The profession has changed considerably. When I worked on my first products in 1967-68, the industry had a strong vertical integration. Philips is a nice example: as a designer at the head office in Eindhoven, one could walk the distance between any service involved in development and production, from fundamental research, lighting laboratories, ergonomic research labs, perception research, etc., to production and assembly of most products, including the production of packaging and anything related to it.  Globalization and a generalized movement toward building around “core capacities” have made it more difficult for designers to stay up to date in their knowledge of the different processes. The result is less innovation simply because more is dictated by subcontractors and the whole panoply of different companies involved in research, production, and marketing of the products. It has become much more difficult to get everyone around the table. Another change is the fact that the profession has become very attractive, and design schools attract about 30 times more students than they did 30 years ago. A third major change is the media attention for design. The jury is still out on the real effects of this exposure on the design practice, but it is obvious that it has created a double identity: the designer as a media personality and the designer as a professional within the industry. It is tempting to expect that exposure leads to real projects but the reality seems to tell us the opposite. The combined results are interesting because a number of younger designers see no other choice and turn to producing their own designs. For a much smaller market, certainly, but also in more innovative ways than before. It is not clear yet if the resulting exposure of the individual designer can be turned into a real benefit to her or him, to the consumers, and to the industry that serves them.

From the previous answers I guess one can conclude that I try to convince them not to rely on demand for their services. That too has changed. When I applied for a position at Volvo in Gothenburg, the human resources person called the design office and gladly announced, “We have found a designer!” To be successful in design one has to have the strong motivation to identify problems and the willingness and capability to solve them. So the first question for a young designer or an aspiring one should be: Am I that person, do I see products and situations that have to be improved, and am I willing to do the hard work that is needed? If not, there is still room for another real estate agent, or any other honorable profession.

We probably have to do more than just one thing. I think that the fact that a designer can no longer walk into the factory behind his office, but rather often has to design at a long distance from production, has to be compensated for with better technical knowledge. The opposite has happened. I am also convinced that we should train young designers in better understanding the aspirations of their clients—the industry, yes, but most of all the users. I am convinced that we have to learn to think inside the box and not outside the box. In other words, within acceptable limits: within financial resources, technical capability, and human capacity, and with respect for the environment and the needs and aspirations of the users. I also think that we should widen the scope of our activities. There are large groups of the population that are systematically ignored because designers know that they get no media exposure. Originality certainly has its place, but we always look at successful companies like Apple by looking at their latest product achievements. In order to learn from them we should look at the first ones and learn from how they started.

Personalized lighting in its largest sense means that lighting can be adapted to individual needs all the way from the absence of lighting to a variety of lighting levels and colors according to task, activity, age, and the presence of electronic equipment, for instance. Lighting is an energy-consuming service, and personalized lighting is without any doubt a way of reducing energy consumption by allowing personal input into the level, characteristics, and quality of the lighting. We are now living and working in environments that are often lit at too low or too high a level. We often forget that lighting is a multi-facetted commodity. It influences productivity, comfort, and energy levels, and it also gives a sense of security in public places. These are all individual sensations, and creating the possibility of influencing them individually is a great step in the right direction. The electrical network that supplies the energy can also be modulated and we are not far from the integration of lighting into electronic media and networks.

You saved the most difficult question for the end… I have no advice to give to young designers. They know best how they want to shape the future. They know better than my generation how to formulate their aspirations and those of their generation. My other advice is more or less universal. It is always better to know more, to be better informed, and to avoid guesswork. The electronic media provide us with a lot of information, but without knowledge you do not know what to look for. It always seemed important to me to be able to show a common level of passion with the industry you work for. That level of passion and interest can only be shown by knowledge. I remember the first time I discussed cookware with a New York-based distributor of cookware. After a discussion about the assortment in general I asked him about handles, if the American market preferred the Latin geometry or the Northern European one… He looked at me and replied, “How do you mean?” I explained how Southern European chefs learn to hold a saucepan and how it was different from Northern European chefs. After that meeting he never doubted that I knew more about cookware than he did. As designers we often pretend to be ahead of the pack… If that is true we should show it, and if we show it I am convinced we will succeed.