Tell us about a time you solved an intimidating design challenge.

There is often a delicate balance between client wants and user needs when it comes to designing. It’s important to fulfill client expectations while still making sure you create a product that is intriguing and helpful to people. When a client trusts us as design experts, it also means trusting our ability to understand people. At Smart Design, we are often bridging innovation with common human behaviors. When we face a challenge like that, we tend to talk directly to people to understand their habits and aspirations. We recently completed a complex project using this method to help fuel and solidify our design solution.

What are the new frontiers of your discipline?

Accelerated timelines have become a new norm of the modern industrial design process. Between the use of tools like AI, consistent ideation, and more frequent, relaxed communication with clients the speed of design has notably increased. One factor I’ve noticed directly influencing this change is the way clients wish to be more closely involved with the process. This is only possible through the open lines of communication that we have now; it goes beyond email, with tools like Slack, Miro, and other digital collaboration platforms. In the past, you might have talked with clients a total of three times: at the start, at the half way point, and at the end. Now? You could have weekly check-ins. Allowing for a deeper understanding of a client’s needs, this leads to things being done correctly right out the gate. As a direct result of this new line of communication, there are smaller, more frequent rounds of ideation too. Multiple rounds of ideation lead to more fully realized designs. Tools like artificial intelligence can help greatly with the exploration phase, whether that be through creating visuals or gathering a base understanding of the product category. All of these factors merge into a speedier design process that yields more informed output.

What types of problems get you excited?

The chance to blend aesthetics and functionality is always fun for me. When you can create a product that is not only useful but beautiful, you’ve truly succeeded as a designer. Knowing which to focus more on is a skill. For example, a handheld device may need to be function heavy while a lighting fixture may be more aesthetics driven. One needs to be purpose-focused while the other is visual-focused. Making a completely unique product is the opportune time to explore this. It’s the perfect chance to be guided by user insights and create something truly distinctive. By shaping products we can shape markets, practices, and behaviors.

What do you like about the culture at Smart?

My favorite thing about Smart Design is the diversity of disciplines that live here. You’re surrounded by experts in every field, from engineering to strategy to design like myself. This multidisciplinary setting leads to more informed design decisions and deeper product insights. Without this you are limited to your own specialty instead of being able to take a wholistic approach to the design process. I can walk over to our technology team and pick their brain about digital components or IoT. I can discuss insights with our strategy team to help derive more valuable design opportunities. Working like this allows ideas to be implemented smoothly and integrate into the design process well.

What does leadership mean to you?

Leadership is everything. I’m guided by the idea that if you’re not helping your team become leaders, then you aren’t being a leader. There are three keys to good leadership: openness to your team’s ideas, transparency about business happenings, and providing opportunities to your team for growth. Open, honest communication isn’t only necessary between us and clients, but between each other as well. Encouraging honesty is important when you’re in charge, when people feel heard they produce better work all around. Offering people a chance to understand the entire design process can help deepen their understanding of their role. I try to encourage people’s curiosity and appetite for the whole, rather than solely their part. When your team knows where their piece of the puzzle fits into the larger picture, the context of their work aids in the completion of it. Giving team members opportunities to grow is imperative to me. I do this by including team members in business meetings, bringing people to clients dinners, encouraging people to take classes to develop their skillsets, and discussing new tools and expediting approval process for their exploration.

What are adjacent spaces that inspire your design work?

My design eye never sleeps. I draw inspiration from behavior, unexpected moments and art. I’m always looking around my every day life for something to inspire me. Simply walking down the street can spark an idea, it could be from a lamp post, a bike rack, even graffiti— just as long as it catches my eye. The element of surprise within a built environment is always interesting. The way we interact with everyday structures—often overlooked due to their constant presence—takes on new meaning when they suddenly stand out from the landscape. When you can translate this feeling of surprise or delight into your work, you’re placing a piece of your life into the design process.

What are your passions outside of the office?

In my free time I enjoy tapping into the more emotional creativity of design that feels more abstract. I’m often drawn to lighting design as the main subject of my explorations. It has a functional purpose along with an aesthetic one. Lighting a space is the main consideration, but there’s many different executions of how you do that. Lighting is a category that has to emotionally connect with people through form, story and style. I often lead with a design ethos of “simplicity with soul”, leading me to experiment with approachable forms, dashes of unique personality, and illustrating a story behind the design. I really enjoy the practice of letting ideas flow and freely exploring the possibilities.

Having worked in consulting and in-house, what are the differences?

They both have distinct differences, but they also overlap in a few ways. In consulting, you have to be adaptable and balance many different client relationships. The type of product or category can switch month-to-month, and it’s important to feel comfortable diving into and learning about an area quickly. You’re continuously meeting new clients and developing existing client relationships and switching up who you work with on projects throughout the year. In contrast, as an in-house designer, you’re getting a masterclass in business operations and serving as a design representative from within. You understand, at a deeper level, cause and effect of certain design decisions across a larger organization – or vice versa. It also means being a dedicated person for educating the organization on the role of industrial design and how our broad skillset can go beyond just the physical product.

Regardless of consulting or in-house, to be successful in design, you must have a creative mindset, be eager to learn, and convey design intent clearly and concisely. In my opinion, in-house design is like going to college, and consulting is like studying abroad.

About Louis Filosa, Design Director

Louis Filosa is an industrial design director who balances good design practices with being commercially-minded. He brings expertise in the comprehensive industrial design process across CPG, consumer products, home, beauty, luxury, and oral care industries. He’s designed products for brands like Method, Quip, Pepsi, Paul Mitchell, BoConcept, Lamborghini, Gantri, and EOS. His design awards include Red Dot, Good Design, A’Design, Pentawards, Dieline, and Interior Design Best of Year. He holds an industrial design degree from Purdue University.