Indigo Award 《Winner Interviews》
Indigo Award 《Winner Interviews》
Indigo Award 《Winner Interviews》
Indigo Award 《Winner Interviews》
Indigo Award 《Winner Interviews》
Q：What is your name?
A：Ada Wong
Q：What is your email address?
A：master@xh-studios.com
Q：Please introduce yourself and the company you're representing
A：I'm an independent designer. I established a company in 2014 to provide clients with visual design for software product development. At the same time, I'm also a game designer. For example, this award-winning work was designed for an independent game.
Q：How did you become a designer?
A：It's a natural choice because of my hobbies, art education, related work later on, and finally my own business. Currently I work in Shanghai, China.
Q：How would you describe your approach to design?
A：I pay attention to the principles of design. Design isn't unconstrained imaginations; rather, it's built on good theoretical bases and principles. Therefore, I will first understand what the project ultimately conveys, and then choose the design principles correspondingly.
Q：Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking?
A：I enjoy reading literatures on social psychology, and I never want to limit my knowledge to design. I am grateful for the splendid thoughts recorded in these books, which have enabled me to work rationally and seriously.
Q：What are you currently fascinated by and how is it feeding into your work?
A：I'm interested in various things, not limited to art and design. The diversity of interests allows me to think from different perspectives when constructing projects. While others can only think from the perspective of design, I can evaluate the possibility of the project from different angles, including my life experience of course. For instance, I'm good at both communicating and listening, which make it really easy for me to be accepted by clients and get cooperation opportunities
Q：What are you passionate about besides your work?
A：I love reading, mainly in economics, social science, history, and psychology. At the same time, I also know photography and enjoy hiking.
Q：What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others?
A：The best experiences I have gained are from my constant reflections during work, as well as from books by successful people. For example, don't waste time on the wrong people and things, and choose the right people to cooperate. This is a prerequisite for success.
Q：What are the steps of your creative process as a designer?
A：Communication before the project begins is very important. I will not start working without adequate communication. Then market research and material collection. I will investigate all feedback from similar markets of this project, understand who our competitors are, and their advantages and disadvantages. By taking these steps, many problems during the design process can be avoided. In the end, I will check the most popular similar designs in the world to ensure that the designs I provide to my clients are cutting-edge. When all these works are done, I will start the specific design work, because I have already known what the design direction is and how to complete it.
Q：How do you respond when a client gives you harsh criticism?
A：I rarely encounter severe criticism, because I will prepare well from the early stage, including an understanding of the client's character. Why he is doing this project, how he sees himself, how to think about what he is going to do, including how he views the role of the designer in this partnership, etc. Many things can be avoided at the outset, because often irreparable contradictions are caused by disguising the differences in values ??at the very beginning. Therefore, it's important to understand each other's bottom line and the differences in thinking from the start.
Q：What key metrics do you use to track your design’s success?
A：The most important indicator is customer satisfaction, and the second important one is endurance. Many designs look good when they are completed; but as time goes by, they will gradually lose their charm. I hope that my design will be appreciated even after many years.
Q：How do you stay informed about the latest design trends?
A：My information mainly comes from the news published by the international art community, winners' works of major international awards, as well as reports from some art magazines.
Q：Tell us about the best design piece from your portfolio.
A：There is no best design because design standards are endless. If I have to choose one, I think this award-winning work is one design that I like because of its interesting expression.
Q：How do you stay creative under pressure?
A：I don't rely entirely on inspiration, because inspiration is not self-disciplined, sometimes it even is laziness. Creativity under pressure is bound to be influenced, but this is not an excuse. What is important is to deliver a suitable solution. Maybe it is not the most artistic one, but it must meet clients' needs.
Q：What brands do you most admire and how do they influence your work?
A：I don't blindly believe in big brands. Sometimes I find interesting designs by accident, and maybe the designers are not famous. I will keep such designs in my mind and apply them to my work subtly.
Q：What’s an example of a project where you disagreed with the client’s feedback and how did you handle it?
A：I will first understand why clients have such feedback. The reason is very important, and I will take different approach based on the reason. Of course, if the feedback from the client is against the design principles, I will convince them by telling the reasons for my choice of treatment. I believe in the power of professionalism. If the client still persists, I will reflect on why I chose him to be my client in the first place, as this means that I have chosen the wrong partner. I am not a designer who only works for money. I have my principles.
Q：Who are the people who have influenced your aesthetics and your approach to design?
A：I received traditional art education, so Western classical art has a great influence on me. I also like Chinese art in Song Dynasty, which represents my personal highest standard in aesthetics.
Q：What do you enjoy most about your work?
A：I like the work I am doing now. It allows me to constantly stimulate and reflect, and gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Q：What are some of your personal and/or professional goals for the future?
A：I have always been an independent designer and will continue in the future. I enjoy the way of freelance work, a bit like a bard in ancient times. You never know what will happen tomorrow, what kind of design projects will come up. I like unknowns.
Q：What are the tools of the trade that you use the most? What's your favorite gadget?
A：I use PS and AI for my design. Sometimes I also choose to use hand-drawn.
Q：What is your name?
A：Ada Wong
Q：What is your email address?
A：master@xh-studios.com
Q：Please introduce yourself and the company you're representing
A：I'm an independent designer. I established a company in 2014 to provide clients with visual design for software product development. At the same time, I'm also a game designer. For example, this award-winning work was designed for an independent game.
Q：How did you become a designer?
A：It's a natural choice because of my hobbies, art education, related work later on, and finally my own business. Currently I work in Shanghai, China.
Q：How would you describe your approach to design?
A：I pay attention to the principles of design. Design isn't unconstrained imaginations; rather, it's built on good theoretical bases and principles. Therefore, I will first understand what the project ultimately conveys, and then choose the design principles correspondingly.
Q：Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking?
A：I enjoy reading literatures on social psychology, and I never want to limit my knowledge to design. I am grateful for the splendid thoughts recorded in these books, which have enabled me to work rationally and seriously.
Q：What are you currently fascinated by and how is it feeding into your work?
A：I'm interested in various things, not limited to art and design. The diversity of interests allows me to think from different perspectives when constructing projects. While others can only think from the perspective of design, I can evaluate the possibility of the project from different angles, including my life experience of course. For instance, I'm good at both communicating and listening, which make it really easy for me to be accepted by clients and get cooperation opportunities
Q：What are you passionate about besides your work?
A：I love reading, mainly in economics, social science, history, and psychology. At the same time, I also know photography and enjoy hiking.
Q：What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others?
A：The best experiences I have gained are from my constant reflections during work, as well as from books by successful people. For example, don't waste time on the wrong people and things, and choose the right people to cooperate. This is a prerequisite for success.
Q：What are the steps of your creative process as a designer?
A：Communication before the project begins is very important. I will not start working without adequate communication. Then market research and material collection. I will investigate all feedback from similar markets of this project, understand who our competitors are, and their advantages and disadvantages. By taking these steps, many problems during the design process can be avoided. In the end, I will check the most popular similar designs in the world to ensure that the designs I provide to my clients are cutting-edge. When all these works are done, I will start the specific design work, because I have already known what the design direction is and how to complete it.
Q：How do you respond when a client gives you harsh criticism?
A：I rarely encounter severe criticism, because I will prepare well from the early stage, including an understanding of the client's character. Why he is doing this project, how he sees himself, how to think about what he is going to do, including how he views the role of the designer in this partnership, etc. Many things can be avoided at the outset, because often irreparable contradictions are caused by disguising the differences in values ??at the very beginning. Therefore, it's important to understand each other's bottom line and the differences in thinking from the start.
Q：What key metrics do you use to track your design’s success?
A：The most important indicator is customer satisfaction, and the second important one is endurance. Many designs look good when they are completed; but as time goes by, they will gradually lose their charm. I hope that my design will be appreciated even after many years.
Q：How do you stay informed about the latest design trends?
A：My information mainly comes from the news published by the international art community, winners' works of major international awards, as well as reports from some art magazines.
Q：Tell us about the best design piece from your portfolio.
A：There is no best design because design standards are endless. If I have to choose one, I think this award-winning work is one design that I like because of its interesting expression.
Q：How do you stay creative under pressure?
A：I don't rely entirely on inspiration, because inspiration is not self-disciplined, sometimes it even is laziness. Creativity under pressure is bound to be influenced, but this is not an excuse. What is important is to deliver a suitable solution. Maybe it is not the most artistic one, but it must meet clients' needs.
Q：What brands do you most admire and how do they influence your work?
A：I don't blindly believe in big brands. Sometimes I find interesting designs by accident, and maybe the designers are not famous. I will keep such designs in my mind and apply them to my work subtly.
Q：What’s an example of a project where you disagreed with the client’s feedback and how did you handle it?
A：I will first understand why clients have such feedback. The reason is very important, and I will take different approach based on the reason. Of course, if the feedback from the client is against the design principles, I will convince them by telling the reasons for my choice of treatment. I believe in the power of professionalism. If the client still persists, I will reflect on why I chose him to be my client in the first place, as this means that I have chosen the wrong partner. I am not a designer who only works for money. I have my principles.
Q：Who are the people who have influenced your aesthetics and your approach to design?
A：I received traditional art education, so Western classical art has a great influence on me. I also like Chinese art in Song Dynasty, which represents my personal highest standard in aesthetics.
Q：What do you enjoy most about your work?
A：I like the work I am doing now. It allows me to constantly stimulate and reflect, and gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Q：What are some of your personal and/or professional goals for the future?
A：I have always been an independent designer and will continue in the future. I enjoy the way of freelance work, a bit like a bard in ancient times. You never know what will happen tomorrow, what kind of design projects will come up. I like unknowns.
Q：What are the tools of the trade that you use the most? What's your favorite gadget?
A：I use PS and AI for my design. Sometimes I also choose to use hand-drawn.
Q：What is your name?
A：Ada Wong
Q：What is your email address?
A：master@xh-studios.com
Q：Please introduce yourself and the company you're representing
A：I'm an independent designer. I established a company in 2014 to provide clients with visual design for software product development. At the same time, I'm also a game designer. For example, this award-winning work was designed for an independent game.
Q：How did you become a designer?
A：It's a natural choice because of my hobbies, art education, related work later on, and finally my own business. Currently I work in Shanghai, China.
Q：How would you describe your approach to design?
A：I pay attention to the principles of design. Design isn't unconstrained imaginations; rather, it's built on good theoretical bases and principles. Therefore, I will first understand what the project ultimately conveys, and then choose the design principles correspondingly.
Q：Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking?
A：I enjoy reading literatures on social psychology, and I never want to limit my knowledge to design. I am grateful for the splendid thoughts recorded in these books, which have enabled me to work rationally and seriously.
Q：What are you currently fascinated by and how is it feeding into your work?
A：I'm interested in various things, not limited to art and design. The diversity of interests allows me to think from different perspectives when constructing projects. While others can only think from the perspective of design, I can evaluate the possibility of the project from different angles, including my life experience of course. For instance, I'm good at both communicating and listening, which make it really easy for me to be accepted by clients and get cooperation opportunities
Q：What are you passionate about besides your work?
A：I love reading, mainly in economics, social science, history, and psychology. At the same time, I also know photography and enjoy hiking.
Q：What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others?
A：The best experiences I have gained are from my constant reflections during work, as well as from books by successful people. For example, don't waste time on the wrong people and things, and choose the right people to cooperate. This is a prerequisite for success.
Q：What are the steps of your creative process as a designer?
A：Communication before the project begins is very important. I will not start working without adequate communication. Then market research and material collection. I will investigate all feedback from similar markets of this project, understand who our competitors are, and their advantages and disadvantages. By taking these steps, many problems during the design process can be avoided. In the end, I will check the most popular similar designs in the world to ensure that the designs I provide to my clients are cutting-edge. When all these works are done, I will start the specific design work, because I have already known what the design direction is and how to complete it.
Q：How do you respond when a client gives you harsh criticism?
