Interview with Chiung Hsu, Design Director of Zendo Design, TW

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Chiung Hsu

As the Design Director of Zendo Design, Chiung’s diversity in themes and style allows him to be more open-ended in his designs, becoming adept to take on harder design challenges.


Chiung Hsu | Zendo Design | MUSE Awards

Interview with the 2019 MUSE Design Awards Winner - Chiung Hsu

1Please give us a brief bio of yourself and your design background.

I like to draw since childhood as I had an enthusiasm for painting and a strong feeling of natural beauty. Observing nature changing the grain, color, temperature, and variation of light-shadow by season is what I like to see . When I am going into drawing. I always neglect surrounding and I know one day I will become a designer because it is my dream.

2Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.

Our company is a delicate workshop. It is not only a company but also a family where we don’t have restricted work hours, and we support and inspire each other. This work ambience is what I like.

3What does “design” mean to you?

For me, designing is like breathing. All the inspiration given by nature, every streak and light-shadow in nature is so beautiful and free. This is the best design!

4What’s your favorite kind of design and why?

I like the opus with streak and combines with local culture.

5Describe your design style and its main characteristics.

My style is diversification with stability. I will change my style based on the case. An excellent designer shouldn’t self-limit but open the mind to take challenges.

6Tell us about your design process.

Design is a lengthy and lonely road. I often face challenges and painfulness. This experience makes me grow up, as it is a necessary course which every design should have. The bitter process leads sweet, fruitful outcomes.

7Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?

I was born in Taiwan and lived in Argentina for 15 years. Now I am living in Taiwan. These experiences make my design have different kinds of country culture and be more multi-variant.

8Congratulations! As the winner of the 2019 MUSE Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?

These awards mean a lot to our design team. The competition is an essential international arena to test our design capability and creativity.

9Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2019 MUSE Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?

My principle of design is making my clients feel satisfied and successful. This is the basic mission I believe every designer should make. The design concept is also what I want to express. I try my best to add local cultures into my design and use the original beauty of building materials, such as brightening and ventilation. The inspiration of this case is from the oasis. We are trying to design a quiet and elegant habitation in this noisy city.

When I have a great opus, I tend to show to the public. Because I hope to make more and more people understand my design concept. This is why I enjoy the competition and I will do it again and again in the future.

10What was the biggest challenge with this project?

Design is always the ideal one, and if we want to achieve it, the budget could pose a problem for us and so do the techniques.

11How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?

I always focus on the design cases. All of the awards and praises are self-affirmation so it’s not important to become famous to me.

12What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?

Keep taking challenges and never restrict yourself. The most important thing is having enthusiasm in the craft.

13Where do you see the evolution of creative industry going over the next 5-10 years?

Nowadays, science and technology are flourishing and everything changes so quickly. This phenomenon makes design difficult to predict. I believe design will include all domains in the future and create a new type of design.

14What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the creative industry?

Technologies today are necessary tools for design. The latest software and techniques can ensure flexibility and variety in the development of design.

15Tell us something you have never told anyone else.

I still remember the days when I designed my house, we had a lot of arguments with my parents due to the different concepts. I made a lot of efforts to communicate with them and finally managed to design a dream house for everyone.

16Who has inspired you in your life and why?

Carlos Páez Vilaro from Paraguay is the one who influence me the most. As an artist and designer, he perfectly makes aesthetics in harmony with nature. This is also my goal.

17What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?

My secret material is from nature without a heavy process, such as logs, fair-faces concrete, and steel. I often refer to different regions of design. For example, floriculture, plane, stage, traditional culture, and industry design. Creativity comes from different kind of design and I like to combine traditional techniques with modern design and expect to pass on the traditional techniques to the latest opus.

18Do you have anything else you would like to add to the interview?

A great designer has heavy duties to the society and environment. An excellent technique can treat the nature well and a great idea is the best social education.



Winning Entries

Corner Paradise | 2019

Corner Paradise | Zendo Design | MUSE Awards
Living like a recluse in the city is a dream longed by all, but hard to reach. Even rich and powerful people who can afford luxury houses...
(read more at Muse Awards)

Zendo Design


ZENDO co. which is owned by Mr. Su is focus on how to combine the architecture and nature smoothly. In this generation of over seeking to innovation, using the eco-friendly way into the design is what makes ZENDO special..


Muse.World