Interview with product designer Ben Breitenstein
It seems that Ben Breitenstein can just about do anything creative! Really. His talents include product design, print and vector design, audio production and even 3D rendering. And amongst all of this, he’s a drummer in a band. Cool. Dude.By day, Ben works for the Brisbane industrial design company, Luxxbox, working alongside Jason Bird and a small group of designers developing custom furniture and bespoke lighting.
By night, and every other waking moment, Ben’s either at band practice, or working on a myriad of freelance creative projects. He’s just finished a few composition and production projects that are now live on his website.
Combining his loves of product design and music, one of Ben’s feature products on his website, is the On Tour furniture series. It’s an awesome set of side tables, drawers and coffee tables, designed and made just like amps and band equipment. See the first pic at the top of the article.
Ben currently drums for three Brisbane bands, Million, We Set Sail and Inside the Whale.
Check out a decade’s worth of creative projects on Ben’s website Aureate. And I love Ben’s reference to MacGyver in his interview below – hilarious!
How have you got to where you are today?
I think it stems from an obsession with Lego from a young age. Lego and MacGyver. If every designer was as resourceful as MacGyver, the world would be a better place.
Anyway, I’ve always liked drawing and making things, and I eventually figured out that industrial design was a career based on drawing and making things. I was completely sold on the idea from that point.
In a few words, describe yourself… Ambitious, determined and neurotic.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
At Luxxbox I’m working on a really cool decorative installation project. At home I’m working on some corporate graphic design and composing some more music.
In the bands, I’m playing, writing and recording on constant rotation. I’m currently a permanent fixture in three bands so there is a pretty rigorous rehearsal schedule to keep up with.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
I use music to get me in the right mood. It’s just a matter of finding the right album. It’s not so much about being in the right mood as it is about feeling comfortable.
What or who inspires you?
The internet overwhelms me in the sense that you can start hopping from one link to another on site like ffffound almost infinitely. I find it’s great when I’m stuck for ideas but also a dangerous aid for procrastination.
I’m a pretty observant person so I take ideas from pretty much everywhere. That seems like a bit of a cop out but it’s the truth, the trick is keeping a notepad handy so when I see something cool in an unexpected place, I can recall it later.
What are you most proud of?
Currently I’m most proud of my website, but not the site itself.
I’ve spent a lot of time doing stuff but never really keeping a record. Now, after a decade or so I’m seeing everything I’ve done in one place and it’s almost overwhelming.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A fighter jet pilot. I spent a lot of time watching top gun and making model planes. I even spent two years in the cadets.
