What technologies belong to the future and what is the role of the fair in creating trends and in working with clients on new projects, says Magdalena Musiał, Industrial Design Manager at Marmite. – Trade fairs are a powerful promotional tool. What are the benefits of participating in them for manufacturers and designers? Trade fairs invariably play a very important role in our industry. Being able to see so many products in such a diverse context is key to understanding what’s really going on in the world of design. – I suspect that from the designer’s point of view, it is of particular importance to be able to track the reactions of trade fair visitors to the presented products “live”. It really is. Trade fairs are ideal for assessing what really attracts the customer’s attention. They create a space where the interactions between the product and its future recipient can be clearly observed. From a designer’s perspective, this is invaluable. – Do you often come to trade fairs together with your clients? We do that often. In the environment of so many different products, it is easier for the customer to talk about his visions and expectations. – The fair is about news, premieres, presentations... Can they still surprise you? Of course. I can mention, for example, the last fair in Milan, which still plays a leading role when it comes to acquiring knowledge about new trends. What was immediately noticeable is the popularity of materials inspired or related to nature. There was a lot of rattan, textures. It is clearly noticeable that we are moving away from a uniform, smooth finish in favour of materials that attract attention not only with colour, but also texture. We are looking for a sort of three‑dimensionality of products, depth. As a designer interested in new trends, I pay attention to two aspects. One is strictly visual. In this case, it’s about a trend understood as the materialization of human longings. It is apparent that we miss soft, natural forms. We also miss colours. And it all surfaced at the Milan fair. The second aspect is about exceeding production capacity. It is extremely interesting how new technologies fit in with people’s expectations. – By observing the exhibitors’ offers, can you immediately assess what will soon become the current trend? It is extremely difficult to define. There is always a group of “crazy” products at the fair. Producers experiment by conducting a kind of research among customers. This is a common practice in every industry – at fashion shows we see many outfits that none of us will ever wear, concept cars are shown at motor shows that will never be put on the streets in this form. Trade fairs are a barometer of moods, an opportunity to talk about a physically existing object, not an abstract idea. Only the market really 5 INTERVIEW
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