Design Thinking: Canapés

(Image courtesy of Canapés.)

In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is "Design Thinking." Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables companies to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how organizations applied Design Thinking. I spoke with Canapés founder Gabi Bois to learn how the company incorporates its mission and vision into its products.

(Image courtesy of Canapés.)

1. What inspired you to begin canapés?

A lot of my work lives on the internet. Although I create tangible 3D artworks, the artworks are experienced as fast-paced and 2D photographs. I wanted to create work that can be experienced in many ways, with different senses, and move towards a slower pace of contact.

Fashion and design have always been central to my art practice as inspirations and subjects, so creating art objects was the logical next step.

I am also a lover of objects and have always found that they are beautiful stories in themselves. It would only take a glance at my collections of mini erasers, vegetable ceramics, and funny slippers to see the sentimental value objects can have in my life. By creating a collectible, sculptural, yet functional piece, Canapés expresses that love for objects.

(Image courtesy of Canapés.)

 2. How do you merge fashion and art?

The inspiration for this bag actually came from an artwork that I made a few years back: a photo I took of a purse made out of real rhubarb leaves. People started asking me where they could buy the purse, but the artwork only lived on the internet as a photo while the bag was disassembled and the leaves decomposed. Canapés is an ideal project to merge my design vision with fashion and create functional art objects that can be experienced in different ways, whether worn, displayed, or both.

(Image courtesy of Canapés.)

3. How do you incorporate your mission and vision into your company?

The brand's name, Canapés, can be the first hint: small bites, small quantities, refined flavors. I wanted to create beautiful objects to be slowly consumed. As with many of my artworks, the starting point for Canapés was food. I am a fan of the visual qualities of food, especially fresh ingredients like fruits and vegetables. I wanted to pull from the same well of inspiration and translate my practice into the physical and functional world of design.

I'm transitioning into a 360 design studio rather than just a photographer. Canapés is being released in parallel with other tangible projects of mine, such as dining experiences and large-scale public installations.

 4. What is the future of the company?

We just dropped our first capsule, Rhubarb, and the second capsule will drop in the Spring, showcasing Clementines as the hero ingredient. These projects have been in the works for a long time, and we are so excited to launch! As for the company's future, just as fruits and vegetables change with the seasons, we leave space for Canapés to grow and transform with time. I want Canapés to remain a playground for my team and me to explore.