We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Karen Chang ("KC").
She is a designer who loves to solve problems and provide new value with design. She doesn’t think who is important or not important in this world. She has designed a number of outstanding works, dedicated to creating economic value for design. She has been recognized by property developers and international awards. Her biggest contribution to the design was to build a design platform, which is named CAC Design. CAC Design allows designers to explore the value of design, excavate the potential of design, and Let more people interested in design achieve themselves on this platform. This is her most satisfying achievement so far.
Karen Chang Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Karen Chang.
Designer Interview of Karen Chang:
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?
KC : For the love of painting from an early age, I choosed the architecture major in university. After graduation, it naturally for me engaged in the design of architecture and interior space.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
KC : I founded the CAC Design Group in 1999, During the period, we completed nearly 1,000 residence and boutique hotels and commercial spaces. We designed successful cases include: The Puli Hotel with international master Jaya Ibrahim that always considered a classic for luxury hotels a classic luxury hotel in Shanghai; Savoir Resort, one of the most popular buildings in China; Vanke Gong Wang, which opens a new Chinese style in buildings; Sunac Marquis Mansion, which is an iconic building featured with a sense of nostalgia for heart…… When the new Chinese style is not yet popular, CAC DESIGN GROUP has become its trend. Today, we are still constantly exploring and expanding the boundaries of design to create more possibilities.
DI: What is "design" for you?
KC : I think that a broad definition refers to something that reflects the specific state of society. The specific definition refers to a combination of sensibility and rationality. The inspiration for design is not a moment, but a reasonable imagination based on logical thinking. There are many differences between design and art. For example, in the design industry, “design solves problems, art production and Lenovo thinking”. “Design has a close relationship with money, but art is better off the money. In my opinion, the difference between the two is different from the way of commercial operation. For example, art is the artist's own point of creation, creating works, and then finding a buyer who resonates; the designer uses the owner as a starting point to find problems, Solve the problem,
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
KC : I like all creative works that are creative, thoughtful, and unique. Based on operational experience, many of my design works are based on modern design techniques, and do not specifically define the attributes and styles of space.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
KC : I like to be a very complete project that can apply design concepts and people's habits. A good design not only has a good design concept, but also uses the concept to be smooth and consistent, and it is their customary way for the space user to feel comfortable.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
KC : CAC DESIGN 's office.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
KC : I like to use natural materials such as solid wood, terrazzo and so on. Natural materials stand the test of time and have a continuous vitality. I like to browse the platform of design and art. Favorite technology is hand-made materials.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
KC : Maybe in the dream.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
KC : In addition to the design concept, I am most concerned with the planning of the plan, which is very critical in the design, is a process to solve the problem.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
KC : I really enjoy that kind of concentration and excitement.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
KC : When my design is implemented, I feel very fulfilled, but sometimes I can do it better with regrets.
DI: What makes a design successful?
KC : I think that successful design should return to people's habits, understand and solve people's needs in space, think about the interaction between people and space, architecture, and maintain spatial consistency.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
KC : Whether the design is "people-oriented", whether it really realizes the designer's idea, whether it can see the designer's focus, whether it shows the consistency of space, these are the first considerations when judging the design quality.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
KC : 1) I feel that designers have a great responsibility for all the beauty of the city. It can affect people's aesthetics and habits. 2) In the West, there are many well-preserved centuries-old buildings that have become beautiful landscapes. Designers are more concerned with how to present a city or country culture that can be preserved by future generations when designing. This is the designer's right social responsibility. 3) For the natural environment, I feel that more or less will destroy the overall environment, designers can only try to minimize damage and take responsibility for the environment. For example, Miho Museum by Ieoh Ming Pei.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
KC : At present, the design has entered a period of vigorous development, the design demand is large, the development is fast, and there are many bold and novel designs, which are some advantages of the development of the design field. In the future, the market environment for design will gradually mature, the pace of development will slow down, and the style will change from single to plural. Designers also constantly think and train skills and think “what do we need and what we want? What is value and meaning?”