A：I rarely encounter severe criticism, because I will prepare well from the early stage, including an understanding of the client's character. Why he is doing this project, how he sees himself, how to think about what he is going to do, including how he views the role of the designer in this partnership, etc. Many things can be avoided at the outset, because often irreparable contradictions are caused by disguising the differences in values ??at the very beginning. Therefore, it's important to understand each other's bottom line and the differences in thinking from the start.
Q：What key metrics do you use to track your design’s success?
A：The most important indicator is customer satisfaction, and the second important one is endurance. Many designs look good when they are completed; but as time goes by, they will gradually lose their charm. I hope that my design will be appreciated even after many years.
Q：How do you stay informed about the latest design trends?
A：My information mainly comes from the news published by the international art community, winners' works of major international awards, as well as reports from some art magazines.
Q：Tell us about the best design piece from your portfolio.
A：There is no best design because design standards are endless. If I have to choose one, I think this award-winning work is one design that I like because of its interesting expression.
Q：How do you stay creative under pressure?
A：I don't rely entirely on inspiration, because inspiration is not self-disciplined, sometimes it even is laziness. Creativity under pressure is bound to be influenced, but this is not an excuse. What is important is to deliver a suitable solution. Maybe it is not the most artistic one, but it must meet clients' needs.
Q：What brands do you most admire and how do they influence your work?
A：I don't blindly believe in big brands. Sometimes I find interesting designs by accident, and maybe the designers are not famous. I will keep such designs in my mind and apply them to my work subtly.
Q：What’s an example of a project where you disagreed with the client’s feedback and how did you handle it?
A：I will first understand why clients have such feedback. The reason is very important, and I will take different approach based on the reason. Of course, if the feedback from the client is against the design principles, I will convince them by telling the reasons for my choice of treatment. I believe in the power of professionalism. If the client still persists, I will reflect on why I chose him to be my client in the first place, as this means that I have chosen the wrong partner. I am not a designer who only works for money. I have my principles.
Q：Who are the people who have influenced your aesthetics and your approach to design?
A：I received traditional art education, so Western classical art has a great influence on me. I also like Chinese art in Song Dynasty, which represents my personal highest standard in aesthetics.
Q：What do you enjoy most about your work?
A：I like the work I am doing now. It allows me to constantly stimulate and reflect, and gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Q：What are some of your personal and/or professional goals for the future?
A：I have always been an independent designer and will continue in the future. I enjoy the way of freelance work, a bit like a bard in ancient times. You never know what will happen tomorrow, what kind of design projects will come up. I like unknowns.
Q：What are the tools of the trade that you use the most? What's your favorite gadget?
A：I use PS and AI for my design. Sometimes I also choose to use hand-drawn.
A' Design Award《Design-Interviews》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design-Interviews》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design-Interviews》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design-Interviews》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design-Interviews》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
FS：Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AW：Yes, I have dreamed to be a designer since the childhood. To me, design is a native mission, and I studied in the artistic middle school and university. Now, I am an independent designer for Internet-related projects.
FS：Can you tell us more about your company?
AW：Sure. I established Shanghai Xihe Visual Design Studio in 2014 that mainly focuses on Internet design, game design and brand image design. Internet design includes websites, APP and software systems; game design includes game concept design, scenes, characters and interface design. Corporate Identity includes LOGO design and VI design.
FS：What is "design" for you?
AW：When God gives a person talent, he wants to manifest the glory of his creation. I will not let him down, so design, to me, is to reveal the real me inside.
FS：What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AW：I prefer modest, simple and aesthetic works where viewers are able to see through the ideas of the designer.
FS：What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AW：For example, I like the ancient arts in Chinese Song Dynasty best. The masterpieces in the 9th century (960-1279 A.D.), including painting, porcelain and literature, especially painting, were the greatest works in terms of art and design.
FS：What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AW：My first design for the company was concept design of one game, and the game design is also a part of my job.
FS：What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AW：I like the representation forms of digital art better, and with CG technology, many novel ideas may come true and the design philosophy can be presented quickly. Paper and pen are also good tools. You can paint as you wish with no limitations, to present your creation at will.
FS：When do you feel the most creative?
AW：The night. Unlike the jobs in the daytime, many wonderful ideas were conceived during the nighttime when I am alone.
FS：Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AW：I focus on the delicacy and aesthetics of design. The conception of “art” varies from person to person. But to me, “art” means simplicity by chopping off the complicated decorations, to keep the most important part. “Don’t pile” is a rule in my designs, and many of effect stack is often weak performance of the design capacity.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AW：I am very rational, so I will not fill my design with very strong emotions. Mostly, I do designing with a calm attitude.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AW：There will be a brief instant of feeling “relieved finally” and I would have some feelings of success. But it won’t last long. The situation will pass by soon.
FS：What makes a design successful?
AW：Successful design should not be simply attributed to the designer, especially for commercial design, and it requires close cooperation and marketing efforts among various departments. Designer may be an indispensable part but not all of it.
FS：When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AW：If design is to be considered itself, I would like to measure from the perspective of design aesthetics. However, when the application of design in industrial products or commercial markets is involved, I think more of the actual response in market. Now, judgment should not be based on design itself, but more consideration should be given to the use, costs, market operation, environmental protection and possibility of recycling. It is a good design, when a certain balance is achieved among such factors.
FS：From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AW：I believe that a designer should be “leader” other than “follower”. It is the responsibility of designers to lead social aesthetic pursuits for real life. To do this, a designer must engage himself in the industry and tell people what good qualities are. He should neither follow all the time and abandon his standing before immediate interests, nor flatter by some pointless works.
FS：How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AW：Design will take more social responsibilities in the future, because it can get over the barriers of words and culture, so that people can understand each other simply through design. Design links everyone. People can feel its unspoken beauty, which makes it a common understanding uniting the entire human society.
FS：When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AW：My last exhibition was at my university. If possible, I am always ready to join new design exhibitions.
FS：Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AW：To be a designer, it is very important to collect works of other designers and to learn from them, however, the final works of a designer are the reflection of his personal experiences and, therefore, unique. Inspiration comes from personal experiences.
FS：How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AW：My design style is generally concise and elegant. It is not what I deliberately intended but a reflection of my personality. I don’t like intricate things but would like to stay alone. I don’t appreciate noisy and complicated things, so my works tend to be somewhat aloof and will not be visually intense or bold.
FS：Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AW：I am from China. China is a country with a long history and has very distinctive art presentation and styles in different dynasties. I like the arts in Song Dynasty best, especially those in the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). The culture has very profound influence on my philosophies of design, however, as a result of restrictions in commercial design, I cannot demonstrate such influence in the work.
In China, designers work very passively and have to cover up their ideas on many occasions and complete the design as intended by the customer. The biggest challenge is to convince the customer of a plan that is more professional. Because of immature commercial design market, customers do not have much trust on designers and are unwilling to know them better. Besides, they do not think much of the values and roles of professional designs.
FS：How do you work with companies?
AW：My job is to provide the customer’s company with professional design services. Cooperation starts with consultation, and then signature of contracts including the master contract and ancillary contract. Then, the customer pays the initial design cost. We have complete confirmation procedures during the design process till the completion of the project and its delivery. Then, all documents are archived and delivered and bills of design fee are posted ... all of these are subject to a complete work system.
FS：What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AW：I suggest that companies should open their project resources to the design market, other than simply giving the access to resources to some particular persons. By doing this, both sides will have more choices and positive interaction and competition will be established. When selecting designers, in addition to costs, companies should also consider the experiences and background of the candidate designer, as well as real feedback from the market when the project is launched. A good design inevitably costs more, which should be a common sense among all companies.
FS：Can you talk a little about your design process?
AW：Sure. Firstly, I would try to understand exactly what the customer needs. This is very important. Secondly, I will do design planning for the project and draft a work plan and discuss with the customer on its implementation. The detailed designing process will start after agreements have been reached. In this process, I need to get feedback from customers from time to time and realign my design continuously before the final completion of the project.
FS：What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AW：My favorite? Maybe the next one!
FS：Can you describe a day in your life?
AW：Like an ordinary office worker. Breakfast, subway, e-mail checking at the office, project design, debriefing, negotiation with customer and discussion on implementation plans...
FS：Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AW：You must love this job, or otherwise, you can hardly hold on to it and make something. Passion and perseverance are of the greatest importance.
FS：From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AW：The best thing of being a designer is that you can do what you like. When a design is completed, you can feel the pride. For the bad side, because the design market is not yet mature, designers’ initiatives and intents are very limited, and this adds to the difficulty in designing. You may feel some sense of failure in the actual job.
FS：What is your "golden rule" in design?
AW：Less is more.
FS：What skills are most important for a designer?
AW：I believe what really matters to a designer is not his skill, but his understanding of personality and insight to commerce.
FS：Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AW：I do most of my job on PHOTOSHOP and occasionally some other tools as assistance.
FS：Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AW：I keep myself most active about 4 hours a day, when I can focus all my energy. I do my top priorities in this “prime time”, such as conception. For another 4 hours, I stay relaxed and do something that is usually flexible, such as replying e-mails to customers. After work, I get myself totally free from the job stuff.
FS：How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AW：Since design is interdisciplinary, the time cost varies from project to project, but I will do my best to have most (not all of them) projects done in 4 weeks.
FS：What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AW：I would repeat what I heard in meetings with my customer, and then ask “Do I understand it exactly?” or “Can you understand me?”
FS：What was your most important job experience?
AW：I have been working on this for a long time and every project mattered to me.
FS：Who are some of your clients?
AW：Most of my customers are small and medium-sized IT companies or starters or game developers.
FS：What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AW：I always hope to join the early conceptual design for videos, especially film art design, and I am looking forward to such opportunities.
FS：What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AW：My future plan is to build my own customer channel and create personal design brand. I think, in future commercial design, the brand of a designer is a key concern for customers. I am not going to attract them by preferential prices, but to enhance competitiveness by increasing the personal influence.
FS：Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AW：I am an independent designer and working for my own career.
FS：Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AW：There is no particular project in progress for the time being. If I have, I am happy to share.
FS：How can people contact you?
AW：Welcome to our company website: www.xh-studios.com
Or you can write me an e-mail at master@xh-studios.com, which is the way I prefer.
FS：Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
AW：No, you have asked them all.
FS：Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AW：Yes, I have dreamed to be a designer since the childhood. To me, design is a native mission, and I studied in the artistic middle school and university. Now, I am an independent designer for Internet-related projects.
FS：Can you tell us more about your company?
AW：Sure. I established Shanghai Xihe Visual Design Studio in 2014 that mainly focuses on Internet design, game design and brand image design. Internet design includes websites, APP and software systems; game design includes game concept design, scenes, characters and interface design. Corporate Identity includes LOGO design and VI design.
FS：What is "design" for you?
AW：When God gives a person talent, he wants to manifest the glory of his creation. I will not let him down, so design, to me, is to reveal the real me inside.
FS：What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AW：I prefer modest, simple and aesthetic works where viewers are able to see through the ideas of the designer.
FS：What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AW：For example, I like the ancient arts in Chinese Song Dynasty best. The masterpieces in the 9th century (960-1279 A.D.), including painting, porcelain and literature, especially painting, were the greatest works in terms of art and design.
FS：What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AW：My first design for the company was concept design of one game, and the game design is also a part of my job.
FS：What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AW：I like the representation forms of digital art better, and with CG technology, many novel ideas may come true and the design philosophy can be presented quickly. Paper and pen are also good tools. You can paint as you wish with no limitations, to present your creation at will.
FS：When do you feel the most creative?
AW：The night. Unlike the jobs in the daytime, many wonderful ideas were conceived during the nighttime when I am alone.
FS：Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AW：I focus on the delicacy and aesthetics of design. The conception of “art” varies from person to person. But to me, “art” means simplicity by chopping off the complicated decorations, to keep the most important part. “Don’t pile” is a rule in my designs, and many of effect stack is often weak performance of the design capacity.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AW：I am very rational, so I will not fill my design with very strong emotions. Mostly, I do designing with a calm attitude.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AW：There will be a brief instant of feeling “relieved finally” and I would have some feelings of success. But it won’t last long. The situation will pass by soon.
FS：What makes a design successful?
