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| "Sometimes I enjoy
just photographing the surface because
I think it can be as revealing as going
to the heart of the matter." |
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Annie
Leibovitz:
portrait photographer |
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| July 2008:
Top five links for inspiration. |
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Pixelfreak.com |
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The Poster List |
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Opera 78 |
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Been-Seen.com |
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Behance Network |
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July
2008 |
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Driven
by Design: An Interview
with Anthony Prozzi
Senior Interior Designer
for Ford Motor Company |
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AOD:
How did you get into the realm of
design?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
Well, I was very lucky to grow up
in New York City where great design
exists and happens, in my humble opinion.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to
the city that raised me, as well as,
to an early mentor, Gloria Jacobs
(owner of a high-end shop in Brooklyn,
NewYork) who took me under her wing.
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Prozzi
behind-the-scenes during a photo
shoot. |
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AOD:
Who or what has influenced your work,
and which designers do you admire?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
I'm a huge fan of architect, Zaha
Hadid and fashion designers Zac
Posen and Hussein
Chalayan – I feel they picked
up, in theory, where the Constructivists
of the 20s and 30s left off, which is
one of the most influential design periods.
My bible is Vision
in Motion by Moholy-Nagy. |
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Inteior
of Ford Flex. |
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AOD:
You’ve spent most of your professional
life in the fashion industry. Was it
difficult to transition from fashion
to the automotive industry?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
Not at all. You've probably heard this
a million times before but the principles
of great design are the same: proportion,
variation, stance, point of view, conscience.
So, if you're designing an article of
clothing, a chair or a car, the process
stays the same. |
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Interior
leather-trimmed seats in Charcoal. |
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AOD:
What motivates you to continue being
a designer? Where do you get your inspiration
and creative ideas?
ANTHONY
PROZZI:
Well the world constantly changes, as
does public opinion. Someone once told
me that people have a new perception
on what is fresh every six months, so
as a designer you're always thinking
about "what's next" and how
relevant it is to the world you're creating
it for. |
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Flex Limited in Cinnamon with
White Suede Two-Tone Roof. |
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AOD:
The interior design of the 2009 Ford
Flex was created using layers of different
fabrics and textures – wood,
metal, fabric – to create a
sense of spaciousness, while not compromising
design versus function. What steps
did you take to come up with color
schemes, fabrics, and other materials
to help you design the interior of
the new Ford Flex cross/utility vehicle?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
I handled it the same way I would
choose what I wear. We dress in layers,
shirts, undershirts, overcoats, belts,
accessories. I applied those same
principles to the Ford Flex interior
and created multiple depths of layers
to add interest and visual play.
Something I learned from the interior
designer Charlotte
Moss, "It's all in the mix".
And that's true regardless if it's
a car or how you decorate your home.
The other test to pass was if we would
wear the colors or use them in our
home – when we said 'yes' we
knew it was right for the vehicle. |
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Computer
generated sketch of the Ford Flex. |
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AOD:
Was it difficult to work with engineers
in order to bring your ideas to fruition?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
Not at all, in fact with the development
of the Flex, everyone shared the vision.
It was one of those moments when the
stars, moon, sun and planets all aligned
and everythign came together. Special
thanks to Ken Rhodes, the virtual modeling
team and Gary Boes. I know it sounds
like an Academy Award speech but without
their support the interior of the Flex
would not have happened. |
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Flex instrumentation includes
a 7000-rpm tachometer to read
the pulse of the responsive 3.5-liter
Duratec V6. |
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AOD:
What kind of car do you drive?
What color is it and how does it express
your personal style?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
This is funny, but I just picked
up a dark green Mazda Miata soft-top
for the summer – it's an escapist
sort of vehicle which I need right now. |
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Interior controls fall below the
horizon line to maintain a quiet,
soothing ambience. |
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AOD:
What music are you currently listening
to on your iPod? Does music play an
important role in your life? If so,
why?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
Music, as with all the arts, are extremely
important. Again, I think everyone has
heard this before but, it is essential
to expose kids to the arts, music, dance,
early on in school.
Right now, I have Shy Child playing,
some Rachmaninoff and early Iggy Pop
and the Stooges. |
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Ford
Flex interior. |
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AOD:
From your professional experience,
what advice can you give those breaking
into the design industry – and
particularly the automotive and/or
fashion?
ANTHONY PROZZI:
Stay true to yourself – it always
must come from the heart – work
hard and allow yourself to be exposed
to all aspects of design and culture. |
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Computer generated sketch of the Ford
Flex. |
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For
more information about Anthony Prozzi and
to view more of his work visit:
Press: ford.digitalsnippets.com
Essential: www.CarDesignNews.com
Reading: Vision
in Motion by Lázló Moholy-Nagy
(This became my design bible.) |
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| Want to be featured
on the AOD site? Submit
your portfolio here. |
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