We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Chung-Yuan Kuo ("CK").
Chung-Yuan Kuo is an award-winning designer that helps make the World a better place with their original and innovative creations and advanced design works.
Chung-Yuan Kuo Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Chung-Yuan Kuo.
Chung-Yuan Kuo Design - Pah Ji Hue Package
Designer Interview of Chung-Yuan Kuo:
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?
CK : I never stop learning graphic & visual strategies. I love to appreciate the design result for every work. I have wanted to be a designer until my creativities are not found.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
CK : My design studio is called "Midroom Lab". I hope that the company's role is always "in the middle of" every design cases and our clients.
DI: What is "design" for you?
CK : Design is a visual solution.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
CK : Package systems, Logo identity, and to be an exhibition curator.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
CK : Package design. I enjoy that customers could get surprised when they see the package and open it.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
CK : Taiwanese tea package.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
CK : Wood or bamboo package for showing Taiwanese characteristic.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
CK : When sharing my design opinion with my colleagues.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
CK : Good visual skill with touched idea.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
CK : Pleased and excited.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
CK : Feel confident.
DI: What makes a design successful?
CK : Revised the design work constantly before announcement.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
CK : The audiences' voice.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
CK : Reuse package material.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
CK : "Design field" and "future of design" include every living goods when your open your eyes every day.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
CK : I held the exhibition in December last year in Taiwan. I hope I will hold the exhibition in the summer this year.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
CK : See and feel when traveling.
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?
CK : We always to make design works that could be broken through the last work.
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?
CK : Taiwan is a small country where is proceeding to make world known via design.
DI: How do you work with companies?
CK : Discussion with each other, not only professional design process but also hobbies.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
CK : Design is a hard way to do it fast. A good designer must face to all kinds of difficult design cases.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
CK : Make a main design strategy, find out key visual words, draw the sketches, and do them constantly until forming a perfect work.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
CK : 1. To know about every design news in the world. 2. Play with my cat. 3. Play video game. 4. Clean my vintage toys. 5. Sit on my favorite chair.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
CK : Work with my colleague or teach students of the related design major.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
CK : Never stop learning and being curious.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
CK : To live in different modes very day but you have to burn your brain constantly.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
CK : There is no shortcut to success.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
CK : Draw the sketches every day.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
CK : Every toy from different countries! I am not good at drawing software in pc. I love to use "COPIC" to record my design idea.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
CK : Sleep early and spend a lot of time to set my dress and hair in the morning. And then go working with a passion.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
CK : I think half year (six months) is a suitable duration to complete a design case.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
CK : How can you break through your work every time?
DI: What was your most important job experience?
CK : Clients can focus on my opinion for their products.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
CK : Most of them are small and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
CK : New product packaging is just like a baby who is born from us and clients.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
CK : To break through my last work.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
CK : I work with my colleague and create all kinds of ideas from each other.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
CK : To redesign some of branding case for public institutions.
DI: How can people contact you?
CK : Please go onto the website: https://midroomlab.com/
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
CK : Taiwan is my country where is full of design energies.