We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Zhenyang Yan ("ZY").
Zhenyang Yan, an award-winning product designer, excels in crafting products that merge aesthetics with functionality, enriching lives with profound experiences. His diverse expertise spans various design disciplines, enabling him to transcend the mere creation of attractive items. Yan is passionate about designing comprehensive experiences that positively impact humans and animals alike. His designs are distinguished by their eco-conscious impact, leaving a lasting imprint on the world. The use of sustainable materials, the assurance of commercial success, and a sprinkle of enchantment are the hallmarks of his design philosophy.
Zhenyang Yan Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Zhenyang Yan.
Zhenyang Yan Design - Catvas cat scratching board
Designer Interview of Zhenyang Yan:
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?
ZY : I have a dual background in industrial design and service design, and for me, design means questioning the norm because sometimes what everyone takes for granted isn’t necessarily the best state. As a designer, this identity has always driven me to practice this principle.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
ZY : Our company is not a for-profit organization, at least for now - all partners are motivated by pure love and want to create innovative designs that bring insights to the industry, inspiring others and even ourselves to some extent.
DI: What is "design" for you?
ZY : Design means the process of stepping out of the comfort zone and constantly searching for the best answer as well as new questions. Although the so-called best answer will be constantly changing and adjusting with the development of time, technology, and humanities, what is important is the process, isn't it?
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
ZY : Honestly not having a specific category is more my preference, and as a designer I'm naturally interested in being exposed to all sorts of new things.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
ZY : I think it was a consumer electronic product called TWS earphone, one of the smallest products I have ever designed in my career.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
ZY : I'm a big fan of 3D printing, and I think it's a technology that not only broadens the possibilities of design, but it also democratizes the whole manufacturing thing - more people or small companies have access to manufacturing, which was previously a very high-barrier-to-entry industry. If 3D printing matures to the point where the cost of mass production is very low, that could be a very exciting future.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
ZY : Every time when I am exposed to some different culture.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
ZY : I focus more on whether the design addresses a previously unsolved or undiscovered problem in a more innovative way.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
ZY : Immersive or what I called the emotion of Into The Flow.
DI: What makes a design successful?
ZY : When the issue the design is trying to communicate is really understood and recognized by its audience, It will be successful in some way.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
ZY : Whether the idea that the design wants to express can really reach and inspire the whole industry, and whether its designers have presented it perfectly and realized it.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
ZY : Designers should be responsible for the ideas expressed in their work as well as the way their work is being created, because after every piece of work is created, it has the potential to affect others in some way as a stimulus. Therefore, designers should stand on a more universal perspective and try to create designs that can make the whole society better.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
ZY : The object of design must be increasingly blurred in the future. Just as in the past, product design may refer only to physical products. But now, the boundaries of product design have been extended to digital products and even to service systems in the future.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
ZY : Most of my inspiration comes from phenomena that I have observed and thought about in my own interactions with the world. I think this sensitivity to my surroundings creates my sensitivity to design.
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?
ZY : I don't like to define my design to a specific design style.
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?
ZY : I live in China, but In my view, the dimension that designers have to think about is naturally cross-cultural. Designers need to constantly look for inspiration from new cultural contexts and try to integrate it. Being stuck in a certain cultural environment is not conducive to the development of design as a whole.
DI: How do you work with companies?
ZY : I usually emphasize the importance of teamwork and practice it myself.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
ZY : I think a company should give its designers enough tolerance to allow them to make some seemingly stupid mistakes to a certain extent, because it is this so-called stupidity that is most likely to create the most interesting designs.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
ZY : It can be summarized in three words: question, empathize and iterate.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
ZY : Let me describe an ideal or typical day (though not every day): I usually wake up and browse the latest design and industry news, then in the morning I think about some design problems I've encountered and come up with potential solutions, then in the afternoon I try to build some models to test and validate the problems and discuss them with my team.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
ZY : Don't be afraid to be thought of as a fool or a lunatic when it comes to design. It is this kind of persistence or exploration that ordinary people can't understand that is the designer's most valuable asset.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
ZY : It is easy for designers to be too idealistic when doing things, resulting in ignoring some objective constraints, which, although well-intentioned, can easily lead to slower project efficiency in a real business environment.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
ZY : Dare to break the rule.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
ZY : Critical thinking.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
ZY : Hand sketch, 3D modeling software like Rhino and Grasshopper, Rendering software like Keyshot and of course 3D printer.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
ZY : Regarding to this topic - I think I am really bad at managing time and usually I don't have a solid schedule that lists all the details but doing project a bit more improvisedly within a rough storyline.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
ZY : Usually 6 months to a year. Depending on what objects it is and what is the scope for that project.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
ZY : Should designers guide users or cater to them when designing products?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
ZY : When I see every product I designed successfully launched and used by real users.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
ZY : Designs that break the existing status quo of the industry are what I appreciate the most. Because design means exploration, and sticking to the rules will only make a field slowly lose its vitality.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
ZY : I plan to be able to design products in the future that are recognized by the general public and become indispensable for everyday life.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
ZY : I usually work with a team that has people from different background. And I love to provide them with my unique expertise as a professional designer.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
ZY : I am planning to design a series of consumer products and furnitures called 'The Live Things' that can bring a new perspective to the industry in terms of both form and function definition.
DI: How can people contact you?
ZY : They can contact me via my email: yanzhenyang.design@gmail.com