We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Zhenqi Ji ("ZJ").
Zhenqi Ji, visual designer, currently lives and works in Irvine, California. In 2017, he founded the studio Fanzine Studio in Irvine which provided customers with non-profit brand design, visual system and art guidance services. His previous work which has shown his design concept is systematic and targeted, it also makes him won the client’s recognition and numerous business achievements.
Zhenqi Ji Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Zhenqi Ji.
Zhenqi Ji Design - Occasional Motto Visual Identity
Designer Interview of Zhenqi Ji:
DI: What is "design" for you?
ZJ : Design to me is to find a balance between structure and forms with both aesthetic approach and universal method.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
ZJ : Brand identity and event-based visual identity.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
ZJ : EDITOR Brand Identity designed by A Black Cover Design. The studio decided to find a design language that “almost no one has done before” for EDITOR which is prospective, easy-to-operate and expandable. Design is conceived with the literal meaning of EDITOR as a starting point using an editor’s thinking pattern: an image is defined as a content space to be filled with information. This is an operation mode that copes with changes by sticking to a fundamental principle.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
ZJ : After work-out.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
ZJ : The over-all unity of the designed project.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
ZJ : Excited and pressure.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
ZJ : Releasing and very proud of, not myself, by my works.
DI: What makes a design successful?
ZJ : Being acknowledged by not only the clients, but also the targeting customers.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
ZJ : Does it convey the information and contexts of the design efficiently.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
ZJ : Encourage the public to learn that good design is not only supplementary, but necessary to the society and plays a vital role in their daily life.
DI: How do you work with companies?
ZJ : Communication is really important, especially when you try to covey the design idea to them. Sometimes, one design moves you a lot because you are the designer and you are capable of seeing through the design itself and get the idea of it. However, this doesn’t apply to everyone, as a designer, we have to explain where our design idea comes from, and why does it matter thoroughly to our clients so that they can feel what we felt during the design process.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
ZJ : Personally I am still a young designer, so I don't think I am experienced enough to share any suggestions.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
ZJ : Nothing special, brand research-brain storming-draft on notebook-put them together on software.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
ZJ : My MacBook Pro, my iPad-pro, my MUJI notebook, my pentel graphgear 1000 auto-pencil, and my uni pom drawing pens.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
ZJ : have a full-time job during the day, 9-6 every day. I will usually work on my personal project after 7 pm each night.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
ZJ : Personally I am still a young designer, so I don't think I am experienced enough to share "pearls of wisdom".
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
ZJ : There are lots of positives, and the first and foremost to me is that being a designer helps me look things and objects in a more detailed approach. The negative of being a designer, hmm, I think is you really need to spend a lot of time sitting in front of your computer and that really hurts your eyes.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
ZJ : Practice, not imagination.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
ZJ : Observation.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
ZJ : Mostly Adobe Photoshop and illustrator.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
ZJ : Usually I would set a certain time slot as my "design" time, 4 hours a day usually.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
ZJ : Usually takes me about a week to two weeks.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
ZJ : Do you make a lot of money of being a graphic designer :)
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
ZJ : I really like the feeling when different parts of one design project eventually converge to a whole. This part always moves me a lot, it seems to me like a new life is born out of my hand.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
ZJ : I am planning to continue my academic life in the near future. So maybe I will apply for the graduate school.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
ZJ : I develop my designs myself.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
ZJ : Right now I am working with a new biotech company on their brand identity.
DI: How can people contact you?
ZJ : You can contact me via my email: jzq5858@gmail.com