[The driving force behind Ziba is Sohrab Vossoughi. Born in Tehran,
Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He came to
Portland to work for Hewlett Packard as a designer in 1980 and
founded Ziba--which means "beautiful" in Farsi--]
INTERVIEW
Designs of the Times:
Sohrab Vossoughi
BY BRIAN LIBBY
243-2122 xt. 355
We have designed so many things people don't realize are by
us, but that's OK. It's just part of our clients' strategy and we
have to honor that.
That keyboard you're typing on and the tub in the fridge with your
leftover mac and cheese? There's a chance they were designed by Ziba
Design Studio, one of Portland's quietest success stories. Fortune 500
companies and hungry start-ups alike seek out Ziba to make their
products sleek and simple.
Last month, the Portland-based company brought home four awards,
including a coveted gold medal, from this year's Industrial Design
Excellence Awards, making it one of just four design firms to win more
than a pair of medals. And, almost as impressive, Ziba's recycling bin
was touted last week in WW's "Best of Portland" issue.
The driving force behind Ziba is Sohrab Vossoughi. Born in Tehran,
Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He came to
Portland to work for Hewlett Packard as a designer in 1980 and
founded Ziba--which means "beautiful" in Farsi--four years later.
While his company certainly thrives on the edg
e of technology,
Vossoughi attributes its success to good old-fashioned hard work.
Willamette Week: Who are Ziba's clients?
Sohrab Vossoughi: Our clients have become very diverse. We might
Page 1 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
be working on a coffee maker in one corner of the building and
designing a new retail space for Federal Express or developing ecommerce
products in another.
Do a lot of consumers assume your clients are designing their own
products?
Absolutely. We have designed so many things people don't realize are
by us, but that's OK. It's just part of our clients' strategy and we have to
honor that. They want to make a name for themselves, not for Ziba.
One of the Ziba values is about checking your ego at the door. We're
doing this to help our clients. It's about making them successful.
Name some familiar products Ziba has designed.
The natural keyboard we did for Microsoft is a good example. We also
work for the Rubbermaids of the world and design garbage cans and
squeegees, other things that are very low-tech. We did smoke detectors
for Coleman.
What's your favorite Ziba-designed product?
I don't have a favorite. If I ever fall in love with a product it will mean
that I'm no longer a designer, because then I've stopped trying to tinker
with something and make it better.
What is the Ziba design style?
Simplicity is our biggest design philosophy: to make the complex clear.
If the first person off the street can use it without looking at a manual,
you've got a winner.
Which is more important, form or function?
I don't see how you could split the two, although plenty of people in
design firms do just that. In our product designing philosophy, you
design the whole experience.
There's a common notion--some would say stereotype--that women
and gay men possess more refined design sensibilities. Do you
believe this is true?
Actually I do believe there is a difference that comes from gender and
sexual orientation. Sometimes men tend to be more analytical, while
women have very good intuition. I also think both women and
homosexuals are more sensitive to what I call "touchy-feely" stuff--
color, detail...and a lot of design has to do with that.
How is that belief reflected
Page 2 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
in your company?
At Ziba we try to have a balance of different people and backgrounds,
not only because it's fair but also because it serves us well from a
design standpoint. And we definitely have all types of people here.
Do you apply your designer's sensibilities to the rest of your life--
such as your home?
Design is a way of thinking, framing issues and then solving them. I
use that in all aspects of my life. My home, for example, is very much
my philosophy: It's simple, clean, functional, uncluttered--although
with kids that has become tougher.
What is the best-designed thing
in Portland?
What I really like is the city itself: the design of the city is marvelous.
People who have put this city together are long-term thinkers, and
they've made a city with a lot of humanity, they've made a great
connection between the city and the people. I put Portland way ahead
of Seattle and pretty much all of the American cities I've seen.
Who is your greatest inspiration?
When I came to this country, I watched my uncle. He had come here
from Iran before me, and when he got here he didn't even know any
English. But my uncle had what I call the "immigrant syndrome": He
was able to achieve a lot through working hard, and now he's a very
successful businessman. It made me realize that you've got to work
hard and you've got to just keep moving forward. That means never
being satisfied with what I've done.
What have you taken from Iranian culture?
A lot of Eastern philosophy has helped me in business, particularly the
concept of long-term thinking and the idea of being humble.
Have you faced much discrimination here?
The stereotypes are always there, and the media doesn't do anything to
help it. During the hostage crisis I was worried. My uncle in the Bay
Area got bomb threats at his business. But that went away. These days,
things are wonderful.
What do you like most about what you do?
I love to come to work--even on weekends. What excites me?
Everything. Every challenge, every project at Ziba. Every time there's a
Page 3 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
problem it's a challenge, and solving that gets me excited. Life would
be boring without a challenge. I would be just bored to death. I say
create a challenge for yourself and go out and solve it. That's the way
for me.
Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He came to
Portland to work for Hewlett Packard as a designer in 1980 and
founded Ziba--which means "beautiful" in Farsi--]
INTERVIEW
Designs of the Times:
Sohrab Vossoughi
BY BRIAN LIBBY
243-2122 xt. 355
We have designed so many things people don't realize are by
us, but that's OK. It's just part of our clients' strategy and we
have to honor that.
That keyboard you're typing on and the tub in the fridge with your
leftover mac and cheese? There's a chance they were designed by Ziba
Design Studio, one of Portland's quietest success stories. Fortune 500
companies and hungry start-ups alike seek out Ziba to make their
products sleek and simple.
Last month, the Portland-based company brought home four awards,
including a coveted gold medal, from this year's Industrial Design
Excellence Awards, making it one of just four design firms to win more
than a pair of medals. And, almost as impressive, Ziba's recycling bin
was touted last week in WW's "Best of Portland" issue.
The driving force behind Ziba is Sohrab Vossoughi. Born in Tehran,
Vossoughi immigrated to San Jose in 1970 at age 14. He came to
Portland to work for Hewlett Packard as a designer in 1980 and
founded Ziba--which means "beautiful" in Farsi--four years later.
While his company certainly thrives on the edg
e of technology,
Vossoughi attributes its success to good old-fashioned hard work.
Willamette Week: Who are Ziba's clients?
Sohrab Vossoughi: Our clients have become very diverse. We might
Page 1 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
be working on a coffee maker in one corner of the building and
designing a new retail space for Federal Express or developing ecommerce
products in another.
Do a lot of consumers assume your clients are designing their own
products?
Absolutely. We have designed so many things people don't realize are
by us, but that's OK. It's just part of our clients' strategy and we have to
honor that. They want to make a name for themselves, not for Ziba.
One of the Ziba values is about checking your ego at the door. We're
doing this to help our clients. It's about making them successful.
Name some familiar products Ziba has designed.
The natural keyboard we did for Microsoft is a good example. We also
work for the Rubbermaids of the world and design garbage cans and
squeegees, other things that are very low-tech. We did smoke detectors
for Coleman.
What's your favorite Ziba-designed product?
I don't have a favorite. If I ever fall in love with a product it will mean
that I'm no longer a designer, because then I've stopped trying to tinker
with something and make it better.
What is the Ziba design style?
Simplicity is our biggest design philosophy: to make the complex clear.
If the first person off the street can use it without looking at a manual,
you've got a winner.
Which is more important, form or function?
I don't see how you could split the two, although plenty of people in
design firms do just that. In our product designing philosophy, you
design the whole experience.
There's a common notion--some would say stereotype--that women
and gay men possess more refined design sensibilities. Do you
believe this is true?
Actually I do believe there is a difference that comes from gender and
sexual orientation. Sometimes men tend to be more analytical, while
women have very good intuition. I also think both women and
homosexuals are more sensitive to what I call "touchy-feely" stuff--
color, detail...and a lot of design has to do with that.
How is that belief reflected
Page 2 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
in your company?
At Ziba we try to have a balance of different people and backgrounds,
not only because it's fair but also because it serves us well from a
design standpoint. And we definitely have all types of people here.
Do you apply your designer's sensibilities to the rest of your life--
such as your home?
Design is a way of thinking, framing issues and then solving them. I
use that in all aspects of my life. My home, for example, is very much
my philosophy: It's simple, clean, functional, uncluttered--although
with kids that has become tougher.
What is the best-designed thing
in Portland?
What I really like is the city itself: the design of the city is marvelous.
People who have put this city together are long-term thinkers, and
they've made a city with a lot of humanity, they've made a great
connection between the city and the people. I put Portland way ahead
of Seattle and pretty much all of the American cities I've seen.
Who is your greatest inspiration?
When I came to this country, I watched my uncle. He had come here
from Iran before me, and when he got here he didn't even know any
English. But my uncle had what I call the "immigrant syndrome": He
was able to achieve a lot through working hard, and now he's a very
successful businessman. It made me realize that you've got to work
hard and you've got to just keep moving forward. That means never
being satisfied with what I've done.
What have you taken from Iranian culture?
A lot of Eastern philosophy has helped me in business, particularly the
concept of long-term thinking and the idea of being humble.
Have you faced much discrimination here?
The stereotypes are always there, and the media doesn't do anything to
help it. During the hostage crisis I was worried. My uncle in the Bay
Area got bomb threats at his business. But that went away. These days,
things are wonderful.
What do you like most about what you do?
I love to come to work--even on weekends. What excites me?
Everything. Every challenge, every project at Ziba. Every time there's a
Page 3 of 4 Willamette Week | Life | Q & A
http://www.wweek.com/html/Q&A072600.html
problem it's a challenge, and solving that gets me excited. Life would
be boring without a challenge. I would be just bored to death. I say
create a challenge for yourself and go out and solve it. That's the way
for me.