We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Wu yao ("WY").
I'm Wu Yao，In 2019, Beijing Satellite TV invited the designer of the second season of the National Palace Museum, the official cultural and creative designer of Wudang Mountain, the designer recommended by Zhan Ku, the annual cooperative designer of shede liquor industry, and the special designer of the culture and Tourism Bureau of Xi'an Qujiang Management Committee. Together with Baidu and the National Library, they designed the input method skin of Shanhaijing series, and jointly created the online red products "Palace Museum suitcase" and "Zhengda Guangmeng" with the National Palace Museum Before and after cooperation with Xinhuanet, Li Ning, China, Chengdu University Games, shede, vivo, King glory, ZTE, Netease, amuxi, COSCO, China Resources, Dongfeng Motor, etc.
Wu yao Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Wu yao.
Wu yao Design - Chinese Lion Car Sticker
Wu yao Design - Beijing Happy Valley Illustration Series
Wu yao Design - Dream Collection Illustrations
Wu yao Design - Trip of Tea Illustrations
Wu yao Design - Challenger Alcoholic Beverage Packaging
Wu yao Design - Shebude Wine Liquor Packaging
Wu yao Design - Chang'an Still Illustration Series
Wu yao Design - Wudang Mountain Visual Design
Wu yao Design - Beautiful Chinese Wine Gift Box
Wu yao Design - Shacheng Old Cellar Packaging
Designer Interview of Wu yao:
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?
WY : I started as a curator in public spaces, and after a period of time, I chose to draw my own illustrations. In fact, it was just because of my interest at the beginning. I loved drawing when I was very young. However, when I grew up and entered the design industry, I still insisted on drawing some illustrations every day, accumulating less to gain more, and gradually forming my own style.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
WY : Beijing Wuyao Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd. is a design oriented limited company, mainly engaged in illustration design, packaging design, IP image design, etc. It is a team composed of a group of young and interesting illustrators and designers. We are passionate about extracting design inspiration from the details of life, extracting concepts from ancient Chinese aesthetics, and focusing on the overall design of different brands in different environments. We excel in creating colorful, unique compositions, and culturally imbued stories, providing customers with works that meet their brand needs and helping them achieve their expected cultural aspirations and business goals.
DI: What is "design" for you?
WY : Design originates from life, extracting design inspiration from the details of life, expressing what one sees and thinks in the form of painting, infinitely amplifying one's unique ideas within a limited range, and ultimately presenting them to everyone.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
WY : I quite appreciate works with warmth and details. Design itself is a unique thing, and everyone's understanding of design is also greatly different. Being able to express their intended meaning through design language is a great thing
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
WY : I prefer design works that combine ancient and modern times. Chinese culture is vast and profound, and there is much worth exploring. Integrating these historical cultures into modern design can make modern design more culturally rich.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
WY : Wudang Mountains cultural and creative design was our first design project at that time. Wudang Mountains was a spiritual mountain located in Shiyan, Hubei Province, China. We were impressed by Wudang Mountains and admired the magic of nature. Such a coincidence made us have our own views on Wudang Mountains and created a series of works.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
WY : My favorite thing is to create illustrations with a hand-painted board. The moment I pick up the brush, there is always a lot of inspiration. Using the brush to create all the images in my mind is a very happy thing for me.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
WY : After flipping through many books, I am the most creative because the knowledge in books is always so novel, and many of my designs also derive inspiration from books. During travel, you can also discover many beautiful things in life, and it is important to have a pair of eyes that discover the beauty.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
WY : I pay more attention to the practicality of design, and I don't want the final presentation to be a flashy work, so the creation should also be realistic.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
WY : We are all very involved in the design process, controlling the overall direction and constantly adding details, hoping to present the best work in the end.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
WY : After the design is completed, we will review it and discuss our thoughts and experiences on this design, striving to surpass it in the next creation.
DI: What makes a design successful?
WY : The ultimate success of the design relies on early information collection, overall direction control, team collaboration, technical maturity, and final inspection of details.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
WY : Design cannot judge good or bad, what is suitable is the best. This is something that needs to be determined in the early stages of design. Don't rush to create, first determine the overall direction, and then invest in creation, so that you are not afraid of any deviation in the final effect.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
WY : As a designer, first of all, one must be familiar with the current design market, have a keen observation ability, and produce a design that not only conforms to the market but also has its own uniqueness, which is conducive to the presentation of the final work.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
WY : Design has always been changing with the changes of the times, and the future of design lies in every person who has unique insights and loves design. Of course, design is fluid, and if you want it to have long-term vitality, you need to keep up with the times. To be rooted in civilization itself.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
WY : In fact, inspiration is a thing of the moment, and there are many ways to get inspiration. For me, I will keep myself in a state of progress. If I don't have inspiration, I may go to cities with cultural heritage to take a look. I will relax and get a sense of spirituality at the same time. Another is to stick to reading. What can be given to us in books is the essence of the ancients. Reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles "He Chou lacks inspiration.
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?
WY : Because we are doing national style design, it requires a lot of support from traditional Chinese culture. And modern design requires a combination of ancient and modern, and how to integrate this perfectly is a challenge, as it requires both rich cultural characteristics and a fit for the design. In the design process, it is necessary to search for the most obvious characteristics of the product itself, and then combine it with traditional Chinese culture to create a complete 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?
WY : I come from China, which has been around for five thousand years. The cultural treasures left by our ancestors are numerous, and the designs of ancient times were either elegant or magnificent, which was a trend at that time. In fact, there are very few completely innovative designs nowadays, and they all need to have a basis. Therefore, in modern design, there will also be the shadow of ancient culture.
DI: How do you work with companies?
WY : We will understand the company's needs in the early stage and then create projects to ensure consistency in the overall direction. Communication is very necessary.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
WY : This is a two-way choice, as both parties need to be suitable. Choosing the right company can better leverage one's strengths, while designers can also achieve success for the company, which is a win-win situation.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
WY : Firstly, when receiving a project, we need to look at its main demands, starting from the perspective of what the project wants to express the most. Then, we need to search for relevant information. Once we have the information, we have an idea, push it forward, implement it, and communicate with our partners to confirm the details during the implementation process. After confirming the details, we proceed with the final work, and a complete work is completed.