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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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