We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative HAN LIU ("HL").
Han Liu is a PhD candidate at the University of Birmingham. His research is related to the combination of art and engineering. He completed his master degree course at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China. He was the Winner of ‘German Design Award 2019’, Winner of ‘The Red Dot Award 2018’, Winner of ‘A Design Award 2018’, Gold Winner of ‘MUSE Creative Awards 2018’, Winner of ‘The Red Dot Award 2017’, and Gold Winner of ‘MUSE Creative Awards 2017’. He was invited to ‘The 2019 San Jose International Digital Design’, ‘The 2019 Spring International Digital Design Invitation Exhibition’, and ‘The 2018 GIRONA International Digital Design Invitation Exhibition’. His works are included in ‘Joseph Binder Award Book’.
HAN LIU Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by HAN LIU.
HAN LIU Design - Trex Poster
Designer Interview of HAN LIU:
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?
HL : Although I am focusing on my Ph.D. research in the engineering area, becoming a combination designer is still my unchangeable dream. I finished my bachelor's degree in the industrial design area, but I put a lot of time into the visual design and engineering field too. Then I finished my master's degree in computer engineering, to improve the mind of design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
HL : Birmingham High Performance Turbomachinery Limited is a high-tech headquartered in the UK. Its business focus has shifted to the development of new high-performance turbo extended range engine, turbocharger, micro engines, air bearing, and related products.
DI: What is "design" for you?
HL : Design is an irreplaceable approach to improve the quality of lifestyle. It drives people to a place where we can enjoy the combination of art and science.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
HL : Be honest, industrial products and visual arts are my favorites.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
HL : The Mortise and tenon structure.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
HL : It was the profile of a new electric car, 10 years ago.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
HL : Ceramics is my favorite. I like natural materials such as wood and pottery clay, but scientific methods and technology bridge art and academics very well.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
HL : Morning, between 7 to 11 am.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
HL : The combination area between art and science, which is a part of my Ph.D. research too.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
HL : When I design, I think I will become a person who has rigorous, logic, and divergent thinking.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
HL : I always want to find a possibility for optimizing after my designs are realized.
DI: What makes a design successful?
HL : I think the more significant points are: the integration of knowledge, the courage to cross boundaries, the perseverance to success, perseverance, and determination to face and overcome difficulties.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
HL : The idea and the soul.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
HL : For me, designers should make a positive atmosphere for society, bring healthy and optimistic waves to people, and discover more possibilities for the future.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
HL : Multicultural integration, multidisciplinary integration, and multidimensional development will be conjectures for future design. I think that more design fields, such as those related to animal psychological research, maybe endless.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
HL : The recent exhibition where my design could be found is in ‘The 2019 San Jose International Digital Design’. I wish I could hold an exhibition later this year. It is time to represent more related information, share more experiences and contributions from my research.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
HL : Combination thoughts, especially the possibility of multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary integration.
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?
HL : My design style is combined. My current research aimed at the approach of how could we improve our design with mathematics and Computational Fluid Dynamics. My target is to find out a new method for design via science rules such as B-Spline functions.
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?
HL : Now I live in the UK. After moving here, my views on design have changed a lot. I have been influenced by culture and education. In particular, the local people's pursuit of science and rigorous attitudes have made my design style more academic and feasible.
DI: How do you work with companies?
HL : Finishing every task step by step together, with good communication and a positive mood.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
HL : Before teamwork, companies and firms need to choose their co-designer very carefully. However, it will not help if companies pushing too much on designers during the cooperation process.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
HL : First, I will talk about the case or the task more details with my clients. Second, I prefer to learn relevant knowledge and academic background from papers or other publishings. Third, I will make some drafts based on the main request. Fourth, it is time to contact the companies between discussing and optimizing. Fifth, I will put more details and finish the task.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
HL : My brush washer for Chinese painting, my seal-ink box, my handmade cup for drinking, the water system of my house, and my iPhone SE.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
HL : The day when I finish my research and create a new design method in the future, I plan to celebrate it with the start of a new research program.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
HL : A lone tree could not become a forest.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
HL : Being a designer is my dream work, so it may be not easy for me to explain the negatives of that. But as I know, most of the designers have a very rich imagination, an optimistic attitude towards life, high aesthetic standards, and an open mind.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
HL : It consists of 40% art and 60% science.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
HL : Personally, the research ability and open-minded.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
HL : The tools include some computer aid design, like UG NX, Metlab, Photoshop, and ANSYS. Also some knowledge resources such as academic publishing and laboratory contributions.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
HL : A reasonable schedule and project program could lead me to avoid vital risks. Also, it will save time if the right people focusing on the right things.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
HL : It depends, industrial products spend more time than others for me.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
HL : ‘What can I do for your products in differentiated competition?’
DI: What was your most important job experience?
HL : The redesign of a new turbocharged engine which it had been finished earlier last year for UK Innovation in England.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
HL : Generally, national organizations and industrial firms are my potential clients.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
HL : Visual design and product design are my interests. I am so keen on combining art and science via design, contributing to a new visual and user experience.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
HL : In the next step, I plan to reinforce my research method and find more possibilities for its utilization. For example, figure out how can I improve product design with my design method and guide future creations.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
HL : In the group from the academic institute, I am one of a team. However, as a Ph.D. candidate, I have to develop more new findings and creations by myself during the combination research program.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
HL : Recently, I am focusing on a UAV product design. This task includes studying the beauty of continuity, including G2, G3, and higher-order continuity. Good design should both reflect a part of the world truly or extractives, but also include some elements of beauty to rise above our world. B-Splines can provide continuity elements conveniently.
DI: How can people contact you?
HL : E-mail: luishanke777@gmail.com Instagram: liu_han_7
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
HL : No thanks.