AW：Successful design should not be simply attributed to the designer, especially for commercial design, and it requires close cooperation and marketing efforts among various departments. Designer may be an indispensable part but not all of it.
FS：When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AW：If design is to be considered itself, I would like to measure from the perspective of design aesthetics. However, when the application of design in industrial products or commercial markets is involved, I think more of the actual response in market. Now, judgment should not be based on design itself, but more consideration should be given to the use, costs, market operation, environmental protection and possibility of recycling. It is a good design, when a certain balance is achieved among such factors.
FS：From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AW：I believe that a designer should be “leader” other than “follower”. It is the responsibility of designers to lead social aesthetic pursuits for real life. To do this, a designer must engage himself in the industry and tell people what good qualities are. He should neither follow all the time and abandon his standing before immediate interests, nor flatter by some pointless works.
FS：How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AW：Design will take more social responsibilities in the future, because it can get over the barriers of words and culture, so that people can understand each other simply through design. Design links everyone. People can feel its unspoken beauty, which makes it a common understanding uniting the entire human society.
FS：When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AW：My last exhibition was at my university. If possible, I am always ready to join new design exhibitions.
FS：Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AW：To be a designer, it is very important to collect works of other designers and to learn from them, however, the final works of a designer are the reflection of his personal experiences and, therefore, unique. Inspiration comes from personal experiences.
FS：How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AW：My design style is generally concise and elegant. It is not what I deliberately intended but a reflection of my personality. I don’t like intricate things but would like to stay alone. I don’t appreciate noisy and complicated things, so my works tend to be somewhat aloof and will not be visually intense or bold.
FS：Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AW：I am from China. China is a country with a long history and has very distinctive art presentation and styles in different dynasties. I like the arts in Song Dynasty best, especially those in the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). The culture has very profound influence on my philosophies of design, however, as a result of restrictions in commercial design, I cannot demonstrate such influence in the work.
In China, designers work very passively and have to cover up their ideas on many occasions and complete the design as intended by the customer. The biggest challenge is to convince the customer of a plan that is more professional. Because of immature commercial design market, customers do not have much trust on designers and are unwilling to know them better. Besides, they do not think much of the values and roles of professional designs.
FS：How do you work with companies?
AW：My job is to provide the customer’s company with professional design services. Cooperation starts with consultation, and then signature of contracts including the master contract and ancillary contract. Then, the customer pays the initial design cost. We have complete confirmation procedures during the design process till the completion of the project and its delivery. Then, all documents are archived and delivered and bills of design fee are posted ... all of these are subject to a complete work system.
FS：What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AW：I suggest that companies should open their project resources to the design market, other than simply giving the access to resources to some particular persons. By doing this, both sides will have more choices and positive interaction and competition will be established. When selecting designers, in addition to costs, companies should also consider the experiences and background of the candidate designer, as well as real feedback from the market when the project is launched. A good design inevitably costs more, which should be a common sense among all companies.
FS：Can you talk a little about your design process?
AW：Sure. Firstly, I would try to understand exactly what the customer needs. This is very important. Secondly, I will do design planning for the project and draft a work plan and discuss with the customer on its implementation. The detailed designing process will start after agreements have been reached. In this process, I need to get feedback from customers from time to time and realign my design continuously before the final completion of the project.
FS：What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AW：My favorite? Maybe the next one!
FS：Can you describe a day in your life?
AW：Like an ordinary office worker. Breakfast, subway, e-mail checking at the office, project design, debriefing, negotiation with customer and discussion on implementation plans...
FS：Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AW：You must love this job, or otherwise, you can hardly hold on to it and make something. Passion and perseverance are of the greatest importance.
FS：From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AW：The best thing of being a designer is that you can do what you like. When a design is completed, you can feel the pride. For the bad side, because the design market is not yet mature, designers’ initiatives and intents are very limited, and this adds to the difficulty in designing. You may feel some sense of failure in the actual job.
FS：What is your "golden rule" in design?
AW：Less is more.
FS：What skills are most important for a designer?
AW：I believe what really matters to a designer is not his skill, but his understanding of personality and insight to commerce.
FS：Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AW：I do most of my job on PHOTOSHOP and occasionally some other tools as assistance.
FS：Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AW：I keep myself most active about 4 hours a day, when I can focus all my energy. I do my top priorities in this “prime time”, such as conception. For another 4 hours, I stay relaxed and do something that is usually flexible, such as replying e-mails to customers. After work, I get myself totally free from the job stuff.
FS：How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AW：Since design is interdisciplinary, the time cost varies from project to project, but I will do my best to have most (not all of them) projects done in 4 weeks.
FS：What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AW：I would repeat what I heard in meetings with my customer, and then ask “Do I understand it exactly?” or “Can you understand me?”
FS：What was your most important job experience?
AW：I have been working on this for a long time and every project mattered to me.
FS：Who are some of your clients?
AW：Most of my customers are small and medium-sized IT companies or starters or game developers.
FS：What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AW：I always hope to join the early conceptual design for videos, especially film art design, and I am looking forward to such opportunities.
FS：What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AW：My future plan is to build my own customer channel and create personal design brand. I think, in future commercial design, the brand of a designer is a key concern for customers. I am not going to attract them by preferential prices, but to enhance competitiveness by increasing the personal influence.
FS：Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AW：I am an independent designer and working for my own career.
FS：Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AW：There is no particular project in progress for the time being. If I have, I am happy to share.
FS：How can people contact you?
AW：Welcome to our company website: www.xh-studios.com
Or you can write me an e-mail at master@xh-studios.com, which is the way I prefer.
FS：Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
AW：No, you have asked them all.
FS：Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AW：Yes, I have dreamed to be a designer since the childhood. To me, design is a native mission, and I studied in the artistic middle school and university. Now, I am an independent designer for Internet-related projects.
FS：Can you tell us more about your company?
AW：Sure. I established Shanghai Xihe Visual Design Studio in 2014 that mainly focuses on Internet design, game design and brand image design. Internet design includes websites, APP and software systems; game design includes game concept design, scenes, characters and interface design. Corporate Identity includes LOGO design and VI design.
FS：What is "design" for you?
AW：When God gives a person talent, he wants to manifest the glory of his creation. I will not let him down, so design, to me, is to reveal the real me inside.
FS：What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AW：I prefer modest, simple and aesthetic works where viewers are able to see through the ideas of the designer.
FS：What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AW：For example, I like the ancient arts in Chinese Song Dynasty best. The masterpieces in the 9th century (960-1279 A.D.), including painting, porcelain and literature, especially painting, were the greatest works in terms of art and design.
FS：What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AW：My first design for the company was concept design of one game, and the game design is also a part of my job.
FS：What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AW：I like the representation forms of digital art better, and with CG technology, many novel ideas may come true and the design philosophy can be presented quickly. Paper and pen are also good tools. You can paint as you wish with no limitations, to present your creation at will.
FS：When do you feel the most creative?
AW：The night. Unlike the jobs in the daytime, many wonderful ideas were conceived during the nighttime when I am alone.
FS：Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AW：I focus on the delicacy and aesthetics of design. The conception of “art” varies from person to person. But to me, “art” means simplicity by chopping off the complicated decorations, to keep the most important part. “Don’t pile” is a rule in my designs, and many of effect stack is often weak performance of the design capacity.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AW：I am very rational, so I will not fill my design with very strong emotions. Mostly, I do designing with a calm attitude.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AW：There will be a brief instant of feeling “relieved finally” and I would have some feelings of success. But it won’t last long. The situation will pass by soon.
FS：What makes a design successful?
AW：Successful design should not be simply attributed to the designer, especially for commercial design, and it requires close cooperation and marketing efforts among various departments. Designer may be an indispensable part but not all of it.
FS：When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AW：If design is to be considered itself, I would like to measure from the perspective of design aesthetics. However, when the application of design in industrial products or commercial markets is involved, I think more of the actual response in market. Now, judgment should not be based on design itself, but more consideration should be given to the use, costs, market operation, environmental protection and possibility of recycling. It is a good design, when a certain balance is achieved among such factors.
FS：From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AW：I believe that a designer should be “leader” other than “follower”. It is the responsibility of designers to lead social aesthetic pursuits for real life. To do this, a designer must engage himself in the industry and tell people what good qualities are. He should neither follow all the time and abandon his standing before immediate interests, nor flatter by some pointless works.
FS：How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AW：Design will take more social responsibilities in the future, because it can get over the barriers of words and culture, so that people can understand each other simply through design. Design links everyone. People can feel its unspoken beauty, which makes it a common understanding uniting the entire human society.
FS：When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AW：My last exhibition was at my university. If possible, I am always ready to join new design exhibitions.
FS：Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AW：To be a designer, it is very important to collect works of other designers and to learn from them, however, the final works of a designer are the reflection of his personal experiences and, therefore, unique. Inspiration comes from personal experiences.
FS：How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AW：My design style is generally concise and elegant. It is not what I deliberately intended but a reflection of my personality. I don’t like intricate things but would like to stay alone. I don’t appreciate noisy and complicated things, so my works tend to be somewhat aloof and will not be visually intense or bold.
FS：Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AW：I am from China. China is a country with a long history and has very distinctive art presentation and styles in different dynasties. I like the arts in Song Dynasty best, especially those in the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). The culture has very profound influence on my philosophies of design, however, as a result of restrictions in commercial design, I cannot demonstrate such influence in the work.
In China, designers work very passively and have to cover up their ideas on many occasions and complete the design as intended by the customer. The biggest challenge is to convince the customer of a plan that is more professional. Because of immature commercial design market, customers do not have much trust on designers and are unwilling to know them better. Besides, they do not think much of the values and roles of professional designs.
FS：How do you work with companies?
AW：My job is to provide the customer’s company with professional design services. Cooperation starts with consultation, and then signature of contracts including the master contract and ancillary contract. Then, the customer pays the initial design cost. We have complete confirmation procedures during the design process till the completion of the project and its delivery. Then, all documents are archived and delivered and bills of design fee are posted ... all of these are subject to a complete work system.
FS：What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AW：I suggest that companies should open their project resources to the design market, other than simply giving the access to resources to some particular persons. By doing this, both sides will have more choices and positive interaction and competition will be established. When selecting designers, in addition to costs, companies should also consider the experiences and background of the candidate designer, as well as real feedback from the market when the project is launched. A good design inevitably costs more, which should be a common sense among all companies.
FS：Can you talk a little about your design process?
AW：Sure. Firstly, I would try to understand exactly what the customer needs. This is very important. Secondly, I will do design planning for the project and draft a work plan and discuss with the customer on its implementation. The detailed designing process will start after agreements have been reached. In this process, I need to get feedback from customers from time to time and realign my design continuously before the final completion of the project.
FS：What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AW：My favorite? Maybe the next one!
FS：Can you describe a day in your life?
AW：Like an ordinary office worker. Breakfast, subway, e-mail checking at the office, project design, debriefing, negotiation with customer and discussion on implementation plans...
FS：Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AW：You must love this job, or otherwise, you can hardly hold on to it and make something. Passion and perseverance are of the greatest importance.
FS：From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AW：The best thing of being a designer is that you can do what you like. When a design is completed, you can feel the pride. For the bad side, because the design market is not yet mature, designers’ initiatives and intents are very limited, and this adds to the difficulty in designing. You may feel some sense of failure in the actual job.
FS：What is your "golden rule" in design?
AW：Less is more.
FS：What skills are most important for a designer?
AW：I believe what really matters to a designer is not his skill, but his understanding of personality and insight to commerce.
FS：Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AW：I do most of my job on PHOTOSHOP and occasionally some other tools as assistance.
FS：Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AW：I keep myself most active about 4 hours a day, when I can focus all my energy. I do my top priorities in this “prime time”, such as conception. For another 4 hours, I stay relaxed and do something that is usually flexible, such as replying e-mails to customers. After work, I get myself totally free from the job stuff.
FS：How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AW：Since design is interdisciplinary, the time cost varies from project to project, but I will do my best to have most (not all of them) projects done in 4 weeks.
