Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

3 8 ship projects. In fact, he advises that every designer should also study business management to complement their design and architecture qualifications – he himself has a master’s degree in business, as well as one in architecture and design. “Designers and architects are taught to solve problems in a linear way, but clients and other project stakeholders do not necessarily take the same approach,” he says. “In reality, most projects follow a circular process where we create an initial design concept and then receive input and feedback from various other stakeholders to ensure it fits with client requirements, budgets, maritime regulations and many other factors. Having both a design and business education allows me to view things from two very different perspectives and understand the challenges on both sides. It also diversifies my problem-solving abilities, which makes the whole process much easier for me as the designer, and for the client and other project stakeholders.” Taking multiple perspectives into consideration when working on solving design challenges is imperative, says Walton. “Recently our team was working on a design concept and we kept questioning each other and pushing ourselves to take our ideas further and by the end of the day, we all agreed that we’d created something very special,” he says. “When the client saw it, they were blown away as it surpassed their expectations. Of course, we’re going to have to solve several practical challenges to make our vision a reality, but our team will work closely with the client and the other stakeholders to achieve this. Questioning everything can be tiring and challenging, but if we ever lost our curiosity, it would mean that we had lost our passion to design something amazing.” Approaching every project with an intensely inquisitive mindset empowers designers like Studio DADO to push beyond well-established design boundaries to create immersive and innovative spaces that guests can connect with on a personal level. “It’s very easy to look on sites like Pinterest or Instagram and copy the most popular interior design ideas, but this won’t necessarily help you to create a space that tells a story or truly resonates with guests,” explains Walton. “To achieve that, you need to delve a lot deeper and pinpoint exactly what it is that makes a particular design aesthetic so appealing to people. You must evaluate From left, Greg Walton and his dog Enzo with fellow Studio DADO co-founders Yohandel Ruiz, Javier Calle and Jorge Mesa COVER STORY “ Designers and architects are taught to solve problems in a linear way, but clients and other project stakeholders do not necessarily take the same approach”