The Pandemic Only Made Us Stronger and More Focused

George Gibbens of Undesign tells us about product development and design innovation.

First of all, how are you and your family doing in these COVID-19 times?

George Gibbens: Everyone is in good health, thank you for asking. We’ve been very fortunate thus far that none of the older and more vulnerable family members has contracted COVID-19.

Tell us about you, your career, how you founded Undesign.

George Gibbens: Undesign was founded by myself and another member, Chante Truter, in November 2019. We were both industrial designers and wanted to create a company that shared our vision for innovative design. She later left to pursue other opportunities while I stayed on.

How does Undesign innovate?

George Gibbens: There is a simple formula that we use. We approach each project with the intention of boiling the main problem that we’re trying to solve, down to the physics. This approach allows us to come up with truly innovative new solutions.

How the coronavirus pandemic affects your business, and how are you coping?

George Gibbens: We weren’t affected as badly; the business stagnated for a bit, which considering the economic climate, can be seen as growth. We tried to be as proactive as possible and contribute however we could to fighting the pandemic; we made all our services free for projects directly linked relief efforts by designing PPE for manufacturers and other critical needs. Now it’s 2021, and business-wise, things are full steam ahead with lots of exciting projects and prospects.

Did you have to make difficult choices, and what are the lessons learned?

George Gibbens: Most of our projects are quite long-term, 3 to 6 months, some even longer. Usually, we had lots of short projects in between, but with the pandemic, they all disappeared, so we had to completely change how we operate.

What specific tools, software, and management skills are you using to navigate this crisis?

Most of our projects are quite long-term, 3 to 6 months, some even longer. Usually, we had lots of short projects in between, but with the pandemic, they all disappeared, so we had to completely change how we operate.

Who are your competitors? And how do you plan to stay in the game?

George Gibbens: There are quite a few big names that made their big breakthroughs a long time ago and have managed to ride that wave of success for a long time. We see each new project as a potential breakthrough and our agility as a major asset. We believe in our approach and our clients in us.

Your final thoughts?

George Gibbens: As 2021 is shaping to be a year filled with a lot more promise and hope, and we are more committed than ever to our goal of designing innovative new products.

There are big prospects in the coming with plans to expand operations and our design expertise.

Your website?

http://undesign.co.za