FS：What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AW：I would repeat what I heard in meetings with my customer, and then ask “Do I understand it exactly?” or “Can you understand me?”
FS：What was your most important job experience?
AW：I have been working on this for a long time and every project mattered to me.
FS：Who are some of your clients?
AW：Most of my customers are small and medium-sized IT companies or starters or game developers.
FS：What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AW：I always hope to join the early conceptual design for videos, especially film art design, and I am looking forward to such opportunities.
FS：What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AW：My future plan is to build my own customer channel and create personal design brand. I think, in future commercial design, the brand of a designer is a key concern for customers. I am not going to attract them by preferential prices, but to enhance competitiveness by increasing the personal influence.
FS：Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AW：I am an independent designer and working for my own career.
FS：Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AW：There is no particular project in progress for the time being. If I have, I am happy to share.
FS：How can people contact you?
AW：Welcome to our company website: www.xh-studios.com
Or you can write me an e-mail at master@xh-studios.com, which is the way I prefer.
FS：Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
AW：No, you have asked them all.
FS：Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AW：Yes, I have dreamed to be a designer since the childhood. To me, design is a native mission, and I studied in the artistic middle school and university. Now, I am an independent designer for Internet-related projects.
FS：Can you tell us more about your company?
AW：Sure. I established Shanghai Xihe Visual Design Studio in 2014 that mainly focuses on Internet design, game design and brand image design. Internet design includes websites, APP and software systems; game design includes game concept design, scenes, characters and interface design. Corporate Identity includes LOGO design and VI design.
FS：What is "design" for you?
AW：When God gives a person talent, he wants to manifest the glory of his creation. I will not let him down, so design, to me, is to reveal the real me inside.
FS：What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AW：I prefer modest, simple and aesthetic works where viewers are able to see through the ideas of the designer.
FS：What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AW：For example, I like the ancient arts in Chinese Song Dynasty best. The masterpieces in the 9th century (960-1279 A.D.), including painting, porcelain and literature, especially painting, were the greatest works in terms of art and design.
FS：What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AW：My first design for the company was concept design of one game, and the game design is also a part of my job.
FS：What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AW：I like the representation forms of digital art better, and with CG technology, many novel ideas may come true and the design philosophy can be presented quickly. Paper and pen are also good tools. You can paint as you wish with no limitations, to present your creation at will.
FS：When do you feel the most creative?
AW：The night. Unlike the jobs in the daytime, many wonderful ideas were conceived during the nighttime when I am alone.
FS：Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AW：I focus on the delicacy and aesthetics of design. The conception of “art” varies from person to person. But to me, “art” means simplicity by chopping off the complicated decorations, to keep the most important part. “Don’t pile” is a rule in my designs, and many of effect stack is often weak performance of the design capacity.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AW：I am very rational, so I will not fill my design with very strong emotions. Mostly, I do designing with a calm attitude.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AW：There will be a brief instant of feeling “relieved finally” and I would have some feelings of success. But it won’t last long. The situation will pass by soon.
FS：What makes a design successful?
AW：Successful design should not be simply attributed to the designer, especially for commercial design, and it requires close cooperation and marketing efforts among various departments. Designer may be an indispensable part but not all of it.
FS：When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AW：If design is to be considered itself, I would like to measure from the perspective of design aesthetics. However, when the application of design in industrial products or commercial markets is involved, I think more of the actual response in market. Now, judgment should not be based on design itself, but more consideration should be given to the use, costs, market operation, environmental protection and possibility of recycling. It is a good design, when a certain balance is achieved among such factors.
FS：From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AW：I believe that a designer should be “leader” other than “follower”. It is the responsibility of designers to lead social aesthetic pursuits for real life. To do this, a designer must engage himself in the industry and tell people what good qualities are. He should neither follow all the time and abandon his standing before immediate interests, nor flatter by some pointless works.
FS：How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AW：Design will take more social responsibilities in the future, because it can get over the barriers of words and culture, so that people can understand each other simply through design. Design links everyone. People can feel its unspoken beauty, which makes it a common understanding uniting the entire human society.
FS：When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AW：My last exhibition was at my university. If possible, I am always ready to join new design exhibitions.
FS：Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AW：To be a designer, it is very important to collect works of other designers and to learn from them, however, the final works of a designer are the reflection of his personal experiences and, therefore, unique. Inspiration comes from personal experiences.
FS：How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AW：My design style is generally concise and elegant. It is not what I deliberately intended but a reflection of my personality. I don’t like intricate things but would like to stay alone. I don’t appreciate noisy and complicated things, so my works tend to be somewhat aloof and will not be visually intense or bold.
FS：Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AW：I am from China. China is a country with a long history and has very distinctive art presentation and styles in different dynasties. I like the arts in Song Dynasty best, especially those in the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). The culture has very profound influence on my philosophies of design, however, as a result of restrictions in commercial design, I cannot demonstrate such influence in the work.
In China, designers work very passively and have to cover up their ideas on many occasions and complete the design as intended by the customer. The biggest challenge is to convince the customer of a plan that is more professional. Because of immature commercial design market, customers do not have much trust on designers and are unwilling to know them better. Besides, they do not think much of the values and roles of professional designs.
FS：How do you work with companies?
AW：My job is to provide the customer’s company with professional design services. Cooperation starts with consultation, and then signature of contracts including the master contract and ancillary contract. Then, the customer pays the initial design cost. We have complete confirmation procedures during the design process till the completion of the project and its delivery. Then, all documents are archived and delivered and bills of design fee are posted ... all of these are subject to a complete work system.
FS：What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AW：I suggest that companies should open their project resources to the design market, other than simply giving the access to resources to some particular persons. By doing this, both sides will have more choices and positive interaction and competition will be established. When selecting designers, in addition to costs, companies should also consider the experiences and background of the candidate designer, as well as real feedback from the market when the project is launched. A good design inevitably costs more, which should be a common sense among all companies.
FS：Can you talk a little about your design process?
AW：Sure. Firstly, I would try to understand exactly what the customer needs. This is very important. Secondly, I will do design planning for the project and draft a work plan and discuss with the customer on its implementation. The detailed designing process will start after agreements have been reached. In this process, I need to get feedback from customers from time to time and realign my design continuously before the final completion of the project.
FS：What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AW：My favorite? Maybe the next one!
FS：Can you describe a day in your life?
AW：Like an ordinary office worker. Breakfast, subway, e-mail checking at the office, project design, debriefing, negotiation with customer and discussion on implementation plans...
FS：Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AW：You must love this job, or otherwise, you can hardly hold on to it and make something. Passion and perseverance are of the greatest importance.
FS：From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AW：The best thing of being a designer is that you can do what you like. When a design is completed, you can feel the pride. For the bad side, because the design market is not yet mature, designers’ initiatives and intents are very limited, and this adds to the difficulty in designing. You may feel some sense of failure in the actual job.
FS：What is your "golden rule" in design?
AW：Less is more.
FS：What skills are most important for a designer?
AW：I believe what really matters to a designer is not his skill, but his understanding of personality and insight to commerce.
FS：Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AW：I do most of my job on PHOTOSHOP and occasionally some other tools as assistance.
FS：Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AW：I keep myself most active about 4 hours a day, when I can focus all my energy. I do my top priorities in this “prime time”, such as conception. For another 4 hours, I stay relaxed and do something that is usually flexible, such as replying e-mails to customers. After work, I get myself totally free from the job stuff.
FS：How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AW：Since design is interdisciplinary, the time cost varies from project to project, but I will do my best to have most (not all of them) projects done in 4 weeks.
FS：What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AW：I would repeat what I heard in meetings with my customer, and then ask “Do I understand it exactly?” or “Can you understand me?”
FS：What was your most important job experience?
AW：I have been working on this for a long time and every project mattered to me.
FS：Who are some of your clients?
AW：Most of my customers are small and medium-sized IT companies or starters or game developers.
FS：What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AW：I always hope to join the early conceptual design for videos, especially film art design, and I am looking forward to such opportunities.
FS：What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AW：My future plan is to build my own customer channel and create personal design brand. I think, in future commercial design, the brand of a designer is a key concern for customers. I am not going to attract them by preferential prices, but to enhance competitiveness by increasing the personal influence.
FS：Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AW：I am an independent designer and working for my own career.
FS：Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AW：There is no particular project in progress for the time being. If I have, I am happy to share.
FS：How can people contact you?
AW：Welcome to our company website: www.xh-studios.com
Or you can write me an e-mail at master@xh-studios.com, which is the way I prefer.
FS：Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
AW：No, you have asked them all.
FS：Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AW：Yes, I have dreamed to be a designer since the childhood. To me, design is a native mission, and I studied in the artistic middle school and university. Now, I am an independent designer for Internet-related projects.
FS：Can you tell us more about your company?
AW：Sure. I established Shanghai Xihe Visual Design Studio in 2014 that mainly focuses on Internet design, game design and brand image design. Internet design includes websites, APP and software systems; game design includes game concept design, scenes, characters and interface design. Corporate Identity includes LOGO design and VI design.
FS：What is "design" for you?
AW：When God gives a person talent, he wants to manifest the glory of his creation. I will not let him down, so design, to me, is to reveal the real me inside.
FS：What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AW：I prefer modest, simple and aesthetic works where viewers are able to see through the ideas of the designer.
FS：What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AW：For example, I like the ancient arts in Chinese Song Dynasty best. The masterpieces in the 9th century (960-1279 A.D.), including painting, porcelain and literature, especially painting, were the greatest works in terms of art and design.
FS：What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AW：My first design for the company was concept design of one game, and the game design is also a part of my job.
FS：What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AW：I like the representation forms of digital art better, and with CG technology, many novel ideas may come true and the design philosophy can be presented quickly. Paper and pen are also good tools. You can paint as you wish with no limitations, to present your creation at will.
FS：When do you feel the most creative?
AW：The night. Unlike the jobs in the daytime, many wonderful ideas were conceived during the nighttime when I am alone.
FS：Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AW：I focus on the delicacy and aesthetics of design. The conception of “art” varies from person to person. But to me, “art” means simplicity by chopping off the complicated decorations, to keep the most important part. “Don’t pile” is a rule in my designs, and many of effect stack is often weak performance of the design capacity.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AW：I am very rational, so I will not fill my design with very strong emotions. Mostly, I do designing with a calm attitude.
FS：What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AW：There will be a brief instant of feeling “relieved finally” and I would have some feelings of success. But it won’t last long. The situation will pass by soon.
FS：What makes a design successful?
AW：Successful design should not be simply attributed to the designer, especially for commercial design, and it requires close cooperation and marketing efforts among various departments. Designer may be an indispensable part but not all of it.
FS：When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AW：If design is to be considered itself, I would like to measure from the perspective of design aesthetics. However, when the application of design in industrial products or commercial markets is involved, I think more of the actual response in market. Now, judgment should not be based on design itself, but more consideration should be given to the use, costs, market operation, environmental protection and possibility of recycling. It is a good design, when a certain balance is achieved among such factors.
FS：From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AW：I believe that a designer should be “leader” other than “follower”. It is the responsibility of designers to lead social aesthetic pursuits for real life. To do this, a designer must engage himself in the industry and tell people what good qualities are. He should neither follow all the time and abandon his standing before immediate interests, nor flatter by some pointless works.
FS：How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AW：Design will take more social responsibilities in the future, because it can get over the barriers of words and culture, so that people can understand each other simply through design. Design links everyone. People can feel its unspoken beauty, which makes it a common understanding uniting the entire human society.
FS：When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AW：My last exhibition was at my university. If possible, I am always ready to join new design exhibitions.
FS：Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AW：To be a designer, it is very important to collect works of other designers and to learn from them, however, the final works of a designer are the reflection of his personal experiences and, therefore, unique. Inspiration comes from personal experiences.
FS：How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AW：My design style is generally concise and elegant. It is not what I deliberately intended but a reflection of my personality. I don’t like intricate things but would like to stay alone. I don’t appreciate noisy and complicated things, so my works tend to be somewhat aloof and will not be visually intense or bold.
