As we announced last month, we’ve been really excited to work with Target this holiday season on a special, exclusive holiday collection available in their Target Shapeways Shop. The collection features a variety of beautiful pendants, rings and ornaments that make for amazing gifts. We love hearing more about a designer’s process and after seeing all the products ourselves, we just had to hear from a Target designer on what inspired this collection!
Who are you?
Hi, I’m Stephanie Grotta, a Landscape Architect and Product Designer. I work for Target, where I lead a team of designers and engineers who create all of our kitchen, table, and organization products.
Where are you located?
I live and work in Minneapolis, MN.
How long have you been a designer?
I’ve been a designer for thirteen years, not including a lot of school!
What inspires you?
I love watching people, and I love watching people in cities. You can learn so much about a place and a culture just by sitting, observing, walking around and getting a little lost. There is something great about every city, but some of my favorites are Copenhagen, Denmark; Austin, Texas; and Truckee, California. I also love out-of-the-way places. A few years ago I bicycled across Idaho and Montana, that trip and all of the small towns continue to be a great source of inspiration for my work.
What do you love the most about 3D printing with Shapeways?
I love that Shapeways makes the ‘making’ process so accessible and so democratic. Accessible in that the tools for creating and prototyping are truly available to all; and democratic in that the same design can be printed in affordable plastic to rare platinum. This to me is very exciting as it flips the concept of scarcity on its head — which is compelling.
How is designing in 3D different than what you’ve done in the past?
The immediacy is powerful. In my other work, a design is not realized for at minimum a year. And as a landscape architect, those projects were many, many years in the making.
With the 3D aspect, designing in 3D gives access to forms and connections which are not always achievable by traditional making or designing methods, which is cool. But the best part is then figuring out what to do with them. For me, it’s all about how you abstract the forms and connections so they make sense, have purpose, and communicate a larger vision.
What are your favorite pieces from the Target Shapeways Shop?
My favorites are the friendship keys, the love letters, and the menorahs.
What’s the story behind your designs?
This first jewelry collection is about the idea of giving and receiving, and how memorable that experience should be whether you are a giver or a getter. We all know gift giving can be incredibly stressful, and often it’s not memorable (in a good way). I like the idea that this collection could add a bit of magic and anticipation to the experience, while resulting in beautiful and very personal pieces for a friend, loved one, or yourself. For me personally, the friendship keys and love letters are my favorite expression of the give and receive concept. The collection of holiday pieces was a natural extension of these ideas.
Who are your favorite designers or artists?
My favorite artists are Ed Ruscha and the photographers Wolfgang Tillmans and Wing Young Huie. My favorite designers are Michael Maltzan (Architect), and Roberto Burle Marx (Brazilian Landscape Architect). I also am in awe of the roasters at Spyhouse Coffee and the brewers at Surly Brewing, both here in Minneapolis where Target is based.
Everyone on my list has a clear vision and point of view which isn’t influenced by trend.
Are there any 3D modelers who you are inspired by?
In Product Design at Target, we have three amazing modeler guys: Stacy, Sam, and Terrence. They model almost all of the designs my team dreams up (1000s of products a year), and they are integral to making everything and anything work. They each have their own style and approach which influences the end result in great and unexpected ways. Stacy was the maestro behind our jewelry collection.
If you weren’t limited by current technologies, what would you want to make using 3D printing?
I would want to figure out how to 3D print seeds. I like the idea that someday we could use new technology to bring back lost heirloom plants and trees.
Anything else you want to share?
We are at such an exciting crossroads of technology, anywhere/anytime access, and a growing societal interest in design. It’s the perfect time to try making something if you haven’t yet dipped your toe in the water!