“Design” is a funny old thing. It’s easy imagine that designers sit all day long and wait for their muse to strike, others think that designers are constantly seeking for inspiration reading books, visiting museum, learning all kinds of artsy stuff.

All of us are right and yet there are those who find inspiration for design by simply examining the society they live in. Observing human behavior helps the designer understand people’s needs.

International designer and all round superhero Philippe Starck seems to be using this principle in his work: designing not for art’s sake, but for the final result and for the benefit of the customer. After all, that’s what design for life actually means: checking the background of the individual and adapting to his real needs.

The designer’s job may be seen by some as a bohemian, perhaps useless occupation and some designs seem to prove it. Our crazy French hero Philippe Starck brings a deeper vision about the role of the designer as a character in the story of human evolution.

He can bring a new angle of view, evolutionary, aesthetic or sometimes both, a starting point for a new invention. The message of the modern designer to the next generation is “invent a new story, invent a new poetry”.

Philippe Starck also takes special delight in rethinking everyday objects and giving them new look and functionality. The advice for designers is to look at people, find out how they live and what they desire, before starting to use the paper and pencil. We may be a long way from the Design Excellence of Monsieur Starck but we’re trying – see here Concentrate’s design approach.