An interview with Josep Ribas, director of the Master’s in Interior Design and the Master’s in Commercial Space Design: Retail Design
We spoke with Josep Ribas, director of the Master’s in Interior Design and the Master’s in Commercial Space Design: Retail Design, to gain a deeper insight into his professional profile and what lies ahead in the training programmes he directs at ESDESIGN.
Hello, Josep! We would like you to start by briefly telling us who you are.
I am an interior designer; I completed a postgraduate degree in commercial spaces and currently combine my professional practice at my design studio with lecturing.
What qualities should a professional in spatial design possess?
They must be multidisciplinary, as the profession requires demonstrating and working on many facets. A spatial design professional must have an active gaze towards their environment, allowing them to develop ideas that enhance the user experience within the space. They also need the ability to work in a team and provide agile, effective solutions to problems that may arise.
E-commerce is a rapidly growing industry. Therefore, we want to ask you... to what extent do you think the online store influences the design of the physical store? Do you believe we are heading towards a mandatory coexistence between both spaces?
The first thing we are clear about is that neither will be replaced. Amazon is starting to open physical spaces despite being a native online store. It is important that both are complementary spaces and must be understood as a single global project to provide the best possible user experience and thus build brand loyalty.
At your own design studio, Estudi Ribas, you have carried out various interior design renovation projects. Which one provided the greatest learning experience due to the challenge it presented?
Due to the amount of time and energy dedicated, every project contributes something. Obviously, the first project leaves a lasting mark; it’s like your first love. From there, there have been projects involving great challenges and accelerated learning, such as renovations in listed buildings; large-scale works like shopping centres with extensive technical teams requiring significant coordination; and, above all, those where there was great harmony and mutual trust with the client, allowing for a wide margin of action.
A spatial design professional must have an active gaze towards their environment, allowing them to develop ideas that enhance the user experience within the space.
DESIGNER Octavio Mestre and Josep Ribas
When designing the Master’s, what facets of the profession’s day-to-day life have you transferred to the programmes?
We have transferred all the phases of an interior design project. That is, the initial contact with the client, the first stage where we fit their needs into the space, the technical documentation necessary for contractors to make that idea a reality, and a portion of site management. Also, other facets to broaden the perspective, such as sociological criteria, sustainability, and wellbeing in the space.
What would you highlight most about both Master’s?
Both programmes cover the entire process followed in the profession, which allows us to offer an experience very similar to the reality students will encounter in the working world. They are the beginning or part of a journey that can only be learned as we complete projects, and in which learning has no end.
What advice would you give to someone thinking about studying at ESDESIGN?
The Master’s degrees offer the opportunity to specialise in the discipline of spatial design. We will look at all the tools and methodologies necessary to successfully tackle an interior design project.
Thank you very much for sharing your professional experience and allowing us to get to know both Master’s a little better, Josep! :D
