CHANGING THE DESIGN GAME: NETHA GOLDBERG

We had the pleasure of speaking with Netha, an extremely innovative industrial designer, whose project conception is based on the creation of objects that allow the user to contain in themselves peculiarities of everyday life to share them with others.

The Kibbutz way of life made me who I am today and put Interaction with people as an essential part of my life, which had a big influence on the way I think and on the way I design.

Hello Netha! How are you?

Hi, right now I'm in the middle of driving from Athens to Meteora, Feeling happy and excited while enjoying the end of the summer with my boyfriend next to me.

Tell us a bit about yourself, what are your origins?

As you might already know, my name is Netha Goldberg. I grew up in Kibbutz Mizra, which is located in IZRAEL Valley (north of Israel). Kibbutzes are collective communities in Israel that were traditionally based on agriculture (Imagine a small pastoral and calm village). The Kibbutz way of life made me who I am today and put Interaction with people as an essential part of my life, which had a big influence on the way I think and on the way I design. My current location is Tel Aviv, for the past 10 years, I have been living in here and enjoying the benefits that the big city has to offer.

Tell us about NETINA project… How did you shape the idea in your head?

I asked myself a lot of questions about the design and the purpose of design, trying to figure out what my graduation project in the year of 2020 has to say. Eventually, I decided to use design in a speculative speculatively manner, trying to answer some of my questions in a visual way.

Even before I knew the project would end as shoes, I knew I wanted to allow that simple human desire of giving. Visually promoting some of our everyday needs, offering them to the public, on the move. The human body contains various opportunities for carrying objects that can be useful for ourselves and to those around us. Our feet contain such benefits and also obtain the true characteristic of the movement. Movement as in being dynamic and active but also a movement which symbolises the transfer and giving an object to another.

The human body contains various opportunities for carrying objects that can be useful for ourselves and to those around us.

What are the materials and process that you follow in the creation of this peculiar solution?

I started researching what people like to give and to receive while they are on the go.

I paid attention to the matter of weight & size.The result came in the form of 3 different types of shoes, White, Red and Blue. White - The white contains Matches.Matches represent the element Fire. An element we have been transferring to one another since the beginning of time.

Red - The red contains Tampons (in different sizes). Tampons are usually kept hidden in a purse or bag. The fact they are on display and in such a clean, clear and hygienic way activates the viewer. (For us women giving a tampon to a woman in need is very common).

Blue - The blue contains joints one can connect to with his specific device and fill up his battery while on the move. As a fast-moving society, we are always active and are more and more dependent on our electronic devices. We are in constant use and need of Digital Power!

Three thoughts that led my decision throughout the design process of the 'NETINA' project.

The first: Objects will not be inside pockets or compartments but in a visible and extroverted manner on top of the shoe. The second: The shape of the shoe is directly affected by the element it carries. Lastly, there must be a generous amount of items to give.

I started the design process while modelling with common materials such as paper, carton and any other simple and disposable materials you can think of. Later in the process I use those materials with other 3d printed parts to try to figure out how I can create something real and practical which describe my concept in the best way.The process includes modelling and testing on real persons to understand the interaction that those are creating. Once I even made a whole meal, which happened on top of the shoes. Each person had a different part of the meal. In that way I invited the diners to approach each other in order to create a complete meal.

Besides NETINA project, tell us a bit more about your other concepts or ideas.

Besides the Netina project, I designed a few more projects during the last four years such as a Piggy Bank, Ceramic bowls and a chair.

Piggy bank - The piggy bank was inspired by the anticipation of finally getting to break open the piggy bank and get the money out. It is designed to be unraveled by pulling on a string.The bank is composed of pulp, lined by a vibrant red fabric string along the top.Pulling the string gradually shreds the bank, giving the user a fun and satisfying sensory experience.

Ceramic bowls - The Fat and Cute Creature Bowls are inspired by Japanese Sumo characters. They were handcrafted using the ceramic technique of plaster molds, making them all identical. While they form a group together, each is one-of-a-kind characters based on their placement.

Wood chair - There are so many different types of chairs in our world. They’re all a little bit similar, yet still different from each other. What makes one more desirable than the other?What kind of feelings or thoughts are these four-legged creatures bringing to us?How comfortable are we in their presence? All of these questions and many others, intrigued me and became a big part of my design process. On some of them I was able to answer, so I believe. And the rest will still be there to answer, some day.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years from now, I am seeing myself traveling around the world while expressing new cultures as part of my work as an Industrial Design.

This new situation is a “gold mine” for us as designers, there is an opportunity for innovation and creativity.

From an industrial designer to another I would like to ask you: Do you consider that industrial design has gained or lost relevance because of the situation we are facing now, how is it in your country of origin?

I believe that every change that affects us is an opportunity for designers and especially for an Industrial Designers. The crazy time we are experiencing right now makes us think in a different way differently and motivates us to act and respond to what is happening around us. In the practical context, our new reality obliges us with the automation of acting thanks to the touch-less social distance, which is required of us. This new situation is a “gold mine” for us as designers, there is an opportunity for innovation and creativity.

Do you have any ideas in mind as an industrial designer that might be interesting for the future days to come regarding the new normality and what is the responsibility that designers face in this period in your point of view?

Alongside with the automation and the distance to which we are committed, we designers have a responsibility to think about the user. Now more than always we must be aware of humanity under the new constraints - just like in any design process in which we work within the boundaries set for us.

What are the challenges you have faced as an “out of the box creative thinker”? Tell us about it.

During the process I had a lot of concerns about the direction I was going: will they understand my intention? Is that too weird?

How to convincingly design something that does not exist?

I had no references, for good and bad.

The test of the result was that there will be a clear connection between the design and the idea I wanted to convey.

What is the thing that you enjoy most about what you do?

I feel that in this project I took some risks during the way but however I allowed myself to keep going step by step without knowing what the and result will be. I believe that this is the most special part of the design. Those moments when you work without purpose and while doing so suddenly come to surprising things - these are moments of purely pure happiness.

As you know, we are a magazine DARE CLAN that looks for young creators that have unconventional ideas exactly like you. Now tell me, what does the word “DARE” mean to you.

Dare is an important commodity in every aspect of life. it can bring you to the greatest failures and the most spectacular successes. Dare it’s a way of life it’s the fuel that drives you. I believe that good design requires daring.

Follow Netha and her work here.

Written by

Karla Zesati

Photos sourced from

Netha Design Website