THE DESIGN CONSULTANT

       FACT BOX Anon Pairot,30, is the founder of Anon Pairot Design Studio (www.anonpairot.com)and a design consultant.His upcoming exhibits will be on display at Bangkok Design Festival 2009 (Oct 12-18, Bangkok Art and Culture Center)and at Bangkok International Gift Fair and Bangkok International Houseware Fair 2009(BIG+BIH)(Oct 13-18, Impact Challenger).
       HOW ESSENTIAL IS DESIGN CONSULTANCY?A designer is like a hairdresser. When a client needs us to help with a design solution, we need to get our hands on the work. I believe, these days, with a changing business structure, suppliers no longer simply supply materials - the
       first thing is to educate people. People can produce OTOP products, but again, do they know how to run a business, how to export their merchandise, how to fill in customs forms? Before we force something upon the people, we need to educate them as well.GTo see an extended interview with Anon visit gurubangkok.com.y're supplying something with a design. What I do is, primarily to design, and secondly to research and to come up with solutions. Each case is different it's like a hairdresser working with different conditions of hair. So that's our work, to find the best solution for them.
       SO IT'S A COMBINATION OF BUSINESS AND ART?Yes it is. I believe the work for an architect or a designer is an integration of different fields. The one who can cook best makes the best dish. It's not just about designing - it involves news, current updates, culture.Art-wise, we love to work because it allows us to think positively. We are, at the same time, hopeful for everyone involved - from the entrepreneur to the supplier, to the worker - that we can come up with the best design solution.
       WHY IS THAILAND'S DESIGN INDUSTRY NOT THRIVING AS MUCH AS IN SOME OTHER COUNTRIES?I started designing and entering competitions in my college days. I'd say, I'm lucky to have learned from the experiences, from the experts at the Department of Export Promotion. If I didn't know what business is, what national structure is, I wouldn't have understood the difference between our products and those of other countries. The worth is just different, and that reflects a lot of factors from the business per se,the culture, the lifestyle, the history of each country. So if we say we
       can make a bag exactly like Louis Vuitton,why doesn't it sell equally as well? That's because there are many differences.History can't change; a business profile can't change. People don't just buy an object. Again, it goes back to education.
       SO WILL "CREATIVE ECONOMY" WORK?We have to go back to "who knows what 'creative economy' is?" It's like eating instant noodles. But do you know why we need to have instant noodles? What's the purpose of them when we have cheap street food everywhere? So the first thing is to educate people. People can produce OTOP products, but again, do they know how to run a business, how to export their merchandise, how to fill in customs forms? Before we force something upon the people, we need to educate them as well.