In this series of articles, we feature some of the industry’s most well-known names to learn more about each of their daily tasks and what the future holds in store for them as industry professionals. In this week’s episode we managed to get a few moments of the on-the-go Italian designer, Giorgio Cassetta’s time.
Very briefly, what made you decide to become a yacht designer?
Somehow it was in my blood. I've been drawing boats since I was in pre-school, and I just never stopped.
How did your relationship with Azimut | Benetti begin?
As I was setting up my independent firm some of my works ended up in the hands of a long time friend of Mr. Vitelli. A few days later I received a call from the Azimut headquarters - Mr Vitelli and Mr Poerio wanted to meet me! I nearly fainted on the spot. Since then we have built up a fantastic working relationship.
What do you think is the most important skill to have as a designer?
I would say flexibility. The constant, biggest challenge is to leap out from one's comfort zone and deliver results that meet the expectations of each unique client. In addition, the lead times within the industry push us to think 5-10 years ahead of time - if that's even possible.
Finally, I find it useful to be able to voice some well-reasoned NOs, and keep our projects realistic. To allow myself to design within tight constraints has often helped to develop some interesting solutions that just weren't there before.
What is the first thing young designers looking to enter the industry need to know?
This is a highly demanding job. I see many enthusiastic young professionals that leave this industry after two or three years within it because they just didn't expect the amount of work they had to face everyday. Be willing to sweat a lot, never stop training yourself, get your hands dirty as soon as possible and you will succeed. From time to time we host young designers in our studio for some weeks just to let them feel the heat.
What can we expect from Giorgio Cassetta in the near future?
We are working on a broad range of designs, from small and very fast day cruisers to larger projects. Some of these are already in production, some others still need a little bit of luck to see the light. We are also investing a lot to expand our team and capabilities to keep providing a top level service to our clients. That said, I very much look forward to the next 2018 Miami International Boat Show, we have some nice cards up our sleeve.