FS：Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AW：I am from China. China is a country with a long history and has very distinctive art presentation and styles in different dynasties. I like the arts in Song Dynasty best, especially those in the South Song Dynasty (1127-1279 A.D.). The culture has very profound influence on my philosophies of design, however, as a result of restrictions in commercial design, I cannot demonstrate such influence in the work.
In China, designers work very passively and have to cover up their ideas on many occasions and complete the design as intended by the customer. The biggest challenge is to convince the customer of a plan that is more professional. Because of immature commercial design market, customers do not have much trust on designers and are unwilling to know them better. Besides, they do not think much of the values and roles of professional designs.
FS：How do you work with companies?
AW：My job is to provide the customer’s company with professional design services. Cooperation starts with consultation, and then signature of contracts including the master contract and ancillary contract. Then, the customer pays the initial design cost. We have complete confirmation procedures during the design process till the completion of the project and its delivery. Then, all documents are archived and delivered and bills of design fee are posted ... all of these are subject to a complete work system.
FS：What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AW：I suggest that companies should open their project resources to the design market, other than simply giving the access to resources to some particular persons. By doing this, both sides will have more choices and positive interaction and competition will be established. When selecting designers, in addition to costs, companies should also consider the experiences and background of the candidate designer, as well as real feedback from the market when the project is launched. A good design inevitably costs more, which should be a common sense among all companies.
FS：Can you talk a little about your design process?
AW：Sure. Firstly, I would try to understand exactly what the customer needs. This is very important. Secondly, I will do design planning for the project and draft a work plan and discuss with the customer on its implementation. The detailed designing process will start after agreements have been reached. In this process, I need to get feedback from customers from time to time and realign my design continuously before the final completion of the project.
FS：What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AW：My favorite? Maybe the next one!
FS：Can you describe a day in your life?
AW：Like an ordinary office worker. Breakfast, subway, e-mail checking at the office, project design, debriefing, negotiation with customer and discussion on implementation plans...
FS：Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AW：You must love this job, or otherwise, you can hardly hold on to it and make something. Passion and perseverance are of the greatest importance.
FS：From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AW：The best thing of being a designer is that you can do what you like. When a design is completed, you can feel the pride. For the bad side, because the design market is not yet mature, designers’ initiatives and intents are very limited, and this adds to the difficulty in designing. You may feel some sense of failure in the actual job.
FS：What is your "golden rule" in design?
AW：Less is more.
FS：What skills are most important for a designer?
AW：I believe what really matters to a designer is not his skill, but his understanding of personality and insight to commerce.
FS：Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AW：I do most of my job on PHOTOSHOP and occasionally some other tools as assistance.
FS：Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AW：I keep myself most active about 4 hours a day, when I can focus all my energy. I do my top priorities in this “prime time”, such as conception. For another 4 hours, I stay relaxed and do something that is usually flexible, such as replying e-mails to customers. After work, I get myself totally free from the job stuff.
FS：How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AW：Since design is interdisciplinary, the time cost varies from project to project, but I will do my best to have most (not all of them) projects done in 4 weeks.
FS：What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AW：I would repeat what I heard in meetings with my customer, and then ask “Do I understand it exactly?” or “Can you understand me?”
FS：What was your most important job experience?
AW：I have been working on this for a long time and every project mattered to me.
FS：Who are some of your clients?
AW：Most of my customers are small and medium-sized IT companies or starters or game developers.
FS：What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AW：I always hope to join the early conceptual design for videos, especially film art design, and I am looking forward to such opportunities.
FS：What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AW：My future plan is to build my own customer channel and create personal design brand. I think, in future commercial design, the brand of a designer is a key concern for customers. I am not going to attract them by preferential prices, but to enhance competitiveness by increasing the personal influence.
FS：Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AW：I am an independent designer and working for my own career.
FS：Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AW：There is no particular project in progress for the time being. If I have, I am happy to share.
FS：How can people contact you?
AW：Welcome to our company website: www.xh-studios.com
Or you can write me an e-mail at master@xh-studios.com, which is the way I prefer.
FS：Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
AW：No, you have asked them all.
A' Design Award《Design Legends》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design Legends》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design Legends》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design Legends》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
A' Design Award《Design Legends》
2016 - 2017 Winner Interviews
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
Editor Frank Scott (FS) from DesignPRWire has interviewed designer Ada Wong (AW) for A'Design Awards.
Interview with Ada Wong at Tuesday 2nd of May 2017
FS：Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
AW：I graduated from the Art Design School of Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, undergraduate, as a Bachelor of Arts.
FS：What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
AW：I had that dream of becoming a designer since I was very young and have never considered any other job so far.
FS：Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
AW：I choose it positively as I always do.
FS：What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
AW：I do all types of designs, such as graphic design, Internet product design, commercial illustrations and game concept design. I like different types of designs.
FS：What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
AW：I always insist on passion and perseverance. As long as a person loves it from his true heart, he will do whatever he can to solve the problems he meets, otherwise, he may easily give up. The premise of perseverance is this passion for the job.
FS：What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
AW：I don’t think I am a great master now. I am nothing but a newcomer to a good designer and there is still a long way to go, so I cannot tell their difference. Sorry!
FS：What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
AW：A good design is judged by many criteria for various dimensions. I highly value the market influence of a design, and a good design should help customers win more competitive advantages. If the design fails to serve his business purpose and fails to create business value, it is only a good design in art, but not in commercial market.
FS：What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
AW：A good design can bring products with incomparable market competitiveness, especially in China. This is the inevitable trend in product development after the commercial market develops. If an industrial product does not have the least visual beauty, it is very hard to image that people will buy it, therefore design surely deserves the investment.
FS：What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
AW：I would make some design works or pictures that I like and make it only to myself.
FS：What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
AW：I dreamed of taking some pictures in the Antarctic, but it is still a dream.
FS：What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
AW：My secret is to talk to the customer face to face! I do not accept design projects with any third-party organization as a broker, because I would never see my customer throughout the design process. Most often, the success of design depends on face to face communication with the final customer, because only in this way, the designer is able to completely understand the ideas and standing of his customer, so that he can make necessary adjustments to the conditions in cooperation. Without face-to-face negotiation, design is a pointless job and cannot win attention from the customer.
FS：Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
AW：I get inspirations and references from many masters in the ancient times. I like studying the cultures and history of different countries and learn very novel ideas from their artworks.
FS：What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
AW：I like the design works more than a particular designer. A good design may be from different persons and my personal preference will not be limited to any particular person or team.
FS：What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
AW：I do not have my greatest design yet, because design is not a job one can fully manifest his personal wills. Sometimes, I have to make concessions and properly deal with the relations between different parties, to reach a balance. Customer’s needs are not to demonstrate the skills of the designer, but designers should serve such needs and have some regrets inevitably in the design works. More importantly, a piece of work has to be enjoyed by most of people, not the designer himself.
FS：How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
AW：Design level is a part of capability, but not all, and, more importantly, a designer should understand the business needs of his design, so as to make it in line with expectations of the majority. For this purpose, extensive knowledge and information are required, other than the design itself.
FS：If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
AW：I may likely run for election, funding, speeches, canvass, attendance of TV debates…They are interesting and I would like to have a try.
FS：Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
AW：I may have attentions and supports from my family and friends, but what really matters is that I have to rely on myself and fight for it.
FS：What helped you to become a great designer?
AW：I am not yet a great designer. If something makes me a great designer, it must be the idea of “becoming a great designer”!
FS：What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
AW：There are too much. My understanding for design is not deep enough. I am doing the designing mainly from the aspects of techniques and have not come to the level of souls and hearts. I may compromise before poor business environments and have many concerns, and my heart has not yet become fearless. I will look around and have worries, and there is still a pretty long way to go...
FS：How do you think designers should present their work?
AW：The most important thing in the expression of design is to convey the information, in which clearly expressed information is more important than the visual attractions. Because it is the design itself other than its introduction that impresses people most.
FS：What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
AW：I have no idea what the next project is. Maybe a brand image design, or a website design or software system design, or game conception design. Whatever it is, I will face it in a professional way.
FS：What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
AW：I hope my design helps to make more harmonious interpersonal relations in the society, so that people can put aside their disputes and share a common value, so that our society can move forward.
FS：What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
AW：One must be strict with himself by applying professional standards and attitudes and feel responsible for what he is doing.
FS：How does design help create a better society?
AW：I believe the best thing in design is to provide a common language that requires no translation, so that people can understand the information conveyed through the images, especially information that requires attentions from everyone, such as environment, human rights, animal protection, children, poverty relief and actions against violence ... Design helps to make a better society. Languages, sometimes, cause misunderstandings but images are more intuitive and create more impacts that call people for reflection.
FS：What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
AW：I am a rational man and always stay calm even when I am doing something I like.
FS：Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
AW：I like every project I have worked on so far, but the better one always belongs to the next one.
FS：What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
AW：I hope design will someday become a real part of people’s life. People do not focus on the practical use and cost effectiveness of products, but should focus more on tastes and enjoyment, which will make a great space for the market of design.
FS：Where do you think the design field is headed next?
AW：My next design is on VR and AI products. There is vast space that has been not developed at all in the two fields.
FS：When you have a new design project, where do you start?
AW：A successful design starts with communication, like why and what is going to do? One should not do it without asking.
FS：What is your life motto as a designer?
AW：I am an idealist and my motto is “Even life is going to end tomorrow, do it now because it is never late!
FS：Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
AW：This is an interesting question. There are even conflicting answers among designers to the question of which is dominating between design and trend.
I personally think that trend sets design. Why? Trend is decided by the development of industrial technologies, for example, in fashion design, new technologies produce new materials, and new materials, after they become affordable, will be widely adopted in the market. Since design serves the market, it uses the new materials and creates new fashions. In this process, design is never independent of the industrial technology development, but on the contrary, design is a result of industrial technology development. So, I believe trend decides the presentation of design.
FS：What is the role of technology when you design?
AW：Technology is not the ultimate goal of design, but simply a way to the goal. It is like the relationship between a boat and a river. Design is to cross the river by using the boat, but not to study the boat while standing on it and forget the goal of crossing the river. When we choose a technology, it does not matter whether it is the latest, the most sophisticated or the most popular one. We choose it as long as it agrees with the design needs and helps us to reach the final goal.
FS：What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
AW：All of the three factors are closely related to the final production cost. Very often the designer has to do designing within a cost range preset by the customer. The selection of a particular color or material and the environment of realization depends on actual conditions and has influences on the final expression of the product, so the balance among various factors is of the greatest importance.
FS：What do you wish people to ask about your design?
AW：Elegance and uniqueness, to convey a beautiful life.
FS：When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
AW：A great design should be able to shape social development and, therefore, it is certain to play positive roles in the society. I appreciate the influence of design on the society.
FS：Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
AW：I do believe it, though I have not yet found my ideal partner. Once I find him, I can build a close and mutual understanding relationship with my partner.
FS：Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
AW：Ideas from another person help the designer to jump off his restrictions and complete the design. Being professional sometimes leads to a narrowed vision, and different ideas can set the designer free, so I also care about opinions of others and finish it in a professional way.
FS：Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
AW：I read books on history, literature and social science, as well as articles on art history. These help a designer to develop deeper thoughts on design.
FS：How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
AW：I learn the software skills in the actual jobs, by reading books or attending online courses.
FS：Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
AW：I do not have any particular person that I want to meet. This is because a designer can have a soul-to soul talk with another through his works. If they understand each other, communication is simple through the works, or otherwise, they have nothing to talk, even face to face.
FS：How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
AW：Design is an industry that has a pyramid structure. The famous people are always a small portion of the society. Awards and recognition only explain the current level of a designer but do not mean that he is at the top of the pyramid. If a person does designing simply for being famous, he may very likely be disappointed. I like awards and recognition, but they are nothing but self-motivation to me.
FS：What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
AW：I like purple, forests most, Chinese dishes, spring, walking and photography.
FS：Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
AW：Sometimes, I have projects in various cities and every time I come to a new place, I would like to learn its local characteristics. This makes me feel the vastness and all the wonders of the world. For example, I had once a forest adventure alone, but in the afternoon, then it changed suddenly and began to snow, so I had to walk 7 kilometers to a safe destination. No one else has a glimpse of the grandness and glorious view of the forest that day.
