Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 31
Occupation: Designer.
Instagram: @officebenganz
Hometown: New York.
Studio location: Soho, New York.
Describe what you make: As a designer, I never want to be pigeonholed into one discipline—so I like to think about what I make as a new visual universe, where every project adds an element or expands my practice. Broadly, I produce creative concepts, images, and objects for a variety of clients. My background in fashion allowed me to explore how images are constructed and distributed. Now I’m moving a step further, designing the objects in those images myself.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I think the collaboration with USM Haller is the most comprehensive of my projects so far, as it necessitated a combination of product design, creative direction, and visual storytelling. I grew up in Bern where the USM factory is located, so it felt like a very personal project to me, given that the system is almost part of the public fabric in Switzerland.
Describe the problem your work solves: To produce clarity and excitement in a world over-saturated with banality.
Describe the project you are working on now: The studio is doing a lot of projects for book and identity design at the moment, but I’m increasingly interested in designing objects. That’s why I’m especially excited about PIN–UP HOME, the design platform that the USM NYC collection is part of. We have a few projects in the works for 2023 which we’ll be able to reveal very soon.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: An architectural survey about Barbie Dreamhouses, which launched in mid-December.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Pink grapefruit-flavored Perrier cans.
What you do when you’re not working: Forever Fanelli.
Sources of creative envy: Felix Burrichter.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Dirty martinis.
Concrete or marble? Concrete.
High-rise or townhouse? High-rise.
Remember or forget? Forget.
Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.
Dark or light? Light.
