6 leading yacht designers tell us what they wish they'd known as young designers

Six of the yachting industry’s most successful designers reflect upon words of wisdom they might impart to their younger selves or to  young designers starting out in the field of yacht design.

"The forces of conservatism are strong," cautions Dickie Bannenberg of design firm  Bannenberg & Rowell. Son of the late Jon Bannenberg, Dickie got his start working under the direction of the famed designer on such iconic projects as Talitha and Siran. Remaining at the forefront of creativity in design is a constant motivation, but Dickie advises against radical designs drawn for the mere sake of being different.

"A straight line is indeed the cheapest distance between two points," he notes, citing one of his father’s favourite bits of advice. Trends will evolve, "Letraset will eventually be superseded," but great, efficient and well-planned designs will remain timeless.

He pauses in retrospect, thinking of his younger self, and adds, "learning Russian would have been useful, too."

Tim Heywood also got his start at the famed Jon Bannenberg studios, where he worked for 20 years before setting out on his own in 1996. Among his many and award-winning designs are the 115 metre  Pelorus and the 133 metre  Al Mirqab.

In the oft grey world of design copyright and intellectual property, Heywood has clear advice: "Young designers should realise that they are 'idea' producers and that is nearly all they have to sell. If they give their designs to clients to think about, they are already at a disadvantage and facing a fight to be correctly rewarded for their work."

"Intellectual property should always be retained by the designer and the building yard should be issued with a design license to build one yacht and one yacht only, to each design," he cautions.

Heywood's parting advice is that "young designers are entering a world where they will sat be across the table from the client, who has a sharper and more focused mind and deeper pockets than they — that is why he is the client! They need to keep their wits about them; they are playing for high stakes."

Luiz de Basto began designing boats in the 1970s and over the decades has not only designed and refit hundreds of diverse boats and yachts, but also cultivated a large network of contacts, something he says is the most important advice he could impart to a young designer.

"This is a very small industry, with many designers competing for the same opportunities," he says. "Although talent still counts, between two designers equally qualified, people prefer to work with someone they already know personally. Create a very large network of contacts and nurture a good relationship with all the people in the industry: clients, yards, brokers and press."

"There are no good ideas. Ideas ARE good," says Carlo Nuvolari, of design firm  Nuvolari-Lenard. Having designed countless yachts since founding his company in 1990, Nuvolari appreciates the value of design inspiration.

"Don't be afraid to give a lot to your customers," he advises young designers. "Show a lot of ideas. Work day and night. Design. The more you design, the more ideas will come. Some of your ideas will be copied. It is inevitable. Don't try to block them. Keep going and do better.

"Believe in your design before you present it to a client. Ask yourself, 'Do I really like this, or am I just presenting this design because I already spent so much time on it?'"

In today’s technology-driven world, Nuvolari and his contemporaries are quick to underscore the importance of the artistic expression that can best be achieved by hand. "Design by hand," he says. "Your hands are in direct contact with your brain. Those initial sketches by hand will always be genuine and unspoiled – that initial design is the most artistic moment of the job. Hand renderings are warmer and demonstrate your skills and passion for your own design."

When a younger  Terence Disdale departed from Jon Bannenberg’s studios in 1973 to make his own way in yacht design, Bannenberg told him, "be humble and patient, the first ten years will be the worst."

Some 40 years on, Disdale’s hands have drawn many of the world’s largest yachts, including Pelorus, Al Salamah and Eclipse. "Nothing dates quicker than the 'wow' factor," he says, so make certain that functionality maintains an important role in the design. "Service areas are as important as living areas."

"If you are making a design proposal, always have an option in the bag," he advises. "You only have one chance to make the first impression, so be prepared."

American designer Ted Fontaine got his start designing sailing yachts for Ted Hood Design Group in 1985 in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, and eventually took over the company in 2001. Hard work and lots of experience are the keys to success for young designers, he says.

"Making a career in the yacht design industry today is at best difficult," he says. "If I were to start my career over again I would be more focused on getting an engineering degree or an industrial design degree. You can always fall back on your degree when you have a specialised education."

"Take a couple of years off and try to get onboard a large sailing yacht to learn about the operation, manning and sailing of larger yachts," he advises. "Then, once you’re armed with a degree and two or three years of practical onboard experience, try to catch on with a builder in their design and or engineering department. After a five- to ten-year period of working under an experienced and talented mentor, one would have the skill set to set out on his or her own and with a lot of luck and hard work become an established designer."