We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Jinyang Koo ("JK").
Jinyang Koo is an award-winning designer that helps make the World a better place with their original and innovative creations and advanced design works.
Jinyang Koo Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Jinyang Koo.
Jinyang Koo Design - Dond Low Table
Designer Interview of Jinyang Koo:
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?
JK : I love to challenge myself and design different creatures. I am looking forward to taking good ideas from various fields, using them in different situations and always pursuing the fun of design.The reason I want to become a designer is because I would love to deliver happiness to people throughout my artwork and design. Since I was a high school student, I have discovered that I love to design.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
JK : wuui is a design studio that specializes in interior, graphic, cg and product, which also gathers people from many different countries. In our lives, we tend to change our lifestyle because of human and things around us. However, we can't always achieve it for many reasons, even though that is the lifestyle we want. Therefore, we hope that we could help you to see the results of achievement through our design. In the future, wuui will also have more people from different cultural backgrounds and customs join us to help people around the world through many ideas and contribute to the community.
DI: What is "design" for you?
JK : Design is to improve people's lives. You can experience it more differently, conveniently and efficiently.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
JK : I like to design many kinds of things. Especially Interior Design. I want to create a space that impresses people.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
JK : My favorite design is about CG and Motion graphic design. I have many favorite designers and works. I like to see and enjoy their process and finished product. It inspire me very much.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
JK : CG image for a new released product.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
JK : My favorite material is wood. Nature makes me feel more comfortable. platform is Pinterest. I got many ideas from there. Technology is 3D printer. You can create things and use it at anytime, in any place.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
JK : I always watch some CG or motion graphic design video before I started doing design work. I get motivated and have good ideas after that.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
JK : No matter what the design is, I will pursue the details the most. It makes the whole design looks better. Even though no one notices it.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
JK : Excited and Happy. I really enjoy it.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
JK : Extremely excited.
DI: What makes a design successful?
JK : Depends on how much time and hard work you spend on it. I will start by doing research and open to different opinions and feedback from the people around me. Information comes first before the design starts.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
JK : Every design should have a concept. I will like to focus on it first.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
JK : Everything made in this world is related to design. The items made by designers are seen and used by many people. Therefore, designers should also consider whether it affects the people who use it and the environment when designing. The appearance of good things has a great impact on society.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
JK : Design in this era is very common. I think the future of designs are often unpredictable. I feel so excited about that.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
JK : I had my last exhibition in 2017 at Japan Osaka. It was my first exhibition and I did it with other designers. I always want to have my next exhibition. I hope I can do it very soon in Italy.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
JK : My design inspiration comes from several design platform. But I usually watch some CG tutorials or Motion Graphic Design videos on Youtube. I got a lot of good ideas from it.
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?
JK : I would like to say my design style is clean and simple. There are several brands that made me explore more this style when I was a student. I love them so much. Such as Muji, Nendo, Ikea etc. Simple and basic are the best for me. I always start my design from it, and then I will add more details on it if needed.
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?
JK : I was born in Malaysia, But I stay in Japan. Yes, I do feel the cultural heritage of Japan affects my design very much. For example Japanese style home. There are many overseas’ brand furniture and consumer electronics that can‘t be built and used because of the sizes or the rules set by the government. But there’s many kind of modern Japanese style nowadays, it allowed us to do more creative design on it.
DI: How do you work with companies?
JK : I had been working with several companies since my studio started. They usually offer me to do CG, Interior design and Graphic design works. Since working with a company may involve various departments, I sometimes get different jobs from different departments too. At that moment, I learned a lot of new things and was able to expand my horizons.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
JK : Working out with a designer I would suggest they focus on a specific field that will be able to improve project’s efficiency and quality. To select a good designer, besides looking at his ability. You can find out more about his Correspondence of work and personality.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
JK : Example: Research > Sketch > Sketch meeting > Drawing software (Illustrator, Cad, C4D etc.) > Drawing meeting > Correction / Finish I usually have at least 2~3 meetings with my clients doing the smallest project like logo design. Big projects such as renovation need more.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
JK : Airpods v2, Playstation 4 controller, Apple watch 5, JBL speaker, Taiwan traditional rice cooker (Datung)
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
JK : I start my day by waking up my daughter every day. She is my daily motivation. After that I start doing my work and having meetings with my clients. Sometimes I will go for exhibitions during the day time. I usually will end up my work around 6pm every day, and spend the rest of my time with my family.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
JK : Design is not only good or bad, it considers how many people get affected and how long your design lasts for. Before evaluating it, make sure it has a strong and good concept. The concept is the main part of the design, and it’s very important. Besides the functions and ease of use, we should pay more attention to the concept.Try to find something to motivate you before thinking of new ideas, you will have better results with a good mood.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
JK : Because of the culture, Designers are still not seen well in Asia countries and always get not understood with their work. But it is getting better and I think in the coming few years there will be more people paying more attention to it.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
JK : Details are the most important part, never miss it.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
JK : Never stop learning. It is the best and most important skill, it helps you to stay active in various fields. Besides, study and see more other designers’ experiences and their artworks. It will help us in developing our skills.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
JK : I’m using Cinema 4D, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Vector works, After Effects etc. Nowadays I’m using Ipad pro for sketching and graphic design. I have many kinds of design books, but I usually have my inspiration from some Designer’s youtuber.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
JK : That’s true. I usually do all my work during the day time. If I can’t finish my task, I will rearrange my time table to finish it. I will definitely finish all my work before the deadline.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
JK : It depends on what project. For Dond, It took 2 weeks from beginning to end. Beside design, I had to 3D print out and do multiple test combinations on it.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
JK : How do you get your work as a freelance designer?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
JK : I had a very special project in my previous working studio. Is about to design a medical equipment. It tooks more than 6 months to finish everything. We had no idea about medical equipment, so it was very difficult for us to design, but it was a good experience. We learned how to work out with various manufacturers and how to combine different materials together etc.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
JK : Lib Graphy, shoei-works, Mon Napoleon, Nest group inc etc.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
JK : 3D design. I love making 3D works such as interior spaces, products and 3D animations. Because the technology of 3D software attraction is so strong to me.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
JK : I love making 3D works, I hope one day I can be a professional 3D Designer. And do a better presentation for all my clients.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
JK : I develop my designs myself for now. Looking for a partner as well.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
JK : I’m having several projects right now such as logo design and homepage design. If I get a special project I would like to share with you in my homepage.
DI: How can people contact you?
JK : They can visit my homepage and contact me by email :)
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
JK : This is my homepage link, please feel free to check out. https://www.wuui.net