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
KC : The last exhibition was the 2019 iF Design Award winning exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. As long as we have the opportunity, we are willing to let the outstanding design works of CAC DESIGN GROUP participate in the exhibition and let more people around the world discover it.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
KC : I was inspired by travel and visiting international art exhibitions: Once, I experienced a mirrored black stone floor in a restaurant on Lake Como, Switzerland, which extended the beauty of the lake into the interior. Later, I also applied the inspiration for this trip to commercial projects. Get close to the world's best artworks, try to think with the artist's ideas when creating.
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?
KC : Most of my design projects are modern style, with emphasis on spatial proportions, lines and positioning in the design. During the start-up of the project, I will first communicate with the owner to understand his design needs and ideas, and then tailor it to the owner based on my understanding of the architecture itself and the interior.
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?
KC : I am now living in Shanghai. The history and culture of China have a great influence on my design ideas. It provides a soul for my design. Chinese cities are developing very fast, and there are also large commercial markets, creating many opportunities for designers, but also because the design pace is too fast, leading to more research on a project.
DI: How do you work with companies?
KC : Identify and appreciate each other.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
KC : A lot of communication can make the final result of the project complete and the design concept is better presented. When applying for talents, our company often looks for excellent designers with more than 5 years of work experience, because experience is very important for designers, which can reduce the error between drawings and actual space.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
KC : The first step is to communicate with the owner and understand the problem to use the design concept to help solve the problem. The floor plan is a very critical tool in this communication process, and then there will be a choice of style and materials. In the design process, reverse thinking is very important. For a space, reverse thinking is to make it an out-of-conventional spatial form.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
KC : Most of my favorite collections are items that are not long seen, such as the handmade masks from African tribal workshops, the BABI with African native style and artistic value, and the handmade ones brought back from the French art gallery. Giraffe, the base found in France, is designed with very simple ore artwork, and I also have a Jarre AeroBull Bulldog wireless Bluetooth stereo.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
KC : When I am busy, I may be designing all day. When I am not busy, I like to let go and think, and I like to browse the design magazines or websites and watch economic books.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
KC : It is often difficult for young designers to find design inspiration. It may be that life experience is not enough. It is recommended that young designers should go out and travel more, study, read books, visit exhibitions, and look at design projects in different fields. Of course, there must be a transition between “seeing” and “doing”, and transforming what you see into inspiration can make a design.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
KC : The designer's strengths are creative, insightful and discerning The most common problem for designers is that time is too limited. On the one hand, they must constantly input new design concepts and learn the use of new materials. Another convenience is to continuously deepen the design project. It is necessary to accurately balance the relationship between time and these skills and ideas.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
KC : My principle is that from the perspective of the owner to understand their direction and needs, design with professional skills and inspiration will not be without rules.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
KC : The most important thing for designers is the cultivation of aesthetics, professional architecture and interior design knowledge, good grasp of the proportion of space, color, material selection ability, cost control ability, insight, and of course, good communication and coordination.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
KC : I often use painting to do design, so the most commonly used tools are paper and pen. There are various tools for assisting painting in the toolbox. Computer software is commonly used in CAD, AI, etc. There are many ways to get inspiration. I often get through exhibitions, travel, and often visit design magazines and websites.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
KC : In fact, when I was designing, I often forgot my time. Such high-efficiency investment is also a way to save costs and time.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
KC : According to the owner's deadline.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
KC : Time is always too limited
DI: What was your most important job experience?
KC : The most important work experience is that I have been working here since I founded CAC DESIGN GROUP in 1999. During the period, the company developed from the original two people into a professional team of hundreds of people, completing a number of boutique residential and luxury hotel, commercial space design. CAC DESIGN GROUP has also become a platform for people who love design to communicate and communicate with each other. Through continuous exploration and research and development, we have made a variety of well-recognized designs.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
KC : Real estate developers, hotel owners, retailers and private owners with high requirements for life.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
KC : I like all creative, unique concepts and design concepts that are complete and fluid. Because good design is easy for the space user to touch, it will bring a lot of thinking to the designer.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
KC : In the future, we plan to develop design business in Southeast Asia and Europe.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
KC : Teamwork.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
KC : Too many.
DI: How can people contact you?
KC : You can call us :+8602152372751 or email us : cacdesigngroup@cacdg.com. If you have market and PR requirements, you can email: vera@cacdg.com homas.lu@cacdg.comivylee@cacdg.com