Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

1 8 2 INTERV IEW Designing passenger confidence Jon Ingleton speaks with executives from SMC Design to find out how they believe cruise ship design has to carefully adapt to reassure passengers, as ships begin to sail again W ith cruise ships returning to the oceans, lines are turning to designers for guidance on how best to introduce new measures to make passengers safe. SMC Design’s managing director Andy Yuill and directors Andrew Brown and Alan Stewart share their insights. There have been a lot of solutions being put forward as to what the cruise industry has to be doing at this time. Can you sum up where you think the market is now? AY : From a design point of view, there will be many items and procedures which are going to be introduced. As designers, we will have to look to integrate these into a successful design. However, that should not detract from the overall quality of the design. There will just be new features which will give the guest a greater feeling of safety. The guests will feel reassured and confident in their environment, and they will get on and enjoy their experience. AB : I think that what you want is for the passenger to be aware of the measures that are creating a safe environment, but you don’t want it to distract in any way. It needs to feel natural and organic within the design. They are there to enjoy a memorable holiday, and you don’t want there to be anything getting in the way of that. We want to enhance a passenger’s experience and have them come away from this having had a better experience than ever before. With the introduction of these new elements and processes, we should be looking at this as an opportunity to find new innovative design solutions. What role do you think you will play, as designers, in helping your clients to find solutions? AB : We must be careful in what is being considered because there are going to be those who see this as a sales opportunity. We have to be able to recognise where there is an investment that benefits the SMC Design created the Explorer’s Lounge onboard Viking’s cruise ships