To begin, Philippe Stark comes across as a very moral person. He has his own strict personal design rules that he adheres to vigorously. He also designs for a better society, as can be seen through the projects he sets his team (e.g finding good vs poorly designed products). After watching Stark give criticism to the contestants in this program, it is clear that he is extremely subjective. At times he does not let the contestants explain themselves as he has already formed an opinion of the idea in his head. As a design student, this is an expected yet somewhat annoying trait possessed by many designers in his position.
In his own words, design was built as a society for the rich and rare. Each product was expensive to purchase and hard to find so much so that the normal person could not indulge in design. Stark has since set his personal mission to make his products available to as many people as possible, focusing on mass production while delivering a product that will better the users life. He also believes that sustainability should be the most important thing on any designers mind. This is also a very socially responsible ethical choice and also keeps with his design for the better of people attitude.
His methods and designs using such a philosophy are very well recieved, if not somewhat eclectic. As someone described him during the series, 'One minute you think you know what he is doing, then he designs a stool in the shape of a garden gnome'. Many of his products have recieved international acclaim such as the lemon juicer designed for Alessi. Although this particular product seems to contradict his personal mission of mass producing useful products, as the product itself does not function as a juicer.
However, this can be seen as a one off, as most of his design portfolio is extremely well known, especially his furniture which can even be seen in popular TV shows. Phillipe Starck is a prolific designer of the 20th and 21st century, one who has helped shift the design world in a new and better direction.
