We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Fan Bai ("FB").
Bai Fan is the founder of the lifestyle brand WANGJIANXI. Born into an artists’ family, he soaked up inspirations from various art genres in growth. He has accumulated rich, large-scale commercial activity visual design experiences over a decade of his career and established good cooperative relations with many world-renowned brands, committed to renewing conventional visual narratives with thoughtful design language and connecting commercial aesthetics and creative culture to make them a reality. He ponders over social phenomena, digs into human nature deep inside, and then depicts them with design language in a euphemistic, metaphorical manner.
Fan Bai Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Fan Bai.
Fan Bai Design - Beltman Art
Designer Interview of Fan Bai:
DI: 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?
FB : Born into an artist family, I absorbed inspirations from various art genres during my growth. The impressions they left in my mind are like attractive commodities in a showcase, and we are shoppers reflected in the glass windows. I hope to encapsulate the inner worlds of different characters into my showcase.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
FB : To better integrate commercial branding value with art and content value, I founded my own brand WANGJIANXI, aiming to create a novel, fantastical, and unique spiritual home.
DI: What is "design" for you?
FB : For me, design can be a tool for storytelling. I like to collect fragments of others' lives, and using the language of art, I translate these valuable life experiences, memories, and moments into visually expressive works.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
FB : Collectibles.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
FB : I once saw an exhausted Ultraman Toy sitting on the ground to rest while smoking after he strips off half a monster’s clothes. The plot depicted by the toy attracted me immediately. In films, the Ultraman and the monster represent justice and evil, respectively. However, the toy deviates from our mindset about Ultraman movies, and brings us to a fresh plot that may be closer to reality. I like such designs that reflect the true side of our hearts.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
FB : In high school, I designed a music festival poster for the organizer of the event.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
FB : Just after waking up in the morning.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
FB : I hope to create a serious and rigorous atmosphere through overall and detailed crafting. I pursue a subtle contrast, focusing on the emotion and storytelling of the design.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
FB : Focus and dedication. Unsatisfied with commonplace forms, driven perhaps by curiosity, I hope to turn the concepts in my mind into reality.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
FB : I feel relaxed.
DI: What makes a design successful?
FB : The attitude towards design, its social implications, and the spiritual significance it carries.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
FB : The degree to which creativity is implemented.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
FB : Designers should focus on environmental protection and social sustainable development, promote sustainable concepts, and create more sustainable lifestyles for the future.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
FB : Nowadays, artificial intelligence replaces humans to complete basic creation and even some creative thinking. The continuous development of science and technology will push designers’ core capacity to the limits. In this context, the design will transform, upgrade and become more spiritual, shifting towards a soul-oriented direction. I expect the day when man and AI are deeply integrated and co-exist will arrive soon.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
FB : I'm currently preparing for two exhibitions this year, in Beijing.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
FB : My conception process begins with interacting with the world. I pay attention to prominent social problems and often chat with ordinary people to record their big dreams.
DI: 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?
FB : I like to ponder over social phenomena and dig into human nature deep inside, and then depict them with design language in an euphemistic, metaphorical manner. I like to create characters that are both good and evil in my works, set up naughty tricks or create unexpected twists.
DI: 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?
FB : The socio-economic and cultural environment in China influences my conception process, mainly in the form of social thoughts provoked in daily life.
DI: How do you work with companies?
FB : Working with companies is a collaborative process that requires the participation of all team members. I maintain good communication with team members and relevant personnel to understand design goals and integrate them with actual situations. We consider various factors, such as user needs, technical feasibility, and market trends, to develop more creative and feasible design schemes.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
FB : It depends on the specific field of design. Different types of design require different things from a designer. However, a common point is that they should be responsible. In addition, rich experience and exposure can help a designer create more outstanding and meaningful designs.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
FB : I determine the start point and finishing line of my creation, and constantly make explorations and experiments in the process. Just like GPS leads us to our destinations via different routes, all-digital R&D makes the creation process more fault-tolerant and enables me to enjoy different views along the journey of design.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
FB : Ultraman Jack, Sid Phillips and Woody from Toy Story, Master Yoda from Star Wars, Lego's IDEA series, and a fully transparent Transformer.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
FB : At the beginning of a day, I review today's to-do tasks with my assistant, prioritizing urgent and important matters, and arrange other projects for different times of the day. Rather than strictly adhering to a daily schedule, I prefer to flexibly manage my work rhythm. For instance, if there are creative tasks, I will undertake them in the morning when my energy is abundant. If there are data analysis and relatively complex tasks that require patience and organization, I will do them in the afternoon, as I feel more focused and clear-headed at that time. I read various industry news and engage in social interaction during lunchtime and evening.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
FB : Design is not only a flash of ideas, but also a process requiring long-time accumulation of skills.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
FB : Design is like a toolbox for problem-solving, offering versatility and effectiveness in tackling challenges. However, being a designer means constantly being presented with different problems that require unique solutions, making each day a new adventure.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
FB : Embracing curiosity and being touched by the wonders of life.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
FB : Design thinking.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
FB : I often get lost in my work and lose track of time, so my assistant helps me manage my schedule.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
FB : It depends on the purpose of the design. If it's for commercial expression, it might take some time to communicate with the client. If it's for artistic expression, the idea for the piece might form in an instant in my mind.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
FB : What car do you drive?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
FB : I have accumulated more than ten years of creative planning and visual design experience in the large-scale commercial event industry, committed to updating conventional visual narratives with considerate design language, and connecting commercial aesthetics with creative culture.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
FB : Given my cross-disciplinary design background, I have different types of clients. In commercial event projects, my clients include some prestigious global brands like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Cadillac, GQ, and Huawei. Clients of my independent brand cover art enthusiasts, toy collection enthusiasts, followers of fashion and trend culture, brand partners, and collaborators.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
FB : I enjoy engaging in diverse design work, as each type of design brings me unique challenges and creative opportunities. I enjoy the process of creating from scratch, and shaping life through design.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
FB : I plan to collaborate with non-profit organizations to host some public welfare art exhibitions.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
FB : It depends on the situation. The design products and artworks of my personal brand are mainly developed by me. Commercial collaboration projects with other brands are usually achieved by the team, with me as the chief designer presiding over the entire design decision.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
FB : At present, I am undertaking some interesting and meaningful design explorations on the theme of children and cities.
DI: How can people contact you?
FB : We can communicate via email. baifan.design@gmail.com instagram @baifan_wangjianxi