FS：What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
AW：Very often, design fails to win recognition from the customer, but the designer should see it objectively. Commercial design requires coordination among many departments. Although many designs are not well aligned to customer needs, it does not necessarily mean that they are not good. Therefore, a designer must distinguish his design from work and understand their differences. I often say to myself, “It is pretty normal and does not matter!”
FS：What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
AW：We may look back at the changes to the society throughout the human history of over 1,000 years, especially changes in the past 100 years. The changes to human society were greater than any period in the history. We will see even faster changes in the future which may be more astonishing. I guess, in the next 1,000 years, the urban civilization on earth will become an interstellar civilization. Voyager1 and Voyager2 may well bring us good news.
FS：Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
AW：I hope they can really understand how a designer serves the product and project, but should not take it for granted that design is a simple thing. I also hope people give more respect to professional opinions of designers, rather than see designers as “followers”.
FS：Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
AW：I graduated from the Art Design School of Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, undergraduate, as a Bachelor of Arts.
FS：What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
AW：I had that dream of becoming a designer since I was very young and have never considered any other job so far.
FS：Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
AW：I choose it positively as I always do.
FS：What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
AW：I do all types of designs, such as graphic design, Internet product design, commercial illustrations and game concept design. I like different types of designs.
FS：What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
AW：I always insist on passion and perseverance. As long as a person loves it from his true heart, he will do whatever he can to solve the problems he meets, otherwise, he may easily give up. The premise of perseverance is this passion for the job.
FS：What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
AW：I don’t think I am a great master now. I am nothing but a newcomer to a good designer and there is still a long way to go, so I cannot tell their difference. Sorry!
FS：What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
AW：A good design is judged by many criteria for various dimensions. I highly value the market influence of a design, and a good design should help customers win more competitive advantages. If the design fails to serve his business purpose and fails to create business value, it is only a good design in art, but not in commercial market.
FS：What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
AW：A good design can bring products with incomparable market competitiveness, especially in China. This is the inevitable trend in product development after the commercial market develops. If an industrial product does not have the least visual beauty, it is very hard to image that people will buy it, therefore design surely deserves the investment.
FS：What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
AW：I would make some design works or pictures that I like and make it only to myself.
FS：What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
AW：I dreamed of taking some pictures in the Antarctic, but it is still a dream.
FS：What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
AW：My secret is to talk to the customer face to face! I do not accept design projects with any third-party organization as a broker, because I would never see my customer throughout the design process. Most often, the success of design depends on face to face communication with the final customer, because only in this way, the designer is able to completely understand the ideas and standing of his customer, so that he can make necessary adjustments to the conditions in cooperation. Without face-to-face negotiation, design is a pointless job and cannot win attention from the customer.
FS：Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
AW：I get inspirations and references from many masters in the ancient times. I like studying the cultures and history of different countries and learn very novel ideas from their artworks.
FS：What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
AW：I like the design works more than a particular designer. A good design may be from different persons and my personal preference will not be limited to any particular person or team.
FS：What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
AW：I do not have my greatest design yet, because design is not a job one can fully manifest his personal wills. Sometimes, I have to make concessions and properly deal with the relations between different parties, to reach a balance. Customer’s needs are not to demonstrate the skills of the designer, but designers should serve such needs and have some regrets inevitably in the design works. More importantly, a piece of work has to be enjoyed by most of people, not the designer himself.
FS：How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
AW：Design level is a part of capability, but not all, and, more importantly, a designer should understand the business needs of his design, so as to make it in line with expectations of the majority. For this purpose, extensive knowledge and information are required, other than the design itself.
FS：If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
AW：I may likely run for election, funding, speeches, canvass, attendance of TV debates…They are interesting and I would like to have a try.
FS：Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
AW：I may have attentions and supports from my family and friends, but what really matters is that I have to rely on myself and fight for it.
FS：What helped you to become a great designer?
AW：I am not yet a great designer. If something makes me a great designer, it must be the idea of “becoming a great designer”!
FS：What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
AW：There are too much. My understanding for design is not deep enough. I am doing the designing mainly from the aspects of techniques and have not come to the level of souls and hearts. I may compromise before poor business environments and have many concerns, and my heart has not yet become fearless. I will look around and have worries, and there is still a pretty long way to go...
FS：How do you think designers should present their work?
AW：The most important thing in the expression of design is to convey the information, in which clearly expressed information is more important than the visual attractions. Because it is the design itself other than its introduction that impresses people most.
FS：What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
AW：I have no idea what the next project is. Maybe a brand image design, or a website design or software system design, or game conception design. Whatever it is, I will face it in a professional way.
FS：What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
AW：I hope my design helps to make more harmonious interpersonal relations in the society, so that people can put aside their disputes and share a common value, so that our society can move forward.
FS：What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
AW：One must be strict with himself by applying professional standards and attitudes and feel responsible for what he is doing.
FS：How does design help create a better society?
AW：I believe the best thing in design is to provide a common language that requires no translation, so that people can understand the information conveyed through the images, especially information that requires attentions from everyone, such as environment, human rights, animal protection, children, poverty relief and actions against violence ... Design helps to make a better society. Languages, sometimes, cause misunderstandings but images are more intuitive and create more impacts that call people for reflection.
FS：What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
AW：I am a rational man and always stay calm even when I am doing something I like.
FS：Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
AW：I like every project I have worked on so far, but the better one always belongs to the next one.
FS：What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
AW：I hope design will someday become a real part of people’s life. People do not focus on the practical use and cost effectiveness of products, but should focus more on tastes and enjoyment, which will make a great space for the market of design.
FS：Where do you think the design field is headed next?
AW：My next design is on VR and AI products. There is vast space that has been not developed at all in the two fields.
FS：When you have a new design project, where do you start?
AW：A successful design starts with communication, like why and what is going to do? One should not do it without asking.
FS：What is your life motto as a designer?
AW：I am an idealist and my motto is “Even life is going to end tomorrow, do it now because it is never late!
FS：Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
AW：This is an interesting question. There are even conflicting answers among designers to the question of which is dominating between design and trend.
I personally think that trend sets design. Why? Trend is decided by the development of industrial technologies, for example, in fashion design, new technologies produce new materials, and new materials, after they become affordable, will be widely adopted in the market. Since design serves the market, it uses the new materials and creates new fashions. In this process, design is never independent of the industrial technology development, but on the contrary, design is a result of industrial technology development. So, I believe trend decides the presentation of design.
FS：What is the role of technology when you design?
AW：Technology is not the ultimate goal of design, but simply a way to the goal. It is like the relationship between a boat and a river. Design is to cross the river by using the boat, but not to study the boat while standing on it and forget the goal of crossing the river. When we choose a technology, it does not matter whether it is the latest, the most sophisticated or the most popular one. We choose it as long as it agrees with the design needs and helps us to reach the final goal.
FS：What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
AW：All of the three factors are closely related to the final production cost. Very often the designer has to do designing within a cost range preset by the customer. The selection of a particular color or material and the environment of realization depends on actual conditions and has influences on the final expression of the product, so the balance among various factors is of the greatest importance.
FS：What do you wish people to ask about your design?
AW：Elegance and uniqueness, to convey a beautiful life.
FS：When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
AW：A great design should be able to shape social development and, therefore, it is certain to play positive roles in the society. I appreciate the influence of design on the society.
FS：Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
AW：I do believe it, though I have not yet found my ideal partner. Once I find him, I can build a close and mutual understanding relationship with my partner.
FS：Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
AW：Ideas from another person help the designer to jump off his restrictions and complete the design. Being professional sometimes leads to a narrowed vision, and different ideas can set the designer free, so I also care about opinions of others and finish it in a professional way.
FS：Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
AW：I read books on history, literature and social science, as well as articles on art history. These help a designer to develop deeper thoughts on design.
FS：How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
AW：I learn the software skills in the actual jobs, by reading books or attending online courses.
FS：Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
AW：I do not have any particular person that I want to meet. This is because a designer can have a soul-to soul talk with another through his works. If they understand each other, communication is simple through the works, or otherwise, they have nothing to talk, even face to face.
FS：How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
AW：Design is an industry that has a pyramid structure. The famous people are always a small portion of the society. Awards and recognition only explain the current level of a designer but do not mean that he is at the top of the pyramid. If a person does designing simply for being famous, he may very likely be disappointed. I like awards and recognition, but they are nothing but self-motivation to me.
FS：What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
AW：I like purple, forests most, Chinese dishes, spring, walking and photography.
FS：Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
AW：Sometimes, I have projects in various cities and every time I come to a new place, I would like to learn its local characteristics. This makes me feel the vastness and all the wonders of the world. For example, I had once a forest adventure alone, but in the afternoon, then it changed suddenly and began to snow, so I had to walk 7 kilometers to a safe destination. No one else has a glimpse of the grandness and glorious view of the forest that day.
FS：What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
AW：Very often, design fails to win recognition from the customer, but the designer should see it objectively. Commercial design requires coordination among many departments. Although many designs are not well aligned to customer needs, it does not necessarily mean that they are not good. Therefore, a designer must distinguish his design from work and understand their differences. I often say to myself, “It is pretty normal and does not matter!”
FS：What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
AW：We may look back at the changes to the society throughout the human history of over 1,000 years, especially changes in the past 100 years. The changes to human society were greater than any period in the history. We will see even faster changes in the future which may be more astonishing. I guess, in the next 1,000 years, the urban civilization on earth will become an interstellar civilization. Voyager1 and Voyager2 may well bring us good news.
FS：Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
AW：I hope they can really understand how a designer serves the product and project, but should not take it for granted that design is a simple thing. I also hope people give more respect to professional opinions of designers, rather than see designers as “followers”.
FS：Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
AW：I graduated from the Art Design School of Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, undergraduate, as a Bachelor of Arts.
FS：What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
AW：I had that dream of becoming a designer since I was very young and have never considered any other job so far.
FS：Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
AW：I choose it positively as I always do.
FS：What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
AW：I do all types of designs, such as graphic design, Internet product design, commercial illustrations and game concept design. I like different types of designs.
FS：What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
AW：I always insist on passion and perseverance. As long as a person loves it from his true heart, he will do whatever he can to solve the problems he meets, otherwise, he may easily give up. The premise of perseverance is this passion for the job.
FS：What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
AW：I don’t think I am a great master now. I am nothing but a newcomer to a good designer and there is still a long way to go, so I cannot tell their difference. Sorry!
FS：What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
AW：A good design is judged by many criteria for various dimensions. I highly value the market influence of a design, and a good design should help customers win more competitive advantages. If the design fails to serve his business purpose and fails to create business value, it is only a good design in art, but not in commercial market.
FS：What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
AW：A good design can bring products with incomparable market competitiveness, especially in China. This is the inevitable trend in product development after the commercial market develops. If an industrial product does not have the least visual beauty, it is very hard to image that people will buy it, therefore design surely deserves the investment.
FS：What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
AW：I would make some design works or pictures that I like and make it only to myself.
FS：What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
AW：I dreamed of taking some pictures in the Antarctic, but it is still a dream.
FS：What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
AW：My secret is to talk to the customer face to face! I do not accept design projects with any third-party organization as a broker, because I would never see my customer throughout the design process. Most often, the success of design depends on face to face communication with the final customer, because only in this way, the designer is able to completely understand the ideas and standing of his customer, so that he can make necessary adjustments to the conditions in cooperation. Without face-to-face negotiation, design is a pointless job and cannot win attention from the customer.
FS：Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
AW：I get inspirations and references from many masters in the ancient times. I like studying the cultures and history of different countries and learn very novel ideas from their artworks.
FS：What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
AW：I like the design works more than a particular designer. A good design may be from different persons and my personal preference will not be limited to any particular person or team.
FS：What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
AW：I do not have my greatest design yet, because design is not a job one can fully manifest his personal wills. Sometimes, I have to make concessions and properly deal with the relations between different parties, to reach a balance. Customer’s needs are not to demonstrate the skills of the designer, but designers should serve such needs and have some regrets inevitably in the design works. More importantly, a piece of work has to be enjoyed by most of people, not the designer himself.
