Today we’d like to introduce you to Bernard Semerdjian.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up appreciating everything design related and loved painting and drawing cartoon characters as a kid. I was fortunate to have parents who supported my art and design passion and encouraged me to pursue it as into adulthood. On the other hand, I wasn’t into playing most sports until I discovered ping pong. My school had introduced a ping pong table to the courtyard and I instantly fell in the love with the fast-paced, highly competitive sport. It became an obsession that drove me to seek out nearby clubs to level up my skills and possibly even compete in local tournaments. This led me to the Gilbert Table Tennis Center in L.A. where I was ultimately introduced to my now business partner Michael Zaretsky. I helped Michael out with some design work here and there. As our friendship grew, we both realized that we shared the same passion for Ping Pong and Design. We said to each other, hey, what if we designed some wild-looking ping pong tables, do you think we can make something out of it? Fast forward to today, here we are.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
When starting our business, there were many challenges and hurdles we had to overcome. Getting our name and brand out there, finding the right team to help bring our vision to life with the level of fit and finish we strived for. But one of the biggest struggles was making sure my concept designs translated to a physical piece with respect to both the original design as well as structural integrity. As much as I would love to have a gravity-defying table come to life, I’m in no way an engineer. But fortunately, we have an amazing team behind our production process whom after many trials and errors, helped bring our vision to life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I started with studying graphic design and was hoping to get into animation but at some point during my higher education, I came across industrial design and fell in love with what could be possible. It’s easier to play it safe and design something familiar and that’s why I try to push the boundaries of what we believe traditional ping pong tables or any other game tables should be. I love being able to explore how far we can take these designs to create bold shapes and silhouettes and I’m proud of our team for finding ways to bring them to life. Apart from a few of our designs, I’m always trying to find ways to defy gravity with asymmetrical compositions or create balance with unusual/mysterious forms.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid, I loved Saturday morning cartoons, playing video games, building model kits and reading comics. I kept to myself mostly and was generally a quiet kid in school. Being quiet helped me listen and absorb the environment around me. I was always observing and studying shapes, forms and patterns that were intriguing. From organic forms in nature to sharp angular lines in architectural design or smooth-flowing forms in automotive design, I couldn’t help but be fascinated with all the beauty around us. These interests and hobbies still play a major role in my design life today, yes even the Saturday morning cartoons. I never lost my inner child and the ongoing fascination with enticing and inspiring forms in our everyday lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.11ravens.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/11ravens/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/11RavensLLC
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/11-ravens/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElevenRavens
Image Credits
11 Ravens, Katie Nixon, Trevor Stevens, Erika Bierman, Julie Soefer
