NICE TO MEET YOU GEOFF SUVALKO
Where are you from?
The beach. Ruakaka, Northland, about 2 hours north of the city of Auckland
How did you end up at ID? Where were you before?
For the last 10 years I’ve run my own design firm in New Zealand and Australia. Over the last 4 years I got involved with one client in particular - Air New Zealand, in product and service innovation. It was within that project I worked alongside Ideo and got introduced to human centered design.
Tell us quickly about a project that you’re working on now that you’re really excited about.
A museum at home that I worked with before I came over and still work with while I’ve been at ID. I have been given the opportunity to help redesign the entire customer experience - and I love it.
What do you do in your spare time?
I love standing on the beach at dusk with not a soul around casting into the surf and waiting for something to bite. Generally i’m waiting a long time.
What would you do with 20 million dollars?
Develop an innovation design think tank downunder to address economic, social and evironmental progress. If I had the money, i’d do it tomorrow.
What super-power would you most like to have, and why?
Persuasion, because as designers that’s what we tend to spend so much of our time doing, persuading organisations that design can make a difference, and persuading them to pay for it!
What are the websites you could not live without?
Right now - Seeid! apart from that I sleep around.
Is there anything you would like to say to ID?
Apart from thanks for giving me a great year, I would suggest the more ‘real client’ project work amalgamated into the program the better.
