We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Sylvia Jielu Zhang ("SJZ").
Sylvia Zhang is a jewellery artist and designer trained in Central Saint Martins, UK. She graduated with a Jewellery Design degree in 2014. In school, she was trained to break boundaries, expressing concept through jewellery as a medium of art. She showed her talents winning the Best Trend-forecasting prize with Swarovski, and many other prizes in Central Saint Martins. In 2016, Sylvia Zhang has finished her Master's Degree at OCAD University, Canada. She is working on her designer brand “Sylvia Zhang” with all her passion and love, creating romantic fashion jewellery and story-based custom jewellery.
Sylvia Jielu Zhang Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Sylvia Jielu Zhang.
Designer Interview of Sylvia Jielu Zhang:
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?
SJZ : Sylvia Zhang is a jewellery artist and designer trained in Central Saint Martins, UK. She graduated with a Jewellery Design degree in 2014. In 2016, Sylvia Zhang finished her Master's Degree at OCAD University, Canada，after studying the program Criticism and Curatorial Practice. When I was a child, I've always wanted to be work in art and design industry but Chinese parents usually have stereotype about this industry, so I didn't have much opportunity to study art and design until I accidentally get admitted in a Gemstone program from a university. I would say it is definitely destiny that pulled my back into what I loved and what I should do through an unexpected accident. My dream to have my own brand started when I studied jewellery design at Central Saint Martins, UK, the top fashion university around the world. I learned how to research, develop ideas and make jewellery there. I decided to move to Toronto and studied for a Master degree at OCAD U, where my understanding of contemporary jewellery deepened as my research focus on how contemporary jewellery is a form of wearable art and I work on developing new exhibition strategy of it. In 2017, When I am prepared with both academic and design background, I realized it is time I can have my own designer brand.
DI: What is "design" for you?
SJZ : To express the designer's world and echoes with others.My jewellery always has a story behind it. The message of love can bond people together and build up relationships. I hope everyone can give meaningful presents to their loved one, a present has more to tell other than decorative function.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
SJZ : Wedding jewellery.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
SJZ : I like to experiment with different materials.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
SJZ : At night and when I come back from travelling.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
SJZ : I paid attention to materials. It is important for me to think which materials can express my ideas better. Only using metal will be limited, I like to combine precious material with non-precious material.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
SJZ : Sometimes excited, sometimes anxious. At the brainstorming stage it can be free, but then you need to focus down and be more rational.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
SJZ : Very fulfilling.
DI: What makes a design successful?
SJZ : When the meaning touches people's heart, and they like the uniqueness of it.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
SJZ : Is it original? Is it special enough?
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
SJZ : My responsibility and passion lie in combine traditional culture heritage with modern design, so that I can give bring the "old" to the "new". I cannot watch the "old" to die out.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
SJZ : I come up with new ideas in travelling experience, where I can visit galleries and museums, experience local culture. I paid attention to everything, food, colour, nature, architecture...
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?
SJZ : As an independent jewellery designer, jewellery is the media that she can tell stories and draw her imaginary world to the audience. My works usually embrace languages of curves, organic forms and colour. Culture and stories bring me endless inspiration.
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?
SJZ : I live in Canada now, but my nationality is Chinese. What I learned in school is western design theories and I love to apply that into my own culture. The outcome would be unexpectedly exciting.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
SJZ : I work for myself. For me, freedom is a double-edged sword. I need to be very self-disciplined.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
SJZ : For me, design something special and meaningful is the gold rule.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
SJZ : Are you able to develop ideas? Are you able to be unique? These questions used to be the most important but now for me I will consider from the business side, am I able to sell this？ How can I reduce the cost?
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
SJZ : I am very traditional. I use mostly hand tools and only recently started using ipad to draw design.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
SJZ : I have a timeline for myself and try to stick to it, but sometimes when you don't have inspirations things start to fall apart. I am still training myself to get better at time management.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
SJZ : It depends. A few days to a week.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
SJZ : Every time I wear a piece of jewellery and introduced to others who I am, people would ask "you design this jewellery"? I feel I have to my own ambassador all the time, it's interesting.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
SJZ : My service include custom jewellery and silver jewellery, so my clients are in different age, and my business is mostly online so I can sell internationally.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
SJZ : I love works that have stories behind because I am good at extract elements and ideas from stories. I am also attracted by the story itself. Culture that I experienced through my travel experiences, too, is very inspiring to me.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
SJZ : I hope to create more culture-heritage-related collections, and keep my custom jewellery design going.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
SJZ : Sometimes I work with my design assistant, most of time I design by myself.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
SJZ : I am doing a project relate to a culture heritage-Chinese shadow puppy play. I am fascinated by the beauty of it, and feel I must develop it, modernize it and give it a new life so more young people will know about it.
DI: How can people contact you?
SJZ : Please contact me via email, Instagram, or Wechat.