German creative Philipp Weber’s holistic methodology melds his keen craft-led sensibility and affinity for humanism. Unaffected by the saturated trends that drive the design industry, the young designer delves deep into different subject matter. He approaches each topic from a comprehensive set of vantage points: the history and analysis of established manufacturing processes to the integration of seemingly disparate yet surprisingly appropriate associations.

The Design Academy Eindhoven and University of Arts Berlin graduate can anchor and translate his unhurried, discursive explorations into tangible concepts and functional forms. These accessible applications push beyond the previously accepted limitations of age-old techniques and, in turn, suggest ways in which to ensure their survival. It’s no wonder that his chosen mediums have been glass, coal byproduct, cork, and textile. Though the designer frames his projects as thought-provoking referential, experimental, and expressive statement pieces, the new material properties they introduce have the most impact.

As the co-founder and creative director of Analog, a commercial venture developed through Berlin Glassworks, the talent has been able to put this unique praxis-based approach to good use. His interest in subverting traditional modes of production and research, now also incorporates a desire to explore new unconventional business models. In the following Q&A, Weber shares his vision for a lighting brand that looks to the past to inform its future.

Read the Q&A here.