[ INTERVIEW ] Linda Lissola, creative design lead for Xperia Z1 Compact

Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, miniature version of Sony Xperia Z1 has already landed in the hands of users across Europe and will soon be launched in rest parts of world. Xperia Z1 Compact is about class and beauty in one piece, without compromising on performance level. As you all know Xperia Z1 Compact features exactly same specifications in terms of processor, GPU, RAM, camera MP like Xperia Z1 except the smaller battery and screen size.

Xperia Z1 Compact is all about expression, says “Linda Lissola” who is creative design lead for Xperia Z1 Compact. Sony Mobile has published a detailed interview of Linda Lissola on their official blog about here views on Xperia Z1 Compact and its overall design process. Let us tell you about her and some points from interview in brief.

Who is Linda Lissola ?

Linda Lissola is creative design lead for Xperia Z1 Compact, she is from Sweden, currently living in Tokyo, Japan. She joined Sony Ericsson as a consultant initially and till now she has worked on many mid range and flagship smartphones.

Her views on design philosophy behind Xperia Z1 Compact

As per Linda Lissola, Xperia Z1 Compact inherited many features from Xperia Z1, the “Omni-Balance” design especially. She quotes….

OmniBalance represents equality; evocation of a certain appreciation of beauty, with a flow from all directions.

There’s a distinct difference between the two products though – Xperia Z1 is built for performance, but Xperia Z1 Compact (without compromising on any of that prowess) represents “expression” above all else.

Colors are often defined by association… or association is defined by color – but why should that be the case? We wanted to do something different; be broader with the colour range. Pink and Lime are fun, fresh additions but they’re bold with attitude. For us, they are completely gender / usage / mood / personality agnostic.

Biggest Challenge in Making Xperia Z1 Compact

To make a pocket friendly device with specs no less than a flagship device and even better performance, she quotes…

We overcame this by daring to be different with the new colors, and introducing the smaller form factor without compromising on any of the features that make Xperia Z1 so recognizably Sony.

Linda Lissola’s Design Heroes 

She named “Bruce Mau, Bruno Munari and Achille Castiglioni” when asked about here design heroes, Why so ? She quotes…

The reason? These guys were / are so open and different; willing to blend different (industrial and art) design disciplines to create something unique.

They are all creatives who stand by unconventional approaches.

Tips for Aspiring Mobile phone Designers

She quoted three tips…

Never stop, or let anything hinder your curiosity throughout life.

Try and accrue as much experience as early on as possible, whether that be with an internship or work placement. This way you’ll get a real feel for what you want to do, and what you don’t – you have to be passionate about something to truly enjoy, and excel at it.

And finally, it’s a cliche, but teamwork is so important in design. It’s important, productive, rewarding (and fun!) to be diplomatic, work together and share inspiration.

No doubt Xperia Z1 Compact is a class phone, except for a few flaws like low speaker sound ( for some ) and embedded battery, it has unmatched performance. It has drawn very positive reviews from users who are using it now and from various tech websites who have already reviewed it.

Do let us know about your views on the things which Linda Lissola said, like it or not. Drop your comments below.