Today we’d like to introduce you to Felipe Farme D’Amoed.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Felipe. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and am the youngest of a big family. It was a tough move for me to leave my crowded house and live alone in a new country. It took me a few years to get used to it, but looking back, it forced me into being resilient and has given me the confidence to follow my dreams.
I moved to Boston to study engineering when I was 18 years old. After trying that and a few other majors, like entrepreneurship and marketing, I graduated in economics, thinking my future was in banking. Less than a year after graduating, however, I realized I needed a drastic shift in my career path. I have always been drawn to art and design — growing up I would always doodle on my notebooks, sketch on other people’s arms, or just find myself building things wherever I could. With a college degree under my belt and a few experiences in the business world, I decided to take a shot at design and channel my passion into visual expression.
I was always inclined to pursue a creative industry but always held back. During my year working with a nonprofit that focuses on the conservation of wildlife in Central America, I participated closely in the development of the visual identity of a project on sea turtles. That pushed me to enroll in the UCLA-Extension Design Communication Arts program, which opened a lot of doors for me.
Over the course of two years, I have delved into graphic, product and experience design. With great enthusiasm, I worked with type and composition to be able to create and express concepts that I had been imagining all along — It felt natural. My new focus also gave me the courage to believe in my abilities and understand how to help other people’s visions come to fruition.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has definitely not been a smooth road, but who has succeeded without going through the ups and downs? I believe any obstacle or change in direction has been necessary for growth. My biggest struggle until I got into design was knowing what I wanted to do for a career, and if I would be good at it. I had been through early and mid-stage startups, banks, asset managers, nonprofits, and couldn’t seem to find fulfillment in them. Deciding to learn a new trade was a big step for me at the time, and I always felt like my business background would put me behind everyone else. But a professor of mine encouraged me to understand how I could use my education and experience to my advantage, and I am seeing that all pay off now. My business and economics background enables me to not only create but plan and execute my pieces to have the biggest impact. I have used these skills to find practical solutions and viable treatments to meet a client’s needs. Essentially, I aim to think outside the box, while seeing the realistic size of that box.
Pipe Farme Design – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I created my brand, Pipe Farme Design, to create meaningful, artistic work that helps call attention to ecological and social problems facing our world and provide sustainable solutions to prevent future harm. I am incredibly passionate about conscious consumption, so drawing inspiration from nature — in both conception and medium — has been the backbone of my work.
Most of my work thus far has been with branding and label design, but I am currently transitioning into art direction and am also creating a line of repurposed wood speakers taken from wildfires in California.
There are so many designers out there, especially in Los Angeles, but I keep seeing a lot of the same in different fonts or colors. Design has to convey a message, and the positive feedback I have received proves I am bringing a different approach — both visually and conceptually — to the industry.
I do worry about the concept of appealing to the “lazy consumer” or sticking to a fixed, universal template for a product or graphic stylization because it often sets the stage for lazy design. I believe that we, as designers and content creators, just have to be aware of what’s happening around us, question it and understand how we can propel the industry forward. I am not afraid of trying something different and failing. I work hard to understand the problem and come up with the best solution for that, even if it takes a few extra tries.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Good question. From an achievement perspective, I’d have to say Palo Audio (paloaudio.com). My motivation behind Palo Audio was to create a practical sound system that is sleekly embedded into a raw and whole natural medium — a large piece of hardwood. Every speaker in the Palo Audio line is bespoke and individual. I begin by selecting and refining wood that has been burned by wildfires in Southern California. Through polishing treatments, I craft the piece into a work of art suitable for both indoor and outdoor display. Selecting the right piece of wood is critical, given what it’s been through and its durability, where I strive to leave it as natural as possible.
Using the Palo Audio draws a multi-sensory experience, blending natural aesthetics with immersive audio technology. Whether you are filling the room with peaceful instrumentals or listening to the familiar soul of a favorite band, the Palo Audio tastefully sets the tone. The inspiration behind Palo was to make a tangible and useful statement on product pollution and wildfires that deeply affect our environment. Due to the premise of the piece, I see it as nature screaming at us for help and hope to shed some light on the consequences of our actions against the environment, but in an elegant and positive way. In a sense, finding beauty and music amongst ashes and fire.
Palo is currently nominated for the 2020 A’Design Sustainable Products, Projects and Green Design Award and the 2020 Lexus Innovation Design Award.
Contact Info:
- Website: pipefarme.com
- Email: pipefarme@gmail.com
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