When I was a kid, my parents used to take me to a lot of art events and exhibitions to cultivate my artistic sense and aesthetics. At the age of 7, I joined the art group of my elementary school. My first art teacher trained us for art competitions during the following school years. The gate of the art world has opened up for me since then. I had always dreamed to work in the creative industry.

However, I chose business and economics as my majors in college because I thought to become a designer, I needed not only a creative mindset but also the skill of critical thinking and a good understanding of the market trends. After graduating from University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in economics, I moved on to study design at Parsons in New York. From there, I learned how to work and think as a real designer. That was the real beginning of my design career.

I have always dreamed to work in the creative industry ever since I was a kid. For me, art and design are two of the most important components of my life. Art is the way for me to sense, experience and communicate to the world, and design is a method for me to discover potential possibilities in the future. I believe design is a sort of power that helps us solve different problems.

It allows us to improve the living condition, quality, utility and well-being of our life. I have always wanted to choose something that can constantly bring passion and motivation to my life. I am so glad that I have chosen a field I truly love as my career.

Based in Shenzhen China, No. 72 Design Studio is an independent design studio specialized in general graphic design, product design, packaging design, layout design and some design related consulting services. By experimenting different design methods and keeping up with up-to-date market trends, the studio mission is to provide solutions that can maximize people’s life utility and satisfaction. Monkey King, one of the most powerful Chinese mythical figures can do 72 metamorphoses.

Yet, we believe the human intelligence, creativity and hidden potential generated from design can be way more powerful than this mythical hero.

I believe design is a bridge connecting art and our daily life. It improves our living utility and happiness by transforming amazing thoughts and ideas into reality. By taking the advantage of both the experience and knowledge from the past, and the capability and skills from the present, we will be able to discover more of the beauty and infinite possibilities of this world.

I like working on product, graphic and apparel design which are all closely related to our daily life. At the same time, I also keep learning, improving and challenging myself on some other design categories, especially those based on new technologies. I love working on different creative and challenging projects.

I believe different design categories are somehow connected with each other. With the constant improvement of technology, we are now able to design things that could be useful and functional for multiple occasions and different scenarios.

I believe a good design should be both functional and practical. As designers, we cannot just focus on the artistic quality of the appearance and forget about the functionality and practicality. We need to pay attention to the balance in between, otherwise the product will become a specious “eye candy” which looks fancy but useless. Another essential aspect is the main concept of the design.

It shows the core value of the product. If function represents the body, then the concept will be the soul. A clear concept defines the unique feature of the product. It tells the consumers what the product is for, and why it is different from other existing products. I believe a successful design will bring satisfaction and happiness to people physically, mentally or both.

Being a minimalist designer, I always follow the “less is more” principle when I design. I prefer using simple elements and clear outlines to make space for my creativity and imagination. As a Chinese designer, I am always looking for chances to blend traditional eastern elements into my works when it is suitable. I also like using digital tools and latest technologies, such as 3D software and apps, to do designs. I believe leading technologies and tools can largely improve my design efficiency.

When new ideas pop up in my mind, I will try to record them on my memo first. Then I will start to look for useful information and materials to come up with the core concept and outline. After that, I will decide the practical functions of the product, and I will start making drafts.

When the final draft is selected, I will create 3D models for the product in the computer. More tests and modifications are necessary before the design is ready for mock-up. At last, I will prepare a thorough presentation for the finished product so I can introduce it to the customers when it is possible.

Yes, for sure. I grew up in Shenzhen, a beautiful modern coastal city in China. I love the cultural heritage of my country and I believe design should not have any cultural limit or boundary. Thoughts and ideas can be more diverse and inclusive. I am always trying to add eastern cultural elements in my designs.

With living experiences in both eastern and western countries, my mind is more flexible and opened up. These different experiences allow me to look at things from various angles. However, sometimes some mainstream values in my country might be very sensitive and different from the western values. In this case, contradictory concerns may happen in the process of creation.

As a designer, being able to present my works and gain appreciation from people is one of the happiest and most satisfying things in my life. Being recognized by design professionals gave me encouragement, motivation and determination to keep moving. I feel really grateful and honored when people tell me they like my works, because that means my hard work gets paid off and I have made a small contribution in making this big world a better place.

The project “Splashy Cup and Saucer Sets” is made of porcelain. The design reflects the beauty of liquid flows by capturing the moments when the collision on the liquid surface creates irregular splashes in the shape of crowns and blended into ripples. These sets of cups and saucers can be used as multifunctional tableware. The cups can serve drinks, while the saucers can be used as dessert, pastry or fruit plates.

