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Design Matters: Ronan Murphy and Kevin Doherty of Gazel

‘Our approach is to start with a blank canvas, throw away the rule book'

Tue May 12 2015 - 15:21

Ronan Murphy and Kevin Doherty are the team behind Gazel. Launched last year, the design company has already won awards for its innovative products, including a lamp that doubles up as a storage organiser, and a wall hook/keyholder combo.

Murphy talks about rethinking the everyday, making life easier and more fun too. “Kevin was a chemical engineer, and I studied multimedia at DCU. Back then the internet was very new, but when I graduated in 2003, the dotcom bubble had burst. I got out of college to find a desolate wasteland. So I went to Canada, working as a carpenter. Coming back, to study industrial design at NCAD, I realised how much I’d learned from both disciplines."

“Product design is all about finding solutions to things, and being able to convey that message. ‘Universal Design’ is the idea that you can make things easy to use for everyone, but you also make them desirable.

“Yes, form follows function, but the form is very important. If you think something is beautiful, you have an emotional connection to it and value it more.

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“Our approach is to start with a blank canvas, throw away the rule book. There’s always an inventive twist, challenging conventions. We look at what problems people have: in college, Kevin and I worked with people with dexterity issues and came up with the Clothes Hanger.

“It’s now an award-winning example of Universal Design. We’re always hearing stories of people showing them off to their bemused friends, but when you see it work it’s like watching a magic trick.

“We’ve had great support from Origin8 at NCAD, Enterprise Ireland and ID2015. Currently, our main drive is the new kitchen range. We’re just back from Ambiente in Germany, where we won Kitchen Innovation of the Year. We had a tiny little stand, and were wondering how was anyone going to notice us? One way to do that is to win a big design award.”

Find Gazel at Arnott's, Designist and Article, and at gazelhome.com. Discover more everyday marvels at Hidden Heroes, from April 3rd at the Coach House, Dublin Castle.

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