“I can actually tell if a chair is comfortable just by looking at it.”
This is how industrial designer Kenneth Cobonpue answers my inquiry of whether he himself tests the chairs he designs by sitting on them. It seemed like a somewhat trivial task, that I thought he’d rather assign it to somebody else on his team. But then again, considering how he strives to always achieve the perfect combination of form and function, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he actually takes time to sit on his own chairs to see if these pass the standards.
“If it turns out to be uncomfortable, then I make adjustments,” he shares. “It’s not a process I bypass because quality is important to me.”
Of course, the skill of coming up with a fair assessment of a furniture without even touching or testing the product is something that Kenneth developed after years of being dedicated to his craft and exploring ideas. He has taken many risks, and this is how he has developed a keen sense of what works and what doesn’t.
“In life, we have to take risks. Without risks, there are no victories. It’s the same thing with design,” Kenneth muses.
We’ve all read in the papers or seen on television just how this boldness has been rewarded big-time: Kenneth has earned the admiration and respect of world-renowned personalities and organizations. And this did not benefit him alone but the whole country as well, because with every one of his accomplishments, Kenneth puts the spotlight on the Philippines.
This is something special to him. “In the beginning I’ve always worked for myself and I was happy when I saw how other people were happy with my furniture. But now, it’s different because it’s like I’m an ambassador of my country on the global design stage,” he says. “It’s been such an honor. The inspiration that I bring is more important than my actual work itself.”
And he plans to keep working. When you’ve proven how it pays to go beyond your comfort zone, then naturally you’d want to keep going. Kenneth has expanded his aesthetic philosophy beyond furniture, dabbling in transportation, spaces, and even consumer products.
What pushes him to go beyond a designer’s usual realm? It’s his long-term goal of using design to help improve society. “It’s always been my dream to change society and better the lives of people here and in the rest of the world,” he says. “I believe that as a designer, I have that responsibility.”
(Photo and interview courtesy of Sun Life Financial)
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