Italian American Frank Nuovo, Chief Designer of Nokia's mobile phones, started at Nokia ten years ago.

Mobile phones are becoming much more than just phones. In the future they are going to become total communication tools and entertainment products. From a design aspect mobile phones are a relatively new product, for example compared to cars. When a product is in its early stage there is an excellent opportunity to develop new ideas.

How do you keep your creative flow?

Frank Nuovo: "The possibility to create new ideas is almost endless since it has to do with inspirations. I get inspired by different things going through life. Nowadays I get inspired by different things than when I was younger.

When I started designing for Nokia ten years ago mobile phones were much bigger. It was harder back then. There was always the concern that the products would end up too big. Today the mobile phones are small, which gives the designer much more flexibility.

Teamwork gives birth to new ideas. We have a lot of creative people at Nokia working as a team. Communication between for example marketing people and designers feeds the creative process. Meetings in different places - like outdoors by a lake - are good for the creative process."

How does a design team work when designing mobile phones?

Frank Nuovo: "We do a lot of sketching. Then we try to share our ideas with other people. We work like a jazz band. We work off of each other. My job as the Chief Designer is to keep pushing our talented staff in the right direction to support them and to contribute to the collective creative pool.

I have been doing this for a long time, so I have and must maintain a pretty clear view of where we should go next."

Does fashion influence you?

Frank Nuovo: "Although fashion influences our work, we at Nokia do not follow trends. We try to set them. Being at the forefront means that you really have to be in tune with what's happening in fashion, architecture, etc."

How does it feel to see your own designs in advertisements?

Frank Nuovo: "I was thrilled when I first saw posters at airports of mobile phones I had designed, then I remembered the first sketch. The process from the idea that is just lead on a page to the new mobile phone is amazing. It is quite flattering to see the finished product as a part of society.

I have a collection of "Nokia toys". They are not official Nokia toys; other companies have taken our phones and made toys out of them. There are toy phones, radios, etc. It is quite amazing that other companies make things that look like Nokia phones. In a sense it is a compliment, even though it is something we do not want them to do. We have influenced wire-line phones, calculators and all kinds of different products. This shows that we do not only affect our competition, we are establishing trends."

You travel around the world. Do unattractive surroundings bother you?

Frank Nuovo: "No. I think there is beauty in everything. There's usually a story behind everything. I am fascinated with the story of why an object looks like it does. If an object is ugly, I ask myself "Why? What is the reason?"

There are some trends that are truly unique. I wouldn't call them beautiful, but at least they make you think. New cars have brought that out when I've seen them for the first time I thought: "Now that's very different." I don't necessarily like it, but after a while it grows on you and you realize you have changed your opinion."

Many young people dream of becoming a designer. Is it a good industry to work in?

Frank Nuovo: "Yeah! It is a good industry to work in. Industrial design takes a lot of discipline. You cannot fall in love with your first idea. You have to be able to explore and take input from many different people with different talents and fields of expertise. It is very important to be flexible.

Many young designers go into industrial design thinking to get their own line of something. It is good to be ambitious, but you should always remember that most often a designer is more a part of the orchestra than a conductor. If you want personal expression only, then become an artist. As a designer, you will almost always be a part of a team, as in fact I am.

Young designers should focus on visualization skills. Communication is everything: writing, drawing, and talking. Computer-aided design is very important, especially nowadays. The most important thing, of course, is to be creative and to be able to communicate well."

Come from: http://www.nokia.nl/uk/Phones/PhoneModels/8850/tim_nuovo.html