FS：How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
AW：Design level is a part of capability, but not all, and, more importantly, a designer should understand the business needs of his design, so as to make it in line with expectations of the majority. For this purpose, extensive knowledge and information are required, other than the design itself.
FS：If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
AW：I may likely run for election, funding, speeches, canvass, attendance of TV debates…They are interesting and I would like to have a try.
FS：Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
AW：I may have attentions and supports from my family and friends, but what really matters is that I have to rely on myself and fight for it.
FS：What helped you to become a great designer?
AW：I am not yet a great designer. If something makes me a great designer, it must be the idea of “becoming a great designer”!
FS：What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
AW：There are too much. My understanding for design is not deep enough. I am doing the designing mainly from the aspects of techniques and have not come to the level of souls and hearts. I may compromise before poor business environments and have many concerns, and my heart has not yet become fearless. I will look around and have worries, and there is still a pretty long way to go...
FS：How do you think designers should present their work?
AW：The most important thing in the expression of design is to convey the information, in which clearly expressed information is more important than the visual attractions. Because it is the design itself other than its introduction that impresses people most.
FS：What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
AW：I have no idea what the next project is. Maybe a brand image design, or a website design or software system design, or game conception design. Whatever it is, I will face it in a professional way.
FS：What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
AW：I hope my design helps to make more harmonious interpersonal relations in the society, so that people can put aside their disputes and share a common value, so that our society can move forward.
FS：What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
AW：One must be strict with himself by applying professional standards and attitudes and feel responsible for what he is doing.
FS：How does design help create a better society?
AW：I believe the best thing in design is to provide a common language that requires no translation, so that people can understand the information conveyed through the images, especially information that requires attentions from everyone, such as environment, human rights, animal protection, children, poverty relief and actions against violence ... Design helps to make a better society. Languages, sometimes, cause misunderstandings but images are more intuitive and create more impacts that call people for reflection.
FS：What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
AW：I am a rational man and always stay calm even when I am doing something I like.
FS：Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
AW：I like every project I have worked on so far, but the better one always belongs to the next one.
FS：What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
AW：I hope design will someday become a real part of people’s life. People do not focus on the practical use and cost effectiveness of products, but should focus more on tastes and enjoyment, which will make a great space for the market of design.
FS：Where do you think the design field is headed next?
AW：My next design is on VR and AI products. There is vast space that has been not developed at all in the two fields.
FS：When you have a new design project, where do you start?
AW：A successful design starts with communication, like why and what is going to do? One should not do it without asking.
FS：What is your life motto as a designer?
AW：I am an idealist and my motto is “Even life is going to end tomorrow, do it now because it is never late!
FS：Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
AW：This is an interesting question. There are even conflicting answers among designers to the question of which is dominating between design and trend.
I personally think that trend sets design. Why? Trend is decided by the development of industrial technologies, for example, in fashion design, new technologies produce new materials, and new materials, after they become affordable, will be widely adopted in the market. Since design serves the market, it uses the new materials and creates new fashions. In this process, design is never independent of the industrial technology development, but on the contrary, design is a result of industrial technology development. So, I believe trend decides the presentation of design.
FS：What is the role of technology when you design?
AW：Technology is not the ultimate goal of design, but simply a way to the goal. It is like the relationship between a boat and a river. Design is to cross the river by using the boat, but not to study the boat while standing on it and forget the goal of crossing the river. When we choose a technology, it does not matter whether it is the latest, the most sophisticated or the most popular one. We choose it as long as it agrees with the design needs and helps us to reach the final goal.
FS：What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
AW：All of the three factors are closely related to the final production cost. Very often the designer has to do designing within a cost range preset by the customer. The selection of a particular color or material and the environment of realization depends on actual conditions and has influences on the final expression of the product, so the balance among various factors is of the greatest importance.
FS：What do you wish people to ask about your design?
AW：Elegance and uniqueness, to convey a beautiful life.
FS：When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
AW：A great design should be able to shape social development and, therefore, it is certain to play positive roles in the society. I appreciate the influence of design on the society.
FS：Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
AW：I do believe it, though I have not yet found my ideal partner. Once I find him, I can build a close and mutual understanding relationship with my partner.
FS：Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
AW：Ideas from another person help the designer to jump off his restrictions and complete the design. Being professional sometimes leads to a narrowed vision, and different ideas can set the designer free, so I also care about opinions of others and finish it in a professional way.
FS：Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
AW：I read books on history, literature and social science, as well as articles on art history. These help a designer to develop deeper thoughts on design.
FS：How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
AW：I learn the software skills in the actual jobs, by reading books or attending online courses.
FS：Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
AW：I do not have any particular person that I want to meet. This is because a designer can have a soul-to soul talk with another through his works. If they understand each other, communication is simple through the works, or otherwise, they have nothing to talk, even face to face.
FS：How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
AW：Design is an industry that has a pyramid structure. The famous people are always a small portion of the society. Awards and recognition only explain the current level of a designer but do not mean that he is at the top of the pyramid. If a person does designing simply for being famous, he may very likely be disappointed. I like awards and recognition, but they are nothing but self-motivation to me.
FS：What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
AW：I like purple, forests most, Chinese dishes, spring, walking and photography.
FS：Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
AW：Sometimes, I have projects in various cities and every time I come to a new place, I would like to learn its local characteristics. This makes me feel the vastness and all the wonders of the world. For example, I had once a forest adventure alone, but in the afternoon, then it changed suddenly and began to snow, so I had to walk 7 kilometers to a safe destination. No one else has a glimpse of the grandness and glorious view of the forest that day.
FS：What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
AW：Very often, design fails to win recognition from the customer, but the designer should see it objectively. Commercial design requires coordination among many departments. Although many designs are not well aligned to customer needs, it does not necessarily mean that they are not good. Therefore, a designer must distinguish his design from work and understand their differences. I often say to myself, “It is pretty normal and does not matter!”
FS：What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
AW：We may look back at the changes to the society throughout the human history of over 1,000 years, especially changes in the past 100 years. The changes to human society were greater than any period in the history. We will see even faster changes in the future which may be more astonishing. I guess, in the next 1,000 years, the urban civilization on earth will become an interstellar civilization. Voyager1 and Voyager2 may well bring us good news.
FS：Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
AW：I hope they can really understand how a designer serves the product and project, but should not take it for granted that design is a simple thing. I also hope people give more respect to professional opinions of designers, rather than see designers as “followers”.
FS：Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
AW：I graduated from the Art Design School of Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, undergraduate, as a Bachelor of Arts.
FS：What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
AW：I had that dream of becoming a designer since I was very young and have never considered any other job so far.
FS：Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
AW：I choose it positively as I always do.
FS：What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
AW：I do all types of designs, such as graphic design, Internet product design, commercial illustrations and game concept design. I like different types of designs.
FS：What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
AW：I always insist on passion and perseverance. As long as a person loves it from his true heart, he will do whatever he can to solve the problems he meets, otherwise, he may easily give up. The premise of perseverance is this passion for the job.
FS：What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
AW：I don’t think I am a great master now. I am nothing but a newcomer to a good designer and there is still a long way to go, so I cannot tell their difference. Sorry!
FS：What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
AW：A good design is judged by many criteria for various dimensions. I highly value the market influence of a design, and a good design should help customers win more competitive advantages. If the design fails to serve his business purpose and fails to create business value, it is only a good design in art, but not in commercial market.
FS：What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
AW：A good design can bring products with incomparable market competitiveness, especially in China. This is the inevitable trend in product development after the commercial market develops. If an industrial product does not have the least visual beauty, it is very hard to image that people will buy it, therefore design surely deserves the investment.
FS：What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
AW：I would make some design works or pictures that I like and make it only to myself.
FS：What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
AW：I dreamed of taking some pictures in the Antarctic, but it is still a dream.
FS：What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
AW：My secret is to talk to the customer face to face! I do not accept design projects with any third-party organization as a broker, because I would never see my customer throughout the design process. Most often, the success of design depends on face to face communication with the final customer, because only in this way, the designer is able to completely understand the ideas and standing of his customer, so that he can make necessary adjustments to the conditions in cooperation. Without face-to-face negotiation, design is a pointless job and cannot win attention from the customer.
FS：Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
AW：I get inspirations and references from many masters in the ancient times. I like studying the cultures and history of different countries and learn very novel ideas from their artworks.
FS：What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
AW：I like the design works more than a particular designer. A good design may be from different persons and my personal preference will not be limited to any particular person or team.
FS：What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
AW：I do not have my greatest design yet, because design is not a job one can fully manifest his personal wills. Sometimes, I have to make concessions and properly deal with the relations between different parties, to reach a balance. Customer’s needs are not to demonstrate the skills of the designer, but designers should serve such needs and have some regrets inevitably in the design works. More importantly, a piece of work has to be enjoyed by most of people, not the designer himself.
FS：How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
AW：Design level is a part of capability, but not all, and, more importantly, a designer should understand the business needs of his design, so as to make it in line with expectations of the majority. For this purpose, extensive knowledge and information are required, other than the design itself.
FS：If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
AW：I may likely run for election, funding, speeches, canvass, attendance of TV debates…They are interesting and I would like to have a try.
FS：Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
AW：I may have attentions and supports from my family and friends, but what really matters is that I have to rely on myself and fight for it.
FS：What helped you to become a great designer?
AW：I am not yet a great designer. If something makes me a great designer, it must be the idea of “becoming a great designer”!
FS：What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
AW：There are too much. My understanding for design is not deep enough. I am doing the designing mainly from the aspects of techniques and have not come to the level of souls and hearts. I may compromise before poor business environments and have many concerns, and my heart has not yet become fearless. I will look around and have worries, and there is still a pretty long way to go...
FS：How do you think designers should present their work?
AW：The most important thing in the expression of design is to convey the information, in which clearly expressed information is more important than the visual attractions. Because it is the design itself other than its introduction that impresses people most.
FS：What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
AW：I have no idea what the next project is. Maybe a brand image design, or a website design or software system design, or game conception design. Whatever it is, I will face it in a professional way.
FS：What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
AW：I hope my design helps to make more harmonious interpersonal relations in the society, so that people can put aside their disputes and share a common value, so that our society can move forward.
FS：What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
AW：One must be strict with himself by applying professional standards and attitudes and feel responsible for what he is doing.
FS：How does design help create a better society?
AW：I believe the best thing in design is to provide a common language that requires no translation, so that people can understand the information conveyed through the images, especially information that requires attentions from everyone, such as environment, human rights, animal protection, children, poverty relief and actions against violence ... Design helps to make a better society. Languages, sometimes, cause misunderstandings but images are more intuitive and create more impacts that call people for reflection.
FS：What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
AW：I am a rational man and always stay calm even when I am doing something I like.
FS：Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
AW：I like every project I have worked on so far, but the better one always belongs to the next one.
FS：What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
AW：I hope design will someday become a real part of people’s life. People do not focus on the practical use and cost effectiveness of products, but should focus more on tastes and enjoyment, which will make a great space for the market of design.
FS：Where do you think the design field is headed next?
AW：My next design is on VR and AI products. There is vast space that has been not developed at all in the two fields.
FS：When you have a new design project, where do you start?
AW：A successful design starts with communication, like why and what is going to do? One should not do it without asking.
FS：What is your life motto as a designer?
AW：I am an idealist and my motto is “Even life is going to end tomorrow, do it now because it is never late!
FS：Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
AW：This is an interesting question. There are even conflicting answers among designers to the question of which is dominating between design and trend.
I personally think that trend sets design. Why? Trend is decided by the development of industrial technologies, for example, in fashion design, new technologies produce new materials, and new materials, after they become affordable, will be widely adopted in the market. Since design serves the market, it uses the new materials and creates new fashions. In this process, design is never independent of the industrial technology development, but on the contrary, design is a result of industrial technology development. So, I believe trend decides the presentation of design.
FS：What is the role of technology when you design?