The food looks like being soaked in fresh milk when it is placed in the middle of the saucer which has a unique splash shape with a ripple base. The smooth porcelain appearance provides a sense of cleanness. These features increase people’s appetite by making the food looks more attractive and hygienic. The saucers can be used as home decors as well.

The inspiration came up while I was making my coffee one day. Black coffee usually tastes strong and bitter, while milk is pure and smooth. When the two black and white opposite liquids run into each other, they may create wonderful physical and chemical reactions. As individuals, our personalities and thoughts can be very different from each other.

When we open our minds to communicate with different people, especially those who have different thoughts and opinions, we may surprisingly get amazing new ideas and even a grow in our wisdom. I feel that the inspiration of this project fits in the spirit of the design competition well. I believe competition between designers who have different backgrounds and thoughts may generate new sparks for a brighter future.

The biggest challenge of this project is defining the product shapes, especially for those irregular splashes, drips and ripples. The goal is to preserve the randomness of liquid states, so that the forms of splashes and drips will look more real and natural. In order to do so, I used 3D dynamic software to simulate and modify the liquid flows. In this way, the products will look less artificial in terms of the fluid states.

Winning the NY Product Design Award is a very precious experience for me. It gives me a chance to see excellent works created by other talented designers from different countries with different interests and cultural backgrounds. It was a great opportunity to learn new ideas, skills and techniques from the others.

By competing with other designers, I would be able to see my weakness and strength. The competition is like a transcript that tells me what I have done well and also what can potentially be improved. It is a valuable feedback and positive evaluation for my previous efforts. It will be a big motivation for me to keep improving and forging ahead.

The best thing about art and design, the creative industry is that it is always full of passion and energy. It shares love, beauty and hope to the world. It gives space and freedom to our mind and empowers us to make positive changes and impacts to our life and this world.

China has a very long and splendid history with profound cultural heritage. The precious cultural treasures are usually great sources of inspirations. Some typical Chinese traditional art forms, for example the Chinese traditional painting, calligraphy, the Beijing Opera, traditional costumes and architecture have left many influences on art and design industry all over the world.

As we can see, the design industry has become more diverse and inclusive these years. Rapidly developing science and technology have given us more flexibility in terms of the forms, techniques, and platforms.

In the future, I think “Metaverse” concept may become more popular or even a part of the mainstream.

We may also expect more relevant art and design works appear in different fields. Another trending technology is the Artificial Intelligence. I have seen art works created by AI robots on the news recently. Those AI robots were surprisingly creative and productive.

They might become strong competitors of human being not only in producing and manufacturing industry but also in the creative industry. The good thing is this pressure of competition can transform into motivation that urges us to keep thinking, improving and moving forward.

The result is important but it is not the most important part. Whether we are competing in the field or in a competition, the process and experience are the most precious gains. The industry is like a big mirror. We can see the reflections of ourselves by looking at works from other designers. In this way, we will learn our weakness and strength. Besides, the pressure we get may also become a motivation for us to keep going and improving.

There are many design websites such as Behance, Dribbble, Pinterest, Pexels, How Design and so on. These websites are great sources for inspirations and ideas. We can also learn new techniques and skills by looking at other designers’ works. There are many practical and useful online courses for skill improvement as well.

I love talking to myself when I am alone. I will assign a random identity to my “second self”, think of a scene then start a conversation with the “second self”. Sometimes new ideas and inspirations may pop up during these self-conversations.

My favorite artist Vincent Van Gogh said, “What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?” My favorite fashion designer Alexander McQueen said, “You can only go forward by making mistake.” He also said, “As a designer, you’ve always got to push yourself forward, you’ve always got to keep up with the trends or make your own trends.” These quotes impress, inspire and motivate me all the time.

We are in a rapidly innovative and evolving era. Remaining in the safety zone can no longer avoid being washed out by the tide of times. We should not be afraid of difficulties and mistakes because they teach us important lessons and experience. If we want to improve, the only way is to keep exploring and moving ahead.

As designers, I think we need to step out of our safety zone and become explorers and pioneers. We need to keep thinking, and forging ahead. Keep practicing and improving our capability and skills. Keep exploring the unknown potential. There are infinite possibilities in our mind and design is a very powerful shovel.

For me, design is not just a job for living. It is a career and a dream that I wish to pursue for my entire life.