Interview with Sun Jian, Design Director of SunDesign, China

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Sun Jian

Sun Jian is the Design Director of SunDesign, where his unique design concepts and style have successfully blended both brand design and advertising.



Interview with the 2020 MUSE Design Awards Winner - Sun Jian

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

My name is Sun Jian,the founder of SunDesign. I used to work for the 2008 Olympic emblem design team and worked for Japan Dentsu Corporation. I formed a unique design concept and style that blends both brand design and advertising.

I have worked and won multiple design awards in Europe, Oceania, Asia and the United States. I've won multiple awards, including the German Red Dot Award, German iF Design Award, American IDEA Design Award, Asian Design Award, Italian Design Award, Australian Good Design Award, and the German National Design Award, etc.

2What made you become/why did you choose to become a designer/artist?

My grandmother was a teacher and I started painting after I was born. My father worked on mechanical design in the army and was very interested in design when he was very young.

3Tell us more about your business/company, job profile, and what you do.

SunDesign was established in Beijing in 2014. SunDesign Brand Design (Beijing) Ltd. brings international modern designs to brands. Sun Design hopes that it can create more brands of unique features together with their partners by virtue of its accurate grasp of brand and to create design accuracy and instill the international viewpoint of Eastern and Western culture. We aspire to improve our client's reputation worldwide, cooperating with large national enterprises and designing the brand image for international brands.

4What does “design” mean to you?

For our design agency, we pay more attention to the efficiency and quality of the work so our clients can find a place in the market. We can do more by working together for research, creative ideas and design execution.

5What’s your favorite kind of design and why?

I like to focus on design research. I like what I do, and even when it's difficult, it'll be fine as long as the results can bring achievement and satisfaction.

6To you, what makes a “good” design?

A good design is a new challenge every time. I like every process of creation and creative thinking. There are constantly new ideas to be applied in different environments, giving people different visual feelings while feeling like it's a standard process at the same time.

7Describe your design style and its main characteristics.

I like natural materials, where my understanding towards environmental protection production and efforts to design more good work helps to integrate traditional cultures into my design.

8Tell us about your design process.

I like to think alone, sometimes at home, at a coffee shop or at the company. I like to come up with ideas before designing. Go and execute the design.

9Do you think your country and its cultural heritage has an impact on your design process?

Yes, the design was inspired by the Forpet dog food commitment to provide unconditional care for all dogs.

10Congratulations! As the winner of the 2019 MUSE Awards, what does it mean to you and your company and team to receive this award distinction?

I am very happy to receive the 2020 MUSE Awards. Thanks for recognizing my work. For me, I will work harder and design better to improve myself.

11Can you explain a bit about the winning work you entered into the 2020 MUSE Design Awards, and why you chose to enter this project?

Forpet is a beloved brand of dog food on sale in China and elsewhere. The inspiration of the design comes from the commitment of Forpet dog food, promising unconditional care for all dogs. As a caring caregiver and a leader in pet health, Forpet is designed to strike a balance between warmth and expertise, making Forpet a versatile product. Every dog is here was the chosen statement for Forpet and thus, a series brand was designed.

12What was the biggest challenge with this project?

The humanized packaging design consists of a series of five hand-drawn watercolor illustrations of dogs as a dog family, stressing Forpet's commitment in caring for every dog. The watercolor illustrations of five dogs are vivid and give a sense of spirituality. They can be used in combination with different flavors of dog food packaging, giving Forpet a colorful story. These watercolor illustrations are warm and have friendly dog faces, which retain a strong sense of individuality. The design encourages people to discover the dog is multiple characters and emphasizes that dogs need a healthy life.

13How has winning an Award developed your practice/career?



The warmth, friendliness and humanity of the watercolor illustrations combined with the unique hand-drawn lettering injects a kind element into the packaging. This is a brand that can be flexibly adjusted to suit the audience.

14What are your top three (3) favorite things about our industry?

1. Professional and fair review.

2. Tolerant and open international vision.

3. Beautiful trophy.

15What makes your country specifically, unique in the design industry?

China has 5,000 years of culture and can bring a lot of inspiration to designs. Many designs come from surrounding stories.

16Where do you see the evolution of design industry going over the next 5-10 years?

In the future, creative design will be very challenging. Consumers are getting more picky. To meet consumer demand, we need to continue to innovate and focus more on youth and fashion.

17If you were a student entering this industry or an aspiring MUSE Design Awards submitter, what advice would you give them?

Don't just think of wanting to win. You need to improve your ability to win the MUSE Award.

18What resources would you recommend to someone who wants to improve their skills in the design industry?

Check out MUSE's award-winning entries and learn about the design concepts of each one.

19Tell us something you have never told anyone else.

While studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, I hope to have my own studio and create my own work in the future, and one day winning the International Creative Design Award.

20Who has inspired you in your life and why?

Father. He left us when I was 18. As a kid, I used to watch his work and draw a lot of drawings. I hope that when I grow up, I can design works like him.

21What is your key to success? Any parting words of wisdom?

I am a person who likes to learn, and I like to learn their strengths from the people around me. I have been receiving challenges from customers for a long time. This has changed my thinking logic, and I like to try different points of view. Designers can look at character like works.



Winning Entries

Forpet Dog Food | 2020

Interview with Sun Jian, Design Director of SunDesign, China

The human-friendly packaging design consists of a series of five dogs with hand-painted watercolor illustrations of the dogs, underscoring Fobert's...
(read more at MUSE Design Awards)

SunDesign


SunDesign brings international modern brief design to brands, hoping that it can create more brands with unique features by virtue of its accurate grasp of brand.


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