AW：Technology is not the ultimate goal of design, but simply a way to the goal. It is like the relationship between a boat and a river. Design is to cross the river by using the boat, but not to study the boat while standing on it and forget the goal of crossing the river. When we choose a technology, it does not matter whether it is the latest, the most sophisticated or the most popular one. We choose it as long as it agrees with the design needs and helps us to reach the final goal.
FS：What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
AW：All of the three factors are closely related to the final production cost. Very often the designer has to do designing within a cost range preset by the customer. The selection of a particular color or material and the environment of realization depends on actual conditions and has influences on the final expression of the product, so the balance among various factors is of the greatest importance.
FS：What do you wish people to ask about your design?
AW：Elegance and uniqueness, to convey a beautiful life.
FS：When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
AW：A great design should be able to shape social development and, therefore, it is certain to play positive roles in the society. I appreciate the influence of design on the society.
FS：Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
AW：I do believe it, though I have not yet found my ideal partner. Once I find him, I can build a close and mutual understanding relationship with my partner.
FS：Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
AW：Ideas from another person help the designer to jump off his restrictions and complete the design. Being professional sometimes leads to a narrowed vision, and different ideas can set the designer free, so I also care about opinions of others and finish it in a professional way.
FS：Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
AW：I read books on history, literature and social science, as well as articles on art history. These help a designer to develop deeper thoughts on design.
FS：How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
AW：I learn the software skills in the actual jobs, by reading books or attending online courses.
FS：Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
AW：I do not have any particular person that I want to meet. This is because a designer can have a soul-to soul talk with another through his works. If they understand each other, communication is simple through the works, or otherwise, they have nothing to talk, even face to face.
FS：How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
AW：Design is an industry that has a pyramid structure. The famous people are always a small portion of the society. Awards and recognition only explain the current level of a designer but do not mean that he is at the top of the pyramid. If a person does designing simply for being famous, he may very likely be disappointed. I like awards and recognition, but they are nothing but self-motivation to me.
FS：What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
AW：I like purple, forests most, Chinese dishes, spring, walking and photography.
FS：Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
AW：Sometimes, I have projects in various cities and every time I come to a new place, I would like to learn its local characteristics. This makes me feel the vastness and all the wonders of the world. For example, I had once a forest adventure alone, but in the afternoon, then it changed suddenly and began to snow, so I had to walk 7 kilometers to a safe destination. No one else has a glimpse of the grandness and glorious view of the forest that day.
FS：What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
AW：Very often, design fails to win recognition from the customer, but the designer should see it objectively. Commercial design requires coordination among many departments. Although many designs are not well aligned to customer needs, it does not necessarily mean that they are not good. Therefore, a designer must distinguish his design from work and understand their differences. I often say to myself, “It is pretty normal and does not matter!”
FS：What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
AW：We may look back at the changes to the society throughout the human history of over 1,000 years, especially changes in the past 100 years. The changes to human society were greater than any period in the history. We will see even faster changes in the future which may be more astonishing. I guess, in the next 1,000 years, the urban civilization on earth will become an interstellar civilization. Voyager1 and Voyager2 may well bring us good news.
FS：Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
AW：I hope they can really understand how a designer serves the product and project, but should not take it for granted that design is a simple thing. I also hope people give more respect to professional opinions of designers, rather than see designers as “followers”.
FS：Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?
AW：I graduated from the Art Design School of Wuhan University of Science and Engineering, undergraduate, as a Bachelor of Arts.
FS：What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?
AW：I had that dream of becoming a designer since I was very young and have never considered any other job so far.
FS：Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?
AW：I choose it positively as I always do.
FS：What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?
AW：I do all types of designs, such as graphic design, Internet product design, commercial illustrations and game concept design. I like different types of designs.
FS：What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?
AW：I always insist on passion and perseverance. As long as a person loves it from his true heart, he will do whatever he can to solve the problems he meets, otherwise, he may easily give up. The premise of perseverance is this passion for the job.
FS：What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?
AW：I don’t think I am a great master now. I am nothing but a newcomer to a good designer and there is still a long way to go, so I cannot tell their difference. Sorry!
FS：What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?
AW：A good design is judged by many criteria for various dimensions. I highly value the market influence of a design, and a good design should help customers win more competitive advantages. If the design fails to serve his business purpose and fails to create business value, it is only a good design in art, but not in commercial market.
FS：What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?
AW：A good design can bring products with incomparable market competitiveness, especially in China. This is the inevitable trend in product development after the commercial market develops. If an industrial product does not have the least visual beauty, it is very hard to image that people will buy it, therefore design surely deserves the investment.
FS：What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?
AW：I would make some design works or pictures that I like and make it only to myself.
FS：What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?
AW：I dreamed of taking some pictures in the Antarctic, but it is still a dream.
FS：What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?
AW：My secret is to talk to the customer face to face! I do not accept design projects with any third-party organization as a broker, because I would never see my customer throughout the design process. Most often, the success of design depends on face to face communication with the final customer, because only in this way, the designer is able to completely understand the ideas and standing of his customer, so that he can make necessary adjustments to the conditions in cooperation. Without face-to-face negotiation, design is a pointless job and cannot win attention from the customer.
FS：Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?
AW：I get inspirations and references from many masters in the ancient times. I like studying the cultures and history of different countries and learn very novel ideas from their artworks.
FS：What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?
AW：I like the design works more than a particular designer. A good design may be from different persons and my personal preference will not be limited to any particular person or team.
FS：What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?
AW：I do not have my greatest design yet, because design is not a job one can fully manifest his personal wills. Sometimes, I have to make concessions and properly deal with the relations between different parties, to reach a balance. Customer’s needs are not to demonstrate the skills of the designer, but designers should serve such needs and have some regrets inevitably in the design works. More importantly, a piece of work has to be enjoyed by most of people, not the designer himself.
FS：How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?
AW：Design level is a part of capability, but not all, and, more importantly, a designer should understand the business needs of his design, so as to make it in line with expectations of the majority. For this purpose, extensive knowledge and information are required, other than the design itself.
FS：If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?
AW：I may likely run for election, funding, speeches, canvass, attendance of TV debates…They are interesting and I would like to have a try.
FS：Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?
AW：I may have attentions and supports from my family and friends, but what really matters is that I have to rely on myself and fight for it.
FS：What helped you to become a great designer?
AW：I am not yet a great designer. If something makes me a great designer, it must be the idea of “becoming a great designer”!
FS：What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?
AW：There are too much. My understanding for design is not deep enough. I am doing the designing mainly from the aspects of techniques and have not come to the level of souls and hearts. I may compromise before poor business environments and have many concerns, and my heart has not yet become fearless. I will look around and have worries, and there is still a pretty long way to go...
FS：How do you think designers should present their work?
AW：The most important thing in the expression of design is to convey the information, in which clearly expressed information is more important than the visual attractions. Because it is the design itself other than its introduction that impresses people most.
FS：What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?
AW：I have no idea what the next project is. Maybe a brand image design, or a website design or software system design, or game conception design. Whatever it is, I will face it in a professional way.
FS：What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?
AW：I hope my design helps to make more harmonious interpersonal relations in the society, so that people can put aside their disputes and share a common value, so that our society can move forward.
FS：What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?
AW：One must be strict with himself by applying professional standards and attitudes and feel responsible for what he is doing.
FS：How does design help create a better society?
AW：I believe the best thing in design is to provide a common language that requires no translation, so that people can understand the information conveyed through the images, especially information that requires attentions from everyone, such as environment, human rights, animal protection, children, poverty relief and actions against violence ... Design helps to make a better society. Languages, sometimes, cause misunderstandings but images are more intuitive and create more impacts that call people for reflection.
FS：What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?
AW：I am a rational man and always stay calm even when I am doing something I like.
FS：Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?
AW：I like every project I have worked on so far, but the better one always belongs to the next one.
FS：What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?
AW：I hope design will someday become a real part of people’s life. People do not focus on the practical use and cost effectiveness of products, but should focus more on tastes and enjoyment, which will make a great space for the market of design.
FS：Where do you think the design field is headed next?
AW：My next design is on VR and AI products. There is vast space that has been not developed at all in the two fields.
FS：When you have a new design project, where do you start?
AW：A successful design starts with communication, like why and what is going to do? One should not do it without asking.
FS：What is your life motto as a designer?
AW：I am an idealist and my motto is “Even life is going to end tomorrow, do it now because it is never late!
FS：Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?
AW：This is an interesting question. There are even conflicting answers among designers to the question of which is dominating between design and trend.
I personally think that trend sets design. Why? Trend is decided by the development of industrial technologies, for example, in fashion design, new technologies produce new materials, and new materials, after they become affordable, will be widely adopted in the market. Since design serves the market, it uses the new materials and creates new fashions. In this process, design is never independent of the industrial technology development, but on the contrary, design is a result of industrial technology development. So, I believe trend decides the presentation of design.
FS：What is the role of technology when you design?
AW：Technology is not the ultimate goal of design, but simply a way to the goal. It is like the relationship between a boat and a river. Design is to cross the river by using the boat, but not to study the boat while standing on it and forget the goal of crossing the river. When we choose a technology, it does not matter whether it is the latest, the most sophisticated or the most popular one. We choose it as long as it agrees with the design needs and helps us to reach the final goal.
FS：What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?
AW：All of the three factors are closely related to the final production cost. Very often the designer has to do designing within a cost range preset by the customer. The selection of a particular color or material and the environment of realization depends on actual conditions and has influences on the final expression of the product, so the balance among various factors is of the greatest importance.
FS：What do you wish people to ask about your design?
AW：Elegance and uniqueness, to convey a beautiful life.
FS：When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?
AW：A great design should be able to shape social development and, therefore, it is certain to play positive roles in the society. I appreciate the influence of design on the society.
FS：Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?
AW：I do believe it, though I have not yet found my ideal partner. Once I find him, I can build a close and mutual understanding relationship with my partner.
FS：Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?
AW：Ideas from another person help the designer to jump off his restrictions and complete the design. Being professional sometimes leads to a narrowed vision, and different ideas can set the designer free, so I also care about opinions of others and finish it in a professional way.
FS：Which books you read had the most effect on your design?
AW：I read books on history, literature and social science, as well as articles on art history. These help a designer to develop deeper thoughts on design.
FS：How did you develop your skills as a master designer?
AW：I learn the software skills in the actual jobs, by reading books or attending online courses.
FS：Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?
AW：I do not have any particular person that I want to meet. This is because a designer can have a soul-to soul talk with another through his works. If they understand each other, communication is simple through the works, or otherwise, they have nothing to talk, even face to face.
FS：How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?
AW：Design is an industry that has a pyramid structure. The famous people are always a small portion of the society. Awards and recognition only explain the current level of a designer but do not mean that he is at the top of the pyramid. If a person does designing simply for being famous, he may very likely be disappointed. I like awards and recognition, but they are nothing but self-motivation to me.
FS：What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?
AW：I like purple, forests most, Chinese dishes, spring, walking and photography.
FS：Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?
AW：Sometimes, I have projects in various cities and every time I come to a new place, I would like to learn its local characteristics. This makes me feel the vastness and all the wonders of the world. For example, I had once a forest adventure alone, but in the afternoon, then it changed suddenly and began to snow, so I had to walk 7 kilometers to a safe destination. No one else has a glimpse of the grandness and glorious view of the forest that day.
FS：What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?
AW：Very often, design fails to win recognition from the customer, but the designer should see it objectively. Commercial design requires coordination among many departments. Although many designs are not well aligned to customer needs, it does not necessarily mean that they are not good. Therefore, a designer must distinguish his design from work and understand their differences. I often say to myself, “It is pretty normal and does not matter!”
FS：What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?
AW：We may look back at the changes to the society throughout the human history of over 1,000 years, especially changes in the past 100 years. The changes to human society were greater than any period in the history. We will see even faster changes in the future which may be more astonishing. I guess, in the next 1,000 years, the urban civilization on earth will become an interstellar civilization. Voyager1 and Voyager2 may well bring us good news.
FS：Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?
AW：I hope they can really understand how a designer serves the product and project, but should not take it for granted that design is a simple thing. I also hope people give more respect to professional opinions of designers, rather than see designers as “followers”.