I develop.
- If you had to describe the development of a custom trophy in 5 steps, what would they be?
First there is the initial meeting with the client, ideation, 3D modeling, prototyping and production with a supplier.
- How do you find a suitable supplier for the project?
Kotmo already has a good network, but one of the challenges in finding new suppliers is finding someone who knows how to work well, meets deadlines, and is committed to sustainability. Our supplier must make careful choices about materials and use them as much as possible.
- What subject inspires you the most?
Concrete is a material I know, which is mineral, and can be easily shaped. Then I would say, wood is a very noble and rich material both in its shaping and in its wood species. It can be very interesting to work with.
- What product do you dream of developing for 2021?
That's a very good question. We're moving a lot towards sporting goods. Trophies are challenges that are super interesting every time, we start from scratch and the projects are super varied. We also have to be inspired by the fact that there's still teleworking. This new reality creates new needs that can be addressed through design.
How to develop a custom trophy at Kotmo?
Maude Fafard, a new in-house designer at Kotmo, has already developed several custom projects since her arrival in September. She began her career as an entrepreneur for the company Garnotte, which develops colorful, minimalist, and original concrete accessories. She already has an eye for detail and a keen creativity that she integrates into her work. Very few companies specializing in promotional items integrate industrial designers in-house, and this is kotmo's great strength. We meet several types of clients, all with very varied needs. Some want to order products from our catalog that we have developed in recent years and are very satisfied with them, others like to offer us their ideas to take our projects a little further.
Custom client projects require a very long development process, lasting from 6 to 12 months. The material to be worked with, the budget, and the concept to be integrated must be taken into account. We therefore wanted to conduct a brief interview with Maude Fafard to present all the work behind the development of a custom trophy.
First, I ask him what it highlights, why the trophy is being awarded. Then, I try to understand what value we want to put forward and if the client has a specific vision, I want to get as much detail as possible to understand it.
I haven't been working at kotmo for very long, so of course one of the challenges is taking over a project that has already been started. I have to get it back in my hands. Also, during the first meetings with a client, I want to be able to translate the information they give me into design constraints. The object must be durable and, both in terms of appearance, have a certain elegance to the object, but at the same time be made from responsible materials. You have to know how to convey these values and constraints through an object.
Inspiration is multiple, it comes from everywhere: the angle of a building, the curve of a light fixture, the rhythm of a staircase. It's true that you have to take into account the constraints of a client's brief, but it's important to seek inspiration from artistic and architectural fields to nourish your concepts.
I think the steps are the same, there's always the start-up meeting phase, design ideation, prototyping, production. Design phases that overlap regardless of the project, it's easy to find that in them. There's also a notion of sustainability to take into account in the choice of materials and in the shapes that are similar. It's really the material that is put forward, like what I did before.
The client's reaction when you exceed their expectations. I tell myself that at that moment, it's truly mission accomplished! I also always try to surpass myself for each of the projects I develop.
First there is the initial meeting with the client, ideation, 3D modeling, prototyping and production with a supplier.
Kotmo already has a good network, but one of the challenges in finding new suppliers is finding someone who knows how to work well, meets deadlines, and is committed to sustainability. Our supplier must make careful choices about materials and use them as much as possible.
Concrete is a material I know, which is mineral, and can be easily shaped. Then I would say, wood is a very noble and rich material both in its shaping and in its wood species. It can be very interesting to work with.
That's a very good question. We're moving a lot towards sporting goods. Trophies are challenges that are super interesting every time, we start from scratch and the projects are super varied. We also have to be inspired by the fact that there's still teleworking. This new reality creates new needs that can